What exactly is ENS? And why is it important?

ENS stands for Early Neurological Stimulation. This process involves five very simple exercises. ENS is started on day three of life for the puppies and continues until day 16. During this time the neurological growth and development of the puppies is intense and fast. In every respect the puppies are still very immature during this time, they don’t open their eyes until around day 10 and they will not begin hearing things until about day 21. But evidence has proved that they respond to ENS even in this immature state.

The US Military developed this method designed to improve the performance of future military working dogs,.

The handling exercises are done one at a time in a certain series. The handler does all five of the exercises start to finish with one puppy before moving on to the next. These are done just ONCE per day. Each time of stimulation is JUST 3-5 seconds.

  1. Tactile stimulation - you gently tickle between the toes on any one foot using a Q-tip.

  2. Head held erect – Using both hands the puppy is held straight up, so that its head is directly above its tail. This is an upwards position.

  3. Head pointed down – Holding the puppy firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward towards the ground.

  4. Supine position – The puppy is held so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling.

  5. Thermal stimulation— Using a damp rag that has been cooled in a refrigerator for at least five minutes, you put the puppy on the towel, feet down. Puppy is allowed to move.

So what exactly do these exercise accomplish?

If done properly, ENS is believed to affect the neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected, the result being an increased capacity that later will help to make the difference in its performance.

Five benefits for dogs that were exposed to ENS include:

  1. Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)

  2. stronger heart beats

  3. stronger adrenal glands

  4. More tolerance to stress

  5. Great resistance to disease

Puppies that underwent ENS have been seen to be more active and exploratory in learning tests than non-stimulated littermates.

Here at Doodle Folk, we believe in the importance of ENS and it is just one block in building a strong foundation for our puppies futures.