At Woodlot Companions it is important to us that the puppies we breed are given the best treatment right from the start! One of the ways we do this is by introducing early neurological stimulation to engage our puppies’ development. By exposing a puppy to multiple exercises that challenge their senses, we help them become a healthy, strong, and intelligent super dog for you to enjoy.
What is Super Dog Training?
To encourage our pups to develop strong immunity, healthy growth, and engaging intelligence we use an early neurological stimulation program developed by the U.S. Military for their canine soldiers. The Super Dog program is based on years of research devoted to improving the performance of dogs in the field. They found simple sensory stimulations could have an important and lasting impact on a puppy’s ability to thrive.
These exercises are implemented starting on the third day to the sixteenth day of a pup’s life. They are only done once per day and take no more than 30 seconds from start to finish. This may seem like a short amount of time to make a lasting impact; however, the extensive research and our own experience have proven otherwise. Puppies are typically able to open their eyes between 10-14 days. During this time where a puppy is very much dependent on its mother scientists noticed that canines were especially sensitive to specific stimuli that if exposed would later have a significant impact on their ability to adapt.
What is Early Neurological Stimulation?
It has been shown that each of the five workouts below should be completed within 3-5 seconds, but no longer as this can have detrimental effects. If you plan to breed, doing your own research and talking to your veterinarian as well as a local puppy trainer would be wise. It is important to do the whole protocol in its entirety with each puppy before moving on to the next. Keeping to these guidelines is important as ENS can backfire when not done correctly. You will not gain a more SUPER dog by doing these exercises longer, adding additional exercises, or performing them twice a day.
- Tactical Stimulation of Toes- while gently holding the puppy we take a cotton swab and wiggle it between each of their toes.
- Head Held Up with Body Vertical- by holding the puppy in different positions that they would not be exposed to naturally has shown to stimulate their immune response.
- Head Pointed Down- holding the puppy in this position gives them body awareness as well as directional instincts.
- Spinal Touch or Cradling- puppies that receive regular touch gets them used to human hands and stimulates their nervous system. Holding them in the cradle position encourages better bonding with their forever family.
- Thermal Stimulation- Puppies are exposed for no longer than 5 seconds to a cold wet towel. The jolt of cold awakens their immune response very briefly before getting put back to warm up with mom.
It has been proven that these five exercises kickstart the neurological system into action earlier than would happen in nature. Puppies who were exposed to Super Dog Training when put alongside puppies who were not as adults responded to stress in a more levelheaded fashion- showing curiosity, less whining, and making fewer mistakes in testing. Their counterparts responded in an “all or nothing” way by being extremely excited, loudly whining in distress or showing a lack of interest. By safely exposing a puppy to these stimulations we create a strong foundation for your dog to live a long healthy life of intelligent adaptability.
How Does Super Dog Training Work?
We believe that each puppy born in our kennel has their own individual personality that we hope to grow and allow to fully shine when it’s time to temperament test. The Super Dog Training as well as daily socialization allows for the intelligence of each puppy to be developed and formed ever so gently while in its first eight weeks of life.
By employing these breeding practices into our daily routine our puppies are ready to reveal the most information about their future potential as seen in their current behavior. Temperament testing looks for social behavior, intuition, and smarts within each of our pups to give them the best chance of finding their ideal forever family. Though we do not produce military grade canines, for which ENS was developed, many of our puppies do go on to become service dogs, emotional support animals, and much beloved family pets! It is so important to us that our pups are optimally matched by first utilizing Early Neurological Stimulation, then Socialization, and Volhard Temperament Testing.
The Perks of Our Program
It is our goal to steward the animals in our care to the best of our ability— breeding isn’t just in the genetic diversity of our stock, though important. Scientific studies have shown that 65% of an animal’s future performance is attributed to outside influences such as training, management, and nutrition. By implementing the Super Dog Program techniques, we improve the following in your future furry friend:
- Enhaced Cardivascular Health
- Stronger Adrenal Glands
- Increased Tolerance to Stress
- Greater Immunity to Sickness and Disease
- Adaptable Intelligence
As each of our puppies grows while in our care, we consider it our responsibility to ensure they are given daily moments of intentional learning, socialization and desensitization. Providing ENS during these early days and continuing with daily socialization, as well as having our pup’s temperament tested allows them the greatest opportunity to become the ideal canine companion for your family that can be enjoyed and loved for many years!
If you are interested in learning more about ENS, Temperament Testing, or would like to chat with Kimberly our local Puppy Trainer before selecting your puppy, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
