We include Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) exercises, which are conducted once daily from the third to the 16th days of life. Even though puppies are very immature during this time, they are sensitive and respond to ENS.
The US Military developed this method designed to improve the performance of future military working dogs, according to the Breeding Better Dogs program developed by Dr. Carmen Battaglia, esteemed breeder, judge, seminar presenter, and AKC board member.
ENS requires handling the puppies one at a time while performing a series of five exercises. Listed in order of preference, the handler starts with one pup and stimulates it using each of the five exercises. The handler completes the series from beginning to end before starting with the next pup. The handling of each pup once per day involves the following exercises, tactile stimulation, head held erect, head pointed down, supine position and thermal stimulation.
When performed correctly, ENS is believed to impact the neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected, the result being an increased capacity that later will help to make the difference in its performance, according to Breeding Better Dogs. ENS is time sensitive and must be performed from the third to the 16th days of a puppy’s life.
Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to ENS, including improved cardiovascular performance (heart rate); stronger heart beats; stronger adrenal glands; more tolerance to stress; and greater resistance to disease.
In tests of learning, ENS stimulated pups were more active and exploratory than their non- stimulated littermates, according to Breeding Better Dogs.
You can learn more about ENS and puppy culture by watching the videos in the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/@puppyculture886/videos
Grand Mesa Goldendoodles