Spot early on?
I believe the answer is:
pup
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">spot early on?</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this in another clue)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for pup that I've seen before include "Young seal" , "Youngster" , "Young of canines" , "Young animal" , "Young dog as palindrome" .)