How we raise our puppies: ENS, scent, and city life
Because at least one puppy per litter is evaluated for service work, we raise every puppy as if it might become one.
Days 3–16: Early Neurological Stimulation
Each puppy gets a short, gentle handling routine once a day: held head-up, head-down, and on its back, a cotton swab between the toes, and a few seconds on a cool damp towel. The routine was popularized by Dr. Carmen Battaglia, based on the U.S. military's "Bio Sensor" program.
You will see big claims made for ENS, including better heart rate, stronger adrenal response, and more disease resistance. The controlled evidence for those claims is limited. We use ENS because it is low-risk, takes minutes, and guarantees that every puppy gets individual handling and a daily health check from its first days.
Early scent introduction
Over the same days, each puppy is offered a different scent each day, such as herbs, fruit, or leather, and we note its reaction. It is a quick way to see which puppies are curious and which are cautious.
Weeks 3–8: the world
Puppies meet the sounds and surfaces of the city and of service work: elevators, sirens, buzzers, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, carts, grates, and slick floors. Every exposure is short and paired with food or play, so new things predict good things.
Week 7: testing
At 49 days, each puppy takes the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test. We combine the results with five weeks of daily observation to match each puppy to a home.
This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice.