between 8 and 9 months...fear

[Sally]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed before but i'm witnessing first-hand Duncan's apprehension as of late. He isn't enjoying his walks....He freezes and the slightest sound makes him on edge. Today he started growling and barking at a small ceramic dog i have on my bookcase. It's been there the whole time but today he thought it was real. (mind you i've never seen a siberian husky that was the size of a loaf of bread). I took it off the shelf and put it upside down so he could see it was just a clay object. He even went to sniff the ceramic dogs butt. But continued to growl and stay fixated. I'm trying to continue on as with our normal routine and not make a big deal but i have been tugging his leash a bit more to get him to walk. So that could be adding to his anxiety. Oh lord, I'm looking forward to getting through this phase...Silly teenager!

[Sarah]

He may be a silly teenager but gosh he is CUTE!!! Im still going through the puppy equivelent of terrible 2's!!!

[Lori]

He is spectacular! I want to sit next to him on the couch & hug him, he's so cute!
I am still waiting for my Puppy to be born...any day now....and then in 7 weeks I can pick him up.
YAY!!!

[Sally]

Awww....thanks. Yes! He's cute and spectacular. He's the most cuddly lovable boy ever. Just gotta get through his adolescence.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Sally I guess a good sense of humor will get us thru this phase. Murphy will be 9 months old on the 18th and just this morning he started growling and sniffing at his reflection in the mirror in our dressing room. He's seen himself in the same mirrors everyday for months. What's different? It really was kind of funny actually.

[Sonja]

It is so helpful to read here that your adorable pup is showing fear right now. Ours is 8 and a half months old and is also displaying fear really for the first time. Now don't laugh, but we live in Alaska where her puppyhood has mostly been in the full daylight for most of the night. She is now afraid of the dark. She wants to go out in the dark and stare at the shadows, then bark like crazy at them. I'm thinking it will be a long winter if she doesn't get desensitized. She also is now barking at her reflection in the mirror and at the garbage cans when we put them at the end of the driveway. I think it is a stage.

[Will I Am]

Ours is ten months old and still shows fear at little things here and there. But, the two things at this age that drives me crazy are:

Barking at anything going on outside of the house whether he's in the house or roaming the yard.
and
Running away from us when we are trying to get him back inside the house.

I, too, will chalk this up to being a phase of adolescence.