If your confident puppy just 'pancaked' at a simple cardboard box, they aren't being naughty. Their brain just hit a 'fear window'.
Fear periods are biologically programmed windows where your pet's brain is hypersensitive. A single bad experience now can create a lifelong phobia. It's a survival switch turned too high.
The first window usually hits between 8 and 11 weeks. This often clashes with their first vet visit or arriving at your home. Everything is new, and everything is potentially a threat.
Don't get complacent. Secondary fear periods hit dogs between 6 and 14 months. Your Kelpie or Maremma might suddenly decide the local park is a house of horrors.
Look for physical cues: dilated pupils, excessive panting, or dropping flat to the ground. In kittens, look for the 'puffed' tail. These are physiological 'full bucket' signals.
Instinct tells you to scoop them up and say 'it's okay.' But in their world, high-value attention during panic can actually reinforce the fear state. We need a different lead.
Be the confident, slightly silly leader. If they spook, use a happy, higher-pitched voice. Move around the 'scary' object with relaxed body language to signal safety.
Never force them to sniff the scary thing. Instead, toss a high-value treat *near* the object, not on it. Let them choose to move forward with their own agency.
Our environment is high-stimulus. Screeching cockatoos, loud utes, and busy weekend markets can overwhelm a developing brain. Curate their world during these weeks.
If a major 'scare' happens, give them a cortisol break. 3 days of no new places, no training, and lots of sleep. Let the stress hormones return to baseline levels.
By guiding them through these phases without force, you aren't just 'fixing' fear. You're building a resilient, confident pet that handles the world like a pro.
This isn't a 'naughty' pet or a permanent trait. It's a biological phase. Your leadership during these critical windows dictates their confidence for the rest of their life.
Get our full fear-period calendar and the exact Jolly Routine scripts to use at home.