Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)

Early Neurological Stimulation, commonly known as ENS, is a series of brief, controlled exercises performed from days 3 and 16 of a puppy’s life. During this early developmental period, puppies are introduced to specific forms of handling and stimulation as part of their early development.

What We Do

Each puppy is individually introduced to five brief ENS exercises:

• Tactile stimulation between the toes

• Head held upright

• Head pointed downward

• Supine position (on the back)

• Mild thermal stimulation

Each exercise is performed briefly and carefully during the appropriate developmental window.

Why It Matters for Your Puppy

ENS is designed to provide puppies with brief, controlled experiences during an important early developmental period. These exercises introduce puppies to mild forms of handling and stimulation while they are still very young.

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Potential benefits associated with early neurological stimulation include:

• Stress tolerance: Early exposure to mild, controlled stimulation may help puppies become more accustomed to handling new or unfamiliar experiences.

• Adaptability: Introducing puppies to different forms of gentle stimulation early in life can support their ability to adjust to new situations and environments.

• Early development: ENS provides another form of structured interaction during a puppy’s early developmental period.

ENS is one part of our broader puppy development program and is used alongside regular handling, socialization, and other age-appropriate experiences.

Early Scent Introduction (ESI)

Early Scent Introduction, commonly known as ESI, introduces puppies to a variety of distinct scents during their early development. We conduct ESI from days 3 through 16 of a puppy’s life, introducing each puppy to a different scent each day in a brief, controlled setting.

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These early scent experiences encourage puppies to use their developing sense of smell and provide another form of age-appropriate sensory enrichment.

What We Do

Each day during the ESI period, we present each puppy with one new scent by gently holding it near the puppy’s nose for a few seconds.

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We use a variety of safe, distinct scents. Each puppy is allowed to respond naturally—some may show interest and move toward the scent, while others may move away or show little reaction.

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The goal is not to encourage a particular response, but simply to give each puppy the opportunity to experience and process a new scent.

Why It Matters for Your Puppy

A dog’s sense of smell plays an important role in how they explore and understand the world around them. ESI provides puppies with early opportunities to engage that developing sense in a controlled, age-appropriate way.

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Potential benefits of early scent introduction include:

• Sensory development: Provides early opportunities for puppies to use and explore their developing sense of smell.

• Curiosity and engagement: Encourages puppies to investigate new sensory experiences at their own pace.

• Early enrichment: Adds another type of structured experience during an important stage of early development.

Like ENS, ESI is one part of our broader approach to providing puppies with thoughtful, age-appropriate experiences from the very beginning.

Part of Our Puppy Development Program

ENS and ESI are just two of the ways we provide our puppies with thoughtful, age-appropriate experiences during their earliest weeks of life.

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As our puppies grow, we continue building on these early foundations through regular handling, socialization, sound exposure, crate introduction, potty training foundations, and other developmentally appropriate experiences designed to help prepare them for life with their future families.