# Fear stages?



## DolphinGirl (Nov 5, 2010)

OK....I have 2 questions.....

#1 - Anyone know when and how often the fear stages hit? 
Aspen seemed to hit one about 5 mo...and I thought he was coming out of it, but this week he seems fearful of strangers. I am not sure where it is coming from. I take him out and socialize hit lots. He is ~6.5 mo old now.

#2 - This week Aspen has been sleeping LOTS. He has only gain 1 lbs this last week, so I am not sure it's a growth spurt. Anyone else have this?


----------



## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I don't believe in fear stages and think they are a combination of weak nerves and poor training. I don't see this in truly confident puppies with good training.


----------



## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

DolphinGirl,

There is such a thing as fear stages. Human children experience such things; so, too, I believe, can pups, kittens, foals, etc.

Not all pups have actual fear stages, maybe even most do not. I do not have any numbers to offer. It is my belief that some do, and of those, might not show any physical signs of fear stages at the beginning of manifestation, and/or the owner is unaware of its physicality and assumes the pup is weak nerved...some pups could be that very thing, absolutely, of course. The one mantra that is solid...do not give up. Look for signs at the beginning of manifestation, with the knowledge of every pup, even those from the same litter...is a unique individual. Here are Keek's precursors:
A. Hiccups
B. Poop goes soft
C. Physical body looks a tad beefier, as if water retention
D. Growth Spurt​ Then the return to normal....crazy, cool, cocky, sweet, funny, awesome, brilliant, wow-holey-cow-didja-just-see-what-that-dog-did!!!

I've never had a dog like Keek. Her puppy-hood, adolescence, and now entering young adult, has shown me just exactly how unique each dog can be. She went through another, very short mild one, which lasted only about four days in November...after not having any for several months. Keek turned two in December.

Not that you need to be told, but do not give up! Give Aspen the very best, most nutritious feeding that you can. Keep up his grooming, closely examine his toes, especially his toe nails, feel his body daily with your bare hands. Exercise his whole self, brain included, more-so than what an average dog owner would do. Have him with you, make it happen, make opportunities happen, to experience a bigger world, which will help him to open up his mind.

And when someone accuses you of poor training (or worse!), not that anyone has.....just say, "Yep. We're working on it." :wub:


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Elaine said:


> I don't believe in fear stages and think they are a combination of weak nerves and poor training. I don't see this in truly confident puppies with good training.


Not quite true....

Here's some great information on the following links:

Developmental Stages

Puppy Development

Von Stroman German Shepherd Puppy Primer, Part I

Understanding Puppy


----------



## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I never really noticed Pyrate with any fear stages except that he is terrified of fireworks and thunder still. Raina on the other hand went through a couple fear stages and they seemed to be linked to the teething stages as far as time line. The things she was afraid of she barked at -a big coral rock, a funny looking pile of stuff in the dark, etc. She breezed through those stages and isn't afraid of anything at all now. I let her walk up to and examine the things she was afraid of at her own speed and it seemed to work fine.


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Karlo never went thru a fear stage. Onyx went thru a first one at 6.5 months and then began reactive behaviors.
I wonder if the rabies vaccine had anything to do with it...the timing was right.
Her nerves aren't the strongest however but at that 6 month age, really started showing anxiety and reactiveness. She was spayed too, not sure if the vetting had anything to do with it. 
I do believe genetics play a part in how dogs react, it has something to do with training as well...you need to manage the fearful behaviors properly so the dog doesn't get worse. But to say it is caused by poor training is not true at all.


----------



## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

Just wanted to add an idea before I forget----the severity and duration of an episode will vary. So, maybe Aspen at 6.5 months might be getting his back molars, which could explain his needs for naps... and the length, and weirdness (roller coaster ride), in this particular episode for your puppy. Your pup is very handsome, btw. He's lucky to have you, too!

Here's an excerpt from an article on pups:_*4-6 months:* Teething. This puts stress on some puppies. Some puppies are oblivious to the teething, others seem to get painful gums. Be careful and show and tell rather than correcting a puppy during this period. Puppies tend to chew a lot during this period, so provide lots of safe chew toys. Feed 2 meals a day from now on throughout the dog's life. The puppy should receive a rabies vaccination._​_*4-8 months:* Some time between 4-8 months fear periods may appear with the flight instinct dominating the puppy's behavior. A fear period may last up to two weeks. Handle onsets of fear calmly. Do NOT under any circumstances "comfort" the puppy. Do not make a big issue out of the puppy's fear. Try to make the puppy investigate, or at least ignore the object that he/she found scary. Allow the puppy to work it out. Walk past the object many times, so the puppy gets used to it again._​To read its entirety click here. You don't have to follow every single thing written in that article, but it's just good to know stuff. Good luck and best wishes to you and Aspen, always!


----------



## Gmthrust (Mar 3, 2010)

Lol! Everyone posted! Look at all those posts! Meanwhile just before doing the "submit entry" for my last post....none of those other posts were there. I love that! Funny how things work out!


----------



## DolphinGirl (Nov 5, 2010)

I want to thank everyone for thier posts. Aspen is in training at Petsmart...but with a very good techer who has 2 Shepherds, one of which is SchH and she teaches OB at SchH. So, She has seen him in the store acting like a gooof (class clown in class) as well as stare down an employee, and his reactions at the SchH training. I am just there working on OB. So, I do spend a lot of time training him. He does well but has his moments.

Today there was a significant change in his reactivity to things compared to yesterday. Last night he was skittish around my dad who he loves. Today he was running up to everything, unphased. I do not allow him see me recogniser his fears or coo him when he is scared. I act like nothing is wrong. HOWEVER, I do tell unfamiliar children to be careful if he runs behind me. Even though he doesn't bite, he has a high pitched bark he gives them when he doesn't want to be touched (usually scares the kid). *I try to get the kids not to approach him but rather let him approach them. *


----------

