How Puppies Grow

To come

STAGES:

Fear Stages happen around 10 weeks old and again around 14 weeks old.   There is another fear stage around 6 to 14 months.  It is their growing awareness of how big the world is.  

When you are with your puppy and if it acts scared ( shaking, yowling, screaming, cowering behind you, barking at folks for no reason) this means it is scared of something, someone, some noise.... it will be up to you to laugh him/her right out of it...do not fuss or sooth a scared puppy.  Your normal voice needs to be fearless (NO BABY TALK) just jolly them out of it.  You must  carry on like there is nothing to be scared of (even if you are scared you must not let if show).  Pup will take cue from you.  

If you do scoop down and pick pup up then you must be laughing and playful and tossing pup around like you do not have a care in the world...not like you are feeling the fear too...you must not feed into fear; quite the opposite.  

They need to know they have a brave leader who is not a nervous-nelly.  If you are scared or nervous your puppy will be scared and nervous.  This is how anxiety problems gets started in a dog.  If you, the big leader are scared then the pup will take the cue from you and believe there is much to fear.  You must be brave and calm always.  Even if pup is screaming its fool head off.  Just laugh and distract and carry on.  

Do not feed into the puppies fear with your own fear or your own concern.

Here is a link to a great article on bone development and exercise for your new puppy.    Daily Dog Discoveries: Impact of Exercise on Puppies Growth Plates

Fear Stages    

A Reason for Dew Claws video