How we raise our Puppies
We take raising our puppies very seriously. We want to provide our puppies and their families every opportunity for a successful, loving home.
EARLY BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM
Our puppies are raised in a loving family environment and given the best start to life by executing science-based techniques to ensure our puppies are social, confident, and resilient, to thrive with their families.
From days 3 to 16 we apply Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction, in addition to the daily love and attention.
Toilet training commences as early as 3 weeks old using the artificial grass puppy toileting system. Starting at 4 weeks of age crate training commences.
They enter our specially constructed puppy play area at around 4-5 weeks of age so they can be safely exposed to various stimuli and situations. As they hone their unique personalities and social abilities, they are closely observed and evaluated. Our family, friends, and children provide a lot of socialisation for our puppies.
At 5-6 weeks of age, our pups are evaluated to determine the type of home best suited for the puppy. Our testing is very similar to Volhard’s Puppy Aptitude Test.
We want to give our new puppy parents every opportunity for success with their new pups.
Early Neurological Stimulation: What It Is and Why We Do It
Mankind has tested a variety of methods to enhance performance—not just in people, but also in animals—over time. Although it has long been believed that stimulating growth and development at a young age is the most effective strategy, we now have solid evidence that Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), also known as Bio Sensor training, has a significant impact on developing dogs.
Researchers have used the Electrical Encephalogram (EEG) to measure how a puppy's brain reacts to stressors like changes in muscle tension, emotional stress, and excitement. They have found that puppies who are stimulated early in life mature more quickly and have better problem-solving skills than puppies who do not.
Types of Stimulation
ENS involves five types of stimulation, which should be done once a day with each puppy in the litter. They are:
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Tactile Stimulation – The handler holds the puppy in one hand, and then tickles it gently between its toes, using a Q-tip, for about five seconds.
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Head Erect – The handler holds the puppy perpendicular to the floor, head up, for about five seconds.
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Head Down – The handler holds the puppy perpendicular to the ground, head down, for about five seconds.
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Supine – The handler holds the puppy on its back, face toward the ceiling, for about five seconds.
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Thermal Stimulation – The handler places the puppy on a cool, damp towel, feet down and unrestrained, for about five seconds.
None of these positions or conditions occur naturally in the early days of a puppy’s life, and this is why they are neurologically stimulating. ENS is not critical to a puppy’s development, but it has been shown to increase intellectual capacity if done properly, and to enhance performance. Too much stimulation can be as harmful as too little. We need to keep in mind, that ENS is not a substitute for regular handling and play.
Benefits of Early Neurological Stimulation
Five main benefits have been identified in dogs that received ENS. They are:
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Greater ability to tolerate stress
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Stronger adrenal glands
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Improved heart rate
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Stronger heartbeat
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Enhanced disease resistance
As well, in learning tests, puppies that received ENS were found to be more competitive, and more curious than their littermates who were not stimulated. They were also calmer and less prone to reacting adversely when stressed.
Early Scent Introduction: What It Is and Why We Do It
Early scent introduction (ESI) is a training program for puppies designed to enhance their ability to identify, and react to, specific scents. Each day, I introduce a strong scent to the puppy for brief intervals and records 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.
What It Means
For practical purposes, these results mean the potential for even better companion, service, and therapy dogs. Scent abilities are often very important. Just as an example, when a dog is a companion to a child with autism, his main function is likely to be a guardian of sorts, since children with autism can have a tendency to wander or run off. If the dog is able to easily follow the child’s scent and locate him or her, that could actually be a life-saving asset. Another situation in which scent abilities can matter a great deal might be alerting an elderly person to a gas leak, or to something burning on the stove – again, there is the potential for saving a life. Service dogs can also use scent to identify the early stages of diabetic reaction, or the onset of a seizure. All these skills enhanced by ESI. Of course, not all dogs are going to be service or therapy animals.
At Shellbree Border Collies, we perform the Early Scent Introduction on our border collie puppies because we understand how important a dog’s sense of smell is to him and his brain function. Our dogs’ noses are 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive to smells than our human noses, depending on the dog and dog breed.
The Procedure for Early Scent Introduction
To expose the puppies to ESI, I begin when they are three days old and stop at 16 days. At Shellbree Border Collies, I use 13 natural scents, no chemicals or meat products.
Every day, I introduce a new scent. To do this, I pick up the puppy or sit on the floor with the puppy in my lap. I hold on to the puppy with one hand so that he/she does not squirm away before the scent is introduced. Then, with my other hand, I hold the scent-bearing object about half an inch away from his/her nose. If he/she wants to move toward the scent, I let them. By the same token, if he/she wants to move away from it, that is fine too. Then I document whether the reaction is positive, negative, or neutral. Then I repeat the procedure with the other puppies in the litter.
Socialisation
Early Neurological Stimulation must, of course, be complemented with early socialisation. If a puppy is not thoroughly socialised by the age of 16 weeks, it may never be properly adjusted. Breeders can only do so much. ENS is a fantastic start, but when pet owners' lives are so full of work and social obligations, they may fail to fully socialise their puppy. This results in fear of strangers and other canines, and can also manifest as behavioral problems.
Conclusion
A small amount of stress, such as that provided by the ENS exercises outlined above, combined with early socialisation, can be highly beneficial to a puppy’s growth and development. The key is to know when to stop. Over-stimulation is as bad as under-stimulation. Also, there is only a small window of opportunity for ENS and early socialisation. Once that window closes, little can be done to correct the adverse consequences of too much, or too little, stimulation.
