But if you have a dog going through their first year of life, the most common ages where we see the signs of a fear period are between 8-11 weeks of age, and between 6-14 months of age. Both periods can be expected to last between 2-3 weeks.
Fear should be handled with patience and kindness. Allow him to retreat and try again from a distance where he feels comfortable. Praise positive behavior. Additionally, routine training during this period can help set him up for success.
During the "flight instinct" period your puppy will experience periodic fear periods between 6-14 months. Adolescent dogs may spook at the silliest things. You walk down the same street every day for months and one day, out of the blue, he becomes hysterical at the sight of a fire hydrant that has always been there.
Most dogs will experience a couple of fear periods during their development. One happens in puppyhood shortly after you bring them home between the age of nine and 16 weeks and the other during adolescence at around 18 months old. For some dogs, it's not really a big deal.
It's possible! Most fearful dogs gradually improve with time, training, and trust. But they won't likely become outgoing if they're naturally nervous or shy. There is hope!
Many young dogs go through a stage of shyness during their adolescence, typically when they are four to five months old. Most of these fear-related behaviours fade as the dog matures, gains confidence, and becomes used to the triggering situation.
Approximately 35% of owners and trainers voted 8-9 months as the toughest age citing new challenging behaviors associated with their puppy's now larger size such as pulling on the leash or counter-surfing.
Fear Period #2: 6–14 Months
This second fear period can be especially disorienting for owners because your 6-14-month-old may look like an adult dog, so it can be hard to remember that your dog is still a puppy and emotionally developing. It can feel like everything you taught your puppy has fallen apart.
Stage 5: Adolescence (6 – 18 months) This can be the most difficult time during a puppy's development – adolescence. Your cute little puppy is becoming a teenager and will start producing hormones which may result in changes in behaviour.
Adolescent fear period (age 6-14 months)
Also known as “the fear of situations period,” this phase typically corresponds to a dog's growth spurts (and sexual maturation, in intact puppies). It's a normal developmental period during which new things seem scary, even if they didn't used to (source).
Most puppies start to calm down as they approach their maturity age, which is usually around 12 months, but for larger breeds it can be more likely to occur between 18 months and 2 years.
If your adolescent dog suddenly seems a little skittish but has previously been confident, it is likely that your dog is just entering a normal developmental fear period during which new things (and even not-so-new things) scare them.
While there is no 'cure' for fear aggression, there are many positive things you can do to help manage the problem and get your dog to a place where she can exist in harmony within an environment which she previously found scary.
As dogs age, some show a significant increase in anxiety and other behavioral issues. With a potential decrease in their senses of hearing, sight and smell, dogs can startle more easily. It may be more generalized, with your dog seeming to enjoy things less or even being jumpier.
Most canine behavior problems are a result of fear or anxiety, meaning that the behaviors you actually observe your dog doing are elicited by fear or anxiety. You cannot resolve these problems by using punishment and you cannot 'train them out'.
Do dogs get more anxious with age? While not every dog gets more anxious with age, anxiety in older dogs is not unusual. As dogs age, their sense of smell, hearing, and sight may be impacted. Additionally, they may experience cognitive decline and struggle when it comes to perception and memory.
It does appear that as dogs age that they become calmer but in fact, your dogs energy level is set at a certain age and will not get less, what will happen though, is that your dog will learn when to be excited and when not to be.
Helping fearful dogs become more confident is a multi-step process that can take weeks, months, or even years. In many cases, it's never really “done.”
Undesirable behaviours such as barking, chewing, counter surfing, house-soiling and jumping up commonly begin to occur at around 3-6 months of age. Your puppy will not grow out of these behaviours. On the contrary, it is more likely that these behaviours will worsen if not addressed early on.
When Puppies Mature and Settle Down. Puppies typically develop the emotional maturity and temperament of an adult dog between twelve and eighteen months of age, although they may continue to occasionally exhibit puppy behavior like chewing and nipping until they're about two years old.
Puppies go through phases, some owners may find things get easier once they have been potty trained, others may not find things improve until their pup starts to mature at 18 months+. There are a lot of variables, including your dog's personality, breed, your approach to training, and whether you can meet their needs.
Keep walks brief at first. Until your dog feels more comfortable, don't overstress him. Treats are a great distraction, so buy some small treats for positive reinforcement. Choose something that your dog loves since fear can reduce interest in eating.
For a dog who is acting out of fear or frustration (for example, a dog who is barking and lunging on leash), using the word 'no' to stop the behavior without helping to alleviate their fear or frustration will often lead to an escalation in behavior, such as growling, air snapping, or biting.