Growth and fear?

[Binny P]

Our sweet Burt Reynolds continues to bring us so much joy. He is happily settled into his doggy daycare routine, with few negative side affects. He seems quicker to bark at things since he has been in doggy daycare (for example, when the dog next door barks, he now barks, which is new), but overall, well worth it -- no more puppy zoomies at night, has stopped almost all biting/nipping, and seems to be happily exhausted at the end of the day!

So, overall, he is doing really well. A few questions though -- first fear. He is about 5 months now (how did that happen????) and seems to suddenly be worried about/fearful of things that he never use to give any notice to. I had him with me at work and when he met someone new with a beard (which he is use to  -- my partner has a beard), he kept barking. Similarly, when we were out on the street, someone with luggage got barks, an unfamiliar sign got barks, just lots of things were Very Troubling to him. We have had him in the city since he was a pup, so he has seen all of these things many times. I have read that around 10 months there is often a "fear phase". Is he just hitting it early? Thoughts on what is going on and how to get him through it?

Second, a question on size. He is about 31 pounds now at ~5 months (born March 8). Both his parents were in the 60lb range, but he has always seemed a bit on the smaller end -- about 20lbs at 16 weeks. Any thoughts on how much we should expect him to grow still? When do they stop growing? Will he top out around 40??

[Lindsey Holt]

Usually if you double the weight at 16 weeks and add 5 to 10 pounds it's a good indicator on size.

As far as fear, I think some dogs just become a bit more observant and they age. Not super helpful but my experience non the less.

He is a total cutie.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I would keep exposing him to as much as possible. Try not to comfort him, but be matter of fact about the encounters.  It's okay to say something like, 'It's okay."  But not over and over and not in a baby voice; and without a lot of hugging etc.  Keep it all matter of fact.

If he was 20 pounds at 16 weeks, the prediction would be about 45 or 50 pounds.  This is not set in concrete.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Regarding fear - from the University of California Davis Vet program:

Fear Impact Period (8 - 11 Weeks):

Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period. As you can see, this period overlaps that of the previous definition and children or animal should not be allowed to hurt or scare the puppy -- either maliciously or inadvertently. It is very important now to introduce other humans, but he must be closely supervised to minimize adverse conditioning. Learning at this age is permanent. 
This is the stage where you wonder if your dog is going to be a woosy butt all his life. Also introducing your puppy to other dogs at this time will help him become more socialized. If available in your area, a doggy day care is great for this.

Second Fear impact period (6 - 14 Months):

Also called, "The fear of situations period", usually corresponds to growths spurts. This critical age may depend on the size of the dog. Small dogs tend to experience these periods earlier than large dogs. Great care must be taken not to reinforce negative behavior. Force can frighten the dog, and soothing tones serve to encourage his fear. His fear should be handled with patience and kindness, and training during this period puts the dog in a position of success, while allowing him to work things out while building self-confidence.

[Leslie J]

I agree that fear should be handled with patience and kindness... but I also think dogs need to be discouraged from barking at people and other dogs when they're on walks. When Cocoa went through this phase I had her sit, calm down, and stop barking. I also live in the city and didn't want Cocoa to become one of those "yappy" dogs on walks.

Cocoa had a short period of time where she was cautious of strangers. I encouraged new people to interact with me first and then let her approach them.

[Stella]

There are some great podcasts called 'The Cognitive Canine'. A lot of them are aimed at performance dogs with behaviour issues, but she did do a series of them on puppies and talked quite extensively about fear periods. Well worth listening too.