Early Puppy Socialization, ENS, and "Puppy Culture" - What does a young puppy need?

This is a post I wrote up for Facebook, but I decided to share it here, too, to preserve it and to perhaps make it more accessible to those interested.

I am frequently asked about what I do with my puppies and about puppy socialization and whether I do ENS or Puppy Culture. The answer is -- I do a lot, but it always varies.

Addressing "ENS" (or Early Neural Stimulation) specifically, this is something I researched and looked into and tried many years ago, in my first litters. I did it with several litters and then with several other closely related litters, I didn't do it. And I found that it made no difference for my dogs. With more research, I found that no one could share or link or find the original story that it was supposedly based on. But I did read that it was supposedly created for puppies raised at Lackland Air Force Base -- these pups were born in concrete kennels and only saw people maybe once a day and were not regularly handled. So, of course, if a young puppy has no other interaction with humans, the ENS stimulation and it's specific activities and ways of handling would make a difference. But I don't think it's needed or even beneficial (but nor is it harmful) if the pup is handled daily and has regular, daily, human handling and interaction. Some researchers reached the same conclusion (and check out their References list for more):

Evaluating the effect of early neurological stimulation on the development and training of mine detection dogs

Adee Schoon and Terje Groth Berntsen
Journal of Veterinary Behavior Clinical Applications and Research 6(2):150-157 · March 2011 

Early neurological stimulation (ENS) has been proposed to enhance the natural abilities of dogs. This kind of stimulation involves subjecting pups aged between 3 and 16 days to mild forms of stimulation leading to “stress,” and is said to lead to faster maturation and better problem-solving abilities later in life. ENS resulted from a U.S. Military program called Bio Sensor, and is currently being used in some other working dog programs. It has been part of the breeding program for mine detection dogs at the Global Training Centre (GTC, part of Norwegian People’s Aid) for 4 years.To investigate the effects of ENS on the basis of a previous study (Battaglia, 2009, J. Vet. Behav.: Clin. Appl. Res. 4, 203-210), 10 litters born since the spring of 2008 at the GTC were randomly divided into the following 2 groups: (1) those receiving ENS, and (2) those receiving the same amount of human attention without being subjected to the ENS exercises. Developmental parameters were monitored by the kennel staff. The pups were subjected to testing at approximately 10 weeks of age by investigators who were blinded to treatment. Their careers as working dogs were monitored.There was no observed effect of ENS on either the development of the pups when compared with those who were exposed to the standard GTC stimulation program within the same age range or on the later training results of the dogs in their careers as mine detection dogs. This lack of effect could well be the result of the very rich standards of the GTC socialization program that is given to these dogs.


I handle puppies daily and expose them to scents and sounds and different surfaces. As they get older, they spend more time outdoors if the weather is good, and they learn to engage and explore their environment in a natural--not induced--way. I find that exposure to the world of grass and trees and birds and airplanes flying overhead and FedEx trucks driving up and down the driveway and dogs barking and the smell of grass and dirt and rain and everything else in the "real world" creates an explosion of mental growth -- they learn so much on their own just by being in this open environment. My goal is to keep them safe and comfortable while giving them exposure to the world outside.

Q litter, born in 2011, at about 4 weeks of age.

As pups mature, I do more to familiarize them with crates, but I don't shut them in crates for long solo periods starting at 4 or 5 weeks. In fact, I think it important that puppies not be left isolated until they are older and more at a stage where they are ready for individual exploration and development. I start crate training at meal times with 2-3 pups together in a crate, in a familiar environment, so that the confinement itself is the only thing they are trying to get used to (location is familiar, crate is familiar, food is familiar, companions are familiar). They are not ready, in my opinion, to face stressors by themselves until they are closer to 8 weeks -- and really, more like 9 weeks. That doesn't mean that taking them out one-on-one is bad -- but in those cases, a human is stepping in and playing the role of the puppy's companion(s). Which is exactly what happens at 8 weeks when puppies go to their new homes.

More and more frequently, potential puppy homes are "requiring" that the person they get their pup from does "Puppy Culture" -- this is a program that puts a lot of the socialization and exposure ideas into a methodical program. And my response is that I don't do PC for two reasons -- one, I was doing many of the ideas and activities in PC before it was ever developed into a marketed program that is available for purchase. Two, it actually encourages and reinforces some things that I actively *do not want* for my own working prospects. In particular, something PC calls "Manding" -- sitting and making eye contact to request anything. This behavior may be very desirable in a puppy going into a pet home that only wants a calmly behaved companion, but it is *not* ideal for someone who wants a scent detection dog or a bitesports dog or an agility dog or a SAR dog -- I very much don't want my pups to default to sitting and staring.

A typical outdoor adventure

However, the idea of teaching this default behavior to a companion pup is a great one -- so I encourage people to do clicker training and manners training at home -- here's a video that shows the default behavior that I'm talking about.

This doesn't mean I think PC is bad or wrong -- I think it can be invaluable for someone who is getting started in breeding and/or folks who want to try some different/new things with puppies. And it's great for getting some new ideas to try, even if you're an experienced breeder. But in general, I don't find much value added -- to me and my pups -- from following someone else's plan for raising pups -- especially one not designed for my breed or for the type of working dogs many of my pups will grow up to be.