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ENS & ESI Update: Giving Our Puppies the Best Start! (January 2025 litters)
Updated: Feb 26
Our Dolly & Reba litters are growing fast, and we’re already laying the foundation for their future success through Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and Early Scent Introduction (ESI)! From days 3 to 16, we follow this structured process to help our puppies build resilience, confidence, and adaptability—important traits for well-rounded family companions, therapy, and service dogs.
🐾 What is ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation)?
ENS consists of five gentle exercises performed daily with each puppy:
1️⃣ Tactile Stimulation – Lightly tickling between their toes with a cotton swab.
2️⃣ Head Held Upright – Holding them with their head facing up.
3️⃣ Head Held Down – Holding them with their head facing down.
4️⃣ Supine Position – Holding them on their back.
5️⃣ Thermal Stimulation – Placing them on a cool, damp washcloth for a few seconds.
These simple exercises help stimulate their nervous system, improving stress tolerance, cardiovascular health, and overall adaptability later in life.
👃 Early Scent Introduction (ESI) – Developing Scenting Abilities
Each day, our puppies experience a new scent to help enhance their scenting capabilities and neurological development. It’s always fascinating to see which scents they react to the most!
Here are some of the scents we introduced:
🌿 Twig – A simple but natural scent for their early experiences.
🍌 Banana – Sweet and familiar! Some were intrigued, while others showed little interest.
🌲 Fir Twig – A fresh, woodsy smell that some puppies leaned into!
👞 Leather – The deep, rich scent was intriguing for many.
🦚 Peacock Feathers – A unique, slightly musky scent that some puppies responded to strongly.
🎾 Tennis Ball – Prepping them for playtime in the future
📖 Book – A mix of ink and paper, which was interesting for a few.
🐱Cat Scent – This one was a crowd favorite! The puppies were especially engaged with this scent, showing great curiosity.
And many more! Each introduction is a few seconds long, allowing the puppies to engage naturally, whether they sniff deeply, turn away, or remain neutral.
Why ENS & ESI Matter
By doing ENS and ESI, we are helping shape these puppies into confident, well-adjusted dogs. These early experiences help prepare them for new environments, service training, and family life—ensuring they become calm, adaptable, and resilient companions.
We love watching these tiny pups grow and explore their world one small experience at a time. Stay tuned for more updates as they continue their journey! 💛🐶
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