01/06/2026
โ ๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐'๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐
ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) is a puppy development program that involves performing a series of gentle handling exercises on puppies from 3 to 16 days of age.
The protocol was originally developed by the military as part of the "Bio Sensor" program and includes five simple exercises performed for a few seconds each day.
Some of my clients had mentioned in passing that they felt that ENS had a negative outcome on some of their dogs, more sensitive dogs, pressure-sensitive, emotionally sensitive, when they hadn't seen that before. When I heard it, I kept it in the back of my mind as these were very experienced breeders with over 20 years of breeding.
I then read similar things from other breeders online, and this was after I had done it with my foundation litter and didn't think it really had the intended outcome.
Of course, genetics matter, and what breeders might be seeing is simply a pairing that didn't go as planned, but I do think observational reality from experienced breeders is worth keeping in mind.
I think for me, it just touched them out too much, and being a primitive breed that is sensitive to touch, especially in the hairless variety, I just didn't think it was necessary when we were already touching them so much from weighing, feeding, and simply moving them around for clearing, etc.
This morning I was listening to a podcast on The Functional Dog Collaborative, and the founder of Puppy Culture, who includes ENS in their program, was on and was talking about it, and I thought what she said was interesting, so I wanted to share the transcript:
๐ด๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ โ๐๐ค ๐๐ก ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ข๐. โ ๐ผ ๐ค๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐กโ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ผ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐ผ ๐ค๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐ผ ๐ค๐๐ข๐๐ ๐โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก, ๐๐ข๐ก ๐ผ ๐ค๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ธ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐กโ๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐โฆ๐๐๐ ๐ผ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ก ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ. ๐ผ ๐๐๐โ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐ธ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ โ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ค๐โ๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ฆ.
๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ โ๐๐โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐. โ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ , ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐โ๐ก ๐ ๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐ . ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐คโ๐๐ก ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐. ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐. ๐ต๐ข๐ก ๐ผ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ , ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ค๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ . ๐ผ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐. ๐ผ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ โ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ . ๐โ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก โ๐ข๐๐ก ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ? ๐๐, ๐๐, ๐๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐ด๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ธ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ .
What has been your experience with ENS? Do you think it has been beneficial or have your questioned it?