How We Raise Our Puppies
Not only are our puppies raised in our home as a part of our family, they are raised with a very specific puppy curriculum. As soon as a puppy is born, it begins to learn. As early as day three, we take advantage of a puppy's learning ability and work with them to make them the best puppy they can be. We do this through Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), Early Scent Introduction (ESI), Touch Sensitivity, Exposures/Socialization and at around 7 weeks, we perform a temperament test. Through our focused curriculum our puppies are healthier, more confident and will easily adjust to their new homes.
Learn More About Our Puppy Raising Methods
Learn More About Temperament Testing
ENS
EARLY NEUROLOGICAL STIMULATION
ENS Process
Tactile Stimulation - we gently rotate a q-tip between the toes of a single foot on the puppy.
Head Held Erect - using both hands, we hold the puppy vertically so that its head is directly above its tail.
Head Pointed Down - we hold puppy securely with both hands, point the head downward
Supine Position - we hold the puppy on its back, resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling.
Thermal Stimulation - we place the puppy on a cool, damp towel, feet down allowing the puppy to move away.
What is ENS?
Early Neurological stimulation (ENS) is a set of five simple exercises that provide mild stressors from days 3-16 to help aid their development, resilience and coping mechanisms.
Benefits
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improved cardiovascular performance
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stronger heart beats
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stronger adrenal glands
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more tolerance to stress
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greater resistance to disease
What is ESI?
Early scent introduction (ESI) is a program for puppies designed to enhance their ability to identify, and react to, specific scents.
Benefits
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nose awareness
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confidence
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scent identification
ESI Process
From days 3-16, we introduce a strong scent to the puppy for brief intervals, and record the puppy’s reaction. The reaction is considered to be positive when the puppy shows interest in the scent, moving toward it. A negative reaction is recorded when the puppy tries to get away from the scent. And finally, when a puppy is neither interested nor disinterested in the scent, this is a neutral reaction. The puppy’s different reactions mean the potential for even better companion, service, and therapy dogs.
ESI
EARLY SCENT INTRODUCTION
Touch Sensitivity
What is touch sensitivity?
Touch sensitivity is simply handling puppies daily with a series of touch exercises. The goal is to get puppy comfortable with all types of touch.
Touch Sensitivity Process
Benefits
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desensitization to multiple forms of touch
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comfortable with nail trims, collar grab etc.
We touch very minimally until puppies are about four days old, but as they develop we will increase the amount of pressure and amount of touch.
By the end of eight weeks, we perform the following: rub/tug on ears, cover eyes, open mouth and run fingers on gums, rub belly in circular motion, run hand up and down the back and pat on the back, tug and twist on the tail, touch all paws and push in between pads, tap nails, run fingers around neck and tug on collar, and touch their nose. This type of touch will need to be continued past eight weeks of age to fully desensitize.
Exposures
Item, sound, location, problem solving, activities, people, animals & more!
What is exposure?
Socializing puppies at the start of week three and expanding what we introduce as the puppies develop. We determine how quick we make new introductions based on their acceptance of the new exposure.
Exposure Process
We start with exposures in the whelping box, in a place the puppies are comfortable. We start with introducing stationary items, new textures and simple sounds. As puppies age we will add complexity to the exposure. We introduce sounds like sirens, the loud city and vacuums. We will provide brain games, items that move, items that smell and provide different activities. They will visit new places, new people and meet new animals. Our exposures go beyond general "socialization". We introduce as many things as we can to help puppy gain confidence.
Exposing puppies to everything is something new owners will want to continue when they come home to you. We recommend finding a puppy scavenger hunt and introduce puppies to something new daily.
Benefits
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builds trust
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prevents fear
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gain confidence
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establish problem solving skills