We have been performing Early Neurological Stimulation, otherwise called E.N.S. or the Bio Sensor / “Super Dog” Program since 2009. Once the work of the military, noted breeder, author, lecturer and researcher, Dr. Carmen Battaglia is the main driving force behind why many breeders now know of this program.
We also incorporate Jane Lindquist’s “Puppy Culture” socialization methods as a preliminary training for all our puppies.
Both programs help allow our puppies to get off to a better start in life through sound desensitization, socialization, clicker conditioning, and much more. The goal in adding these programs to our breeding protocol is to help condition your new puppy to have better startle recovery, be curious rather than unsure of new objects as well as people, teach them how to learn so that training is smoother and to allow for an overall easier transition to their new life with you.
As previous scientific research has proven, early stimulation exercises can have positive impacts long-term on a variety of species. While there is no specific amount of time that is stated to be optimal, some amounts can be too much and cause pathological adversities. The military began this early stimulation program and saw important, lasting results with their dogs.
With Early Neurological Stimulation (hereafter ENS), exercises begin at day three of life until day sixteen as this interval of time is believed to be a time of rapid neurological development and growth. There are five exercises which are conducted on each individual puppy for 3 – 5 seconds each.
Head held erect
Head pointed down
Tactile stimulation
Supine position
Thermal stimulation
These exercises produce neurological stimulation that would not occur naturally until much later in their lives. They do not get repeated more than once a day, so we do not overload the puppy.
Dogs that received ENS as puppies had:
Stronger adrenal glands
Higher tolerance of stress
Greater resistance to disease
Stronger heart beats
Improved cardio vascular performance
To learn more about ENS, read Dr. Carmen Battaglia’s article on his website here.
Also check out this clip from Puppy Culture to see how the different ENS exercises are performed.
