Neonatal Period: Days 3-16
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)
Benefits: Helps puppies learn how to handle stressful situations. Helps boost their immune system.
The Specifics: This protocol was developed by the US Military in order to help dogs adapt to stressors later in life. It produces a well rounded pup. It is promoted both by the Puppy Culture program and the Breeding Better Dogs Program.
According to the AKC, there are 5 benefits to ENS. “Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to ENS, including improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate); stronger heart beats; stronger adrenal glands; more tolerance to stress; and greater resistance to disease.”
We preform these exercises on days 3-16 of your puppy’s life.
We handle each puppy individually and complete all the exercises with one puppy before working with another puppy.
Here are the exercises we do:
1. Tactile stimulation (3-5 seconds) – puppy is stimulated (think tickled!) with a Q-tip between the toes on one foot.
2. Head Erect (3-5 seconds) – puppy is held perpendicular to ground with head directly above tail.
3. Head Down (3-5 seconds) – puppy is held perpendicular with head facing down to the ground.
4. Supine ( 3-5 seconds) – puppy is held with his back resting in the hands and its muzzle facing up.
5. Thermal stimulation (3-5 seconds) — puppy is placed with their feet on a cold, damp towel and allowed to move around
Transitional Period : Days 14-21
Every puppy enters this period at a different time. The transitional period for each puppy begins when his eyes open. The period ends when they startle at a sound.
Litter Training: During this time we introduce a litter area so that the puppy learns at an early age to keep his living area clean.
Socialization Period: Weeks 3-12
The Benefits: The goal during this time period is not just to expose the puppies to new experiences, people, and dogs – but also to learn how to socialize and communicate with people. Puppies are also taught how to recover from mild stressors, preventing aggression later in life.
The Specifics: We follow Puppy Culture protocols to help your puppy become emotionally stable and able to communicate with you. Puppy Culture focuses on the following:
1: Communication – give each puppy his own voice through the Communication Trinity (power up clicker, box game, manding) and attention/distraction activities.
2: Emotional stability – activities to help each puppy recover from fear and stress (startle recovery, barrier challenges)
3: Habituation – we familiarize your puppy with the as many things as we can (sounds, people, animals)
4: Enrichment – providing new experiences and activities for puppy to learn to respond positively to new stimulii
5: Health – monitor the puppies health and well-being through weight checks, nutrition, grooming, deworming, vaccinations, and vet checks.
6: Skills – beginning training puppies in manding, simple commands, litterbox training, crate training, bite inhibition and resource guarding.
7: Love – helping puppy experience and appreciate affection shown from both mama dog and people.
Following the Puppy Culture program is time consuming, but we believe it is important because it produces a better, more well-rounded canine citizen.
