ENS & ESI Explained
We incorporate ENS and ESI into our program to produce more confidence and awareness in our puppies. These protocols have helped immensely prepare our pups for the outside world to work or simply be a fantastic family member to your household. The timeline between 3 and 16 days of age in puppies has been vastly overlooked and underestimated by many in general as to the impact it can have on the pups long term. Many believe since their eyes and ears are closed they are cute little potatoes that just need mama. Well to simplify it, when someone is born lacking a sense (example vision) their other senses are amplified, they can hear and smell better then those of us with all senses intact proven time and time again. So can you imagine a living being whom has limited to no sense of hearing or vision, how intense and in tune their sense of touch and smell must be?! Now pair that with the lower reactivity responses in the age group and you have an amazing window to expose these little babies to many scents and touch feelings prior to their other senses joining the table! It's something I'd classify as a key exposure/training milestone.
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) is a process we started doing that introduces mild stresses to very young puppies in a controlled way. These stresses help stimulate the neurological system which improves the growth and development of the pup's immune system, cardiovascular system, and stress tolerance.
Simple interactions early in a puppy’s life may increase its ability to learn and cope successfully with stress later on, thus leading to better welfare outcomes. Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), which involves applying gentle stressors to a very young animal for short periods of time, is thought to improve their stress responses later in life. The stressors—which often include removing animals from their litters for short periods, very briefly exposing them to cool temperatures, holding them in different positions, and gently touching parts of their bodies—are applied for a few seconds, once a day, for at least 10 days.
The link between stress and activation of the endocrine system is well known. The release of glucocorticoids (a class of stress hormones) from the adrenal cortex following stress affects many processes in the body. These changes are the basis for the body’s “fight or flight” response. The effects of short-term, mild stress can be beneficial, creating “robustness” in the body and preparing it to deal more effectively with stressors later in life (Levine, 1960; and reviewed in Meaney, 2001; Pryce and Feldon, 2003). However, not all stress is equal. High-intensity or long-term stress is often detrimental, either because of overwhelming the body’s ability to respond, or leading to negative side effects from a sustained “fight-or-flight” process, which depletes energy and the ability to resist disease (Selye, 1956). Studies of ENS began with rat pups, and currently, most of the published work in this area is rodent focused. Rat pups handled early in life were much less fearful when exposed to an auditory stimulus (Schaefer, 1963), had lower corticosterone levels when restrained by a person (Plotsky and Meaney, 1993), and were less resistant to being captured after stress (Núñez et al., 1996). These findings have since generated interest in exploring the effects of ENS in other species, including dogs.
- Improved heart rate
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Stronger heartbeats
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Stronger adrenal glands
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Better tolerance to stress
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Greater resistance to disease
APPLICATIONS AND EFFECTS OF ENS ON PUPPY DEVELOPMENT
As is the case for rodents, it is believed that ENS may provide stimulation to the developing puppy’s endocrine system and cause him/her to develop more ability to deal with stressful events later in life. This may lead to better learning and an improved ability to cope with adversity. Though some of this belief stems from the benefits of ENS shown in other species, it has also been advanced by unpublished work conducted as part of a US Military Working Dog (MWD) training program called “Bio Sensor,” later discussed by Battaglia (2009). Specific claims on the effects of “Bio Sensor” listed in Battaglia’s discussion include “improved” heart rate, “stronger” heartbeats and adrenal glands, and increased stress tolerance and disease resistance (Battaglia, 2009), although how these effects were measured was not specified. The “Bio Sensor” program exercises included the following:
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Tactile Stimulation: the puppy is “tickled” between the foot pads on any one foot with a Q-Tip (3-5 seconds)
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Head Erect: the puppy is held perpendicular to the ground with both hands, orienting its head above its tail (3-5 seconds)
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Head Down: the puppy is held perpendicular to the ground with both hands, orienting its tail above its head (3-5 seconds)
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Supine: the puppy rests with its back in the palms of both hands, with its nose oriented toward the ceiling (3-5 seconds)
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Thermal Stimulation: a damp towel is placed in fridge for at least 5 minutes; place puppy on towel on all fours and do not restrain movement (3-5 seconds)
To date, only a few studies have been conducted on ENS in dogs using various handling exercises, and these have shown variable results. For example, a study by Fox and Stelzner (1966) applied an ENS treatment that included exposure to light and sound, movement, cold, swimming, grooming, and a check of the puppy’s reflexes. The entire ENS treatment took one hour per puppy and was done daily from day one to 5 weeks of age. After three weeks, 10 minutes of play with the researcher was added in. Puppies were weighed and their heart rates were measured weekly. They were then behaviorally tested at 5 weeks, and the body weights, heart rates, and reflexes of ENS puppies were compared with those who did not receive ENS treatment. Handled puppies explored more, were more social toward humans and more confident when engaged in a social situation with other dogs. They also were better at problem-solving. They had increased heart rates compared to puppies that did not receive ENS, but there were no differences in their weights or reflexes (Fox and Stelzner, 1966). Another study looked at the effects of ENS on dogs being raised in homes and those kept in professional breeding kennels. The ENS consisted of a 5-minute gentle whole-body massage with the puppy lying both on its back and on its stomach (Gazzano et al., 2008). This was done daily for days 3-21 of life. The puppies were later behaviorally tested at 8 weeks of age. Handled and unhandled puppies from both the kennels and the homes were compared. In an isolation test, all handled puppies regardless of housing explored the environment more. There were no differences between any groups in their heart rates or reactions to different objects and an unfamiliar environment and person (Gazzano et al., 2008).
ESI stands for Early Scent Introduction. Early Scent Introduction is performed in conjunction with Bio-Sensor training on the puppies from day three through day sixteen. A pungent scent is introduced to the puppy each day for short intervals. Their reaction to the scent is recorded. A positive reaction is when a puppy will try to move towards the scent with their nose highly engaged in the scent. A negative reaction will have the puppy pulling back from the scent. A neutral reaction will be when the puppy does not seem interested or disinterested.
The benefits of ESI have been studied in a seven-year breeding test. Gayle Watson Ph.D. conducted the test with Gaylan’s Golden Retriever litters. They compared the litters to the dogs that had early scent detection and those that did not. She began her testing by looking at results from sporting Golden Retrievers here in the United States. Gayle and her team charted the outcome of various events to determine the effect the ESI had on the pups. They discovered the dogs introduced to ESI had increased scenting titles. In addition, these dogs were earning titles in more complex scenting categories. Dogs achieving these titles were two and a half to five years younger than those who did not have ESI. Our focus is to produce therapy-grade companions for families and facilities. ENS and ESI are part of our comprehensive Stokeshire Puppy Protocol as Empowered Breeders.