Early Neurological Stimulation
Each puppy undergoes this handling once per day for four weeks. The program only calls for two weeks, however, we feel that doing ENS training helps the puppies transition into Rule of Twelve training and Basic Obedience Exercises more calmly and with less stress. All five exercises are completed with one puppy before handling the next puppy.
1. Tactile stimulation
While holding the puppy in one hand, the handler uses a Q-tip to tickle the puppy between the toes on one foot. The tickling should last between three to five seconds. The puppy does not have to show a reaction.
2. Head held erect
Holding the puppy in both hands, the puppy is positioned so its head is directly above its body. This position is held for three to five seconds.
3. Head pointed down
Holding the puppy in both hands, the puppy is reversed so its tail is uppermost and directly above its head. This position is held for three to five seconds.
4. Supine position
Hold the puppy in the palms so it is resting on its back with its face pointed upward. This position is held for three to five seconds.
5. Thermal stimulation
Before starting the exercises, place a damp towel in the refrigerator for at least five minutes. For this exercise, place the puppy on the cool towel, belly down. Allow the puppy to wriggle off if it desires. Remove the puppy from the towel after three to five seconds if it hasn't moved itself.
The researchers found that these exercises started the puppies' neurological system earlier than was normally expected. The benefits that they noticed included:
Although the stimulation proved beneficial, over stimulating had detrimental results. The researchers also found that regular handling and socialization were still necessary.
Studies by Scott and Fuller pinpointed several critical periods in a young puppy's development. These periods occurred between four and sixteen weeks of age. If a puppy did not interact with other dogs (at least his mother and litter mates) and with people during this time period, he would have a harder time bonding to other dogs or to people.
In addition to socialization, exposing puppies to various sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches allows them to better cope as an adult dog. Enrichment activities can begin at a very early age, perhaps even at birth. Some ideas include providing toys of all shapes and textures; providing a variety of footing such as newspaper, carpeting, window screens, plastic, concrete, gravel; providing a variety of sounds such as radio, cap gun, vacuum cleaner; providing a variety of challenges such as climbing steps, going through a tunnel, playing hide and seek, etc. Just be sure that the enrichment activities you design won't hurt or scare the puppy.
To provide even more experiences the puppy can be walked around the shopping mall, taken for a romp in open fields, enrolled in a Puppy Kindergarten class, taken on car trips, allowed to watch older, trained dogs working. All of these experiences will give the puppy a chance to experience new things and to meet new people.
So to get a puppy off to the best possible start in life be sure to provide:
1. Tactile stimulation
While holding the puppy in one hand, the handler uses a Q-tip to tickle the puppy between the toes on one foot. The tickling should last between three to five seconds. The puppy does not have to show a reaction.
2. Head held erect
Holding the puppy in both hands, the puppy is positioned so its head is directly above its body. This position is held for three to five seconds.
3. Head pointed down
Holding the puppy in both hands, the puppy is reversed so its tail is uppermost and directly above its head. This position is held for three to five seconds.
4. Supine position
Hold the puppy in the palms so it is resting on its back with its face pointed upward. This position is held for three to five seconds.
5. Thermal stimulation
Before starting the exercises, place a damp towel in the refrigerator for at least five minutes. For this exercise, place the puppy on the cool towel, belly down. Allow the puppy to wriggle off if it desires. Remove the puppy from the towel after three to five seconds if it hasn't moved itself.
The researchers found that these exercises started the puppies' neurological system earlier than was normally expected. The benefits that they noticed included:
- Improved cardiovascular performance (heart rate)
- Stronger heart beats
- Stronger adrenal glands
- More tolerance to stress
- Greater resistance to disease
Although the stimulation proved beneficial, over stimulating had detrimental results. The researchers also found that regular handling and socialization were still necessary.
Studies by Scott and Fuller pinpointed several critical periods in a young puppy's development. These periods occurred between four and sixteen weeks of age. If a puppy did not interact with other dogs (at least his mother and litter mates) and with people during this time period, he would have a harder time bonding to other dogs or to people.
In addition to socialization, exposing puppies to various sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches allows them to better cope as an adult dog. Enrichment activities can begin at a very early age, perhaps even at birth. Some ideas include providing toys of all shapes and textures; providing a variety of footing such as newspaper, carpeting, window screens, plastic, concrete, gravel; providing a variety of sounds such as radio, cap gun, vacuum cleaner; providing a variety of challenges such as climbing steps, going through a tunnel, playing hide and seek, etc. Just be sure that the enrichment activities you design won't hurt or scare the puppy.
To provide even more experiences the puppy can be walked around the shopping mall, taken for a romp in open fields, enrolled in a Puppy Kindergarten class, taken on car trips, allowed to watch older, trained dogs working. All of these experiences will give the puppy a chance to experience new things and to meet new people.
So to get a puppy off to the best possible start in life be sure to provide:
- early neurological stimulation (between three and sixteen days of age)
- plenty of socialization (especially important during weeks four to sixteen)
- enrichment activities starting early and continuing throughout the puppy's life