Fear Periods
A new #palpack puppy owner just recently sent this text, “Sorry for the late text, but my dog broke house potty training 2 times in the last two days while both of us were present, he is also now barking at all passersby.”
The Labrador mentioned above is just over 6 months of age, unaltered, exercised daily, and very well trained in his basic obedience. He is on his way to becoming the perfect companion.
The response from trainer #AlphaLauren was simple: “Your pal is experiencing a fear period.”
This pal above is experiencing the second fear period in his life. To learn more about fear periods and how to #trainplaylove correctly read below.
What is a fear period?
Fear periods are episodes of a dog having what we consider irrational fears or a lapse in the understanding of “the rules.” This can be a laundry hamper that has been moved, a statue you and your dog pass on a walk everyday, a person in a hat, sunglasses or carrying an umbrella. It can also be a rake, leaf blower, or even the vacuum. The list of what can be fearful is different for every dog, but it isn’t about what is scaring your companion, it is about how you work with your pal so they have the greatest of success.
When do fear periods happen and what should I do?
8-11 weeks is the Fear Impact Period
It is imperative as a new dog owner NOT to frighten a puppy during this time, traumatic experiences during this time can cause behavioral concerns as your dog develops. This is the time we must be ever mindful of other adult interaction, animal interaction, and children interaction. These fears can either be malicious or inadvertently. Your dog’s learning during this time is permanent.
All interactions should be closely supervised to ensure that there is minimal adverse conditioning. Please wait until this fear period is complete before starting a basic obedience course, puppy socialization course, or have frequent guests in your home.
13-16 weeks is the Seniority Classification Period
This is frequently termed the “Age of Cutting,” wherein during this period, your canine is cutting their teeth, exploring how to relieve the anxiety of the pain from this change, this is also the time when your dog will start testing their dominance and leadership. During this fear period your cuddly companion will start exploring how they can use their defense mechanism (their teeth) on everything in sight, often times including you.
It is imperative for you to discourage undesirable behaviors with corrections, but more imperative that you give meaningful praise during good choices of release.
4 to 8 months is the Flight Instinct Period
If you are not in a basic obedience course by this time your dog will be turning a deaf ear when called. This fear period could be a few days, or several weeks. It is necessary for you to paws’itively praise your companion during this time to minimize the negative behaviors. During this stage your dog will also be reliving the anxiety from the pain by teething.
Please see the note https://www.facebook.com/notes/pawsitive-pals-dog-training/why-does-my-pal-destructively-chew/881893308668735/ for more suggestions.
6-14 months is the Second Fear Impact Period
During this time your companion is growing in spurts. Dog size does directly correlate when your companion will experience this fear period, smaller breed dogs experience it earlier than larger breed dogs. During this fear period it is necessary to ensure that negative behavior is not reinforced. Be aware FORCE can frighten a dog. This is not the time to use choke and cinch on your dog, this is the time to use soothing tones, encouragement, and praise to overcome a fear. All fears should be handled with patience and kindness. What you do during this time with your dog is what makes or breaks the self-confidence in your dog.
10-12 months is your Sexual Exploration Fear Period
Just as humans experience sexual maturity, so do our companions. Your companion will start to explore themselves and others around him/her. This is the time where you will teach and control the social order of the natural drive for your dog to procreate and dominate with other dogs. If you are not in a socialization class and are utilizing a dog park to meet your social and exercise needs, be mindful of your dog’s communication and stimulation from other companions. Your companion learns how to interact with others from you and also from other dogs (ever more so). Be sure that you are an active participant in these scenarios, (at times silently observing, at times encouraging and practicing recall, and at others correcting or removing your companion from the stimulation.)
14-18 months is your Maturity Fear Period
Larger breed dogs can experience this fear period later, as it takes longer for them to be their full size and maturity. This period is often marked by a dramatic increase in aggression or a renewed testing for leadership, as you see in Seniority Classification Period. However, both periods are handled differently. Unlike, during the Seniority Classification Period you gave more praise, in this fear period you will affirm your leadership role and use your size and strength to reaffirm your lack of tolerance for “bad behavior.”
What is your dog saying when speaking with other dogs? If you are seeing any of the yellow or red behaviors it is necessary for you to contact a trainer or animal behaviorist.
Remember you are your dog’s teacher. The skills your dog learns are your responsibility to teach, just because your dog goes to class does not mean that they will learn the skills if you DON’T do your homework.