Research Summary: The Effect of Early Neurological Stimulation on Puppy Welfare
From the Croney Research Group
Here is an accessible summary of a study we did on the effects of ENS on puppy welfare. You can read the original paper here. You can download the summary PDF by selecting “Download Full Resource” at the bottom of the page.
Boone, G., Romaniuk, A.C., Barnard, S., Shreyer, T. and Croney, C., 2022. The Effect of Early Neurological Stimulation on Puppy Welfare in Commercial Breeding Kennels. Animals, 13(1), 71.
Studies suggest that gentle handling in early life, may help animals better cope with stress as adults.
Research question: What effect does Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) have on puppies’ behavioral stress responses in a commercial breeding kennel environment?
Methods
Subjects: 76 small-breed puppies from 16 litters at one commercial breeding kennel
Treatment was administered during the first 3 weeks of life
Puppies were randomly assigned to one of 3 treatment groups:
- ENS: specific handling exercises (30s daily)
- HELD: being held (30s daily)
- CONTROL: no handling
All groups (including control) received routine handling by the breeder for daily care
Stressors applied at 8 weeks of age:
- Transportation from kennel to distributor
- Isolation test (3 min)
ENS exercises include touching the puppy’s foot with a q-tip, holding the puppy so they are resting on their back, and placing the puppy on a damp towel. Although it is proposed that ENS is beneficial to young animals, previous studies have shown mixed results.
Results:
There was no difference between treatment groups in stress responses: the implementation of ENS did not have an effect on puppy behavior
Puppies showed more stress-related behaviors (vocalizations and decreased activity) after-transport compared to pre-transport.
Research Takeaways
We found no effect of ENS in this population of puppies from breeding kennels. Daily gentle early handling may be beneficial and is recommended; no specific protocols are needed.
Transportation is a potential stressor for puppies. Attempts to minimize the stress of transportation should be made.
Topic(s): Bare Bones Basics, Breeder Resource, ENS, Puppy Development