All puppies go through fear periods.
My puppy is starting to enter her first one she will be 12 weeks old Thursday.
Up until today I had not noticed any fear at all.
We took a short ride in the truck… to pick up a bale of hay and she wined and complained a bit and was afraid. (this was not her first ride in the truck)
What I do:
1. I do not tell her “it is okay” …I do not want to encourage her to be afraid.
2. I did hold her and talk to her normally like everything was all right !
3. I was not worried that she was afraid…(it will pass) and she will gain confidence from the experiences.
4. We continue to do normal things during this period.
5. I do not avoid things that make her uncomfortable or afraid.
When we arrived back at the farm she unloaded from the truck and helped me with the sheep and feeding hay like nothing was ever wrong.
This tells me:
1. She is fine.
2. Things not in her normal routine are going to bring the fearful period out so I need to do more off the farm.
3. She will go through these stages as she matures and will be fine if I do the right things to support her in the mean time.
