PUPPY TRAINING

At Magnolia Creek Labradors, we believe training begins with the breeder. We strive to produce puppies that will go home conditioned and equipped with all the basic puppy skills to make your family and puppy’s life much easier. At Magnolia Creek Labradors, we practice ENS, the Rules of 7 and early scent introduction with all of our puppies, along with an introduction to the basic training skills of potty training, kennel training, sitting and not jumping.

Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)

ENS requires handling the puppies starting at 3 days to 16 days old, one at a time while performing a series of five exercises once per day.

ENS has many great benefits on puppies like neurological development, heart health, stress tolerance and overall performance and emotional stability. ENS is to have shown more active and exploratory pups than non-stimulated pups.

Early Scent Introduction (ESI)

ESI is designed to enhance a puppy’s ability to identify, and react to, specific scents. It helps puppies with their nose awareness and confidence. Similar to ENS, from day 3-16, we introduce a new scent to the puppy for brief intervals and record the puppy’s reaction. The reaction is considered to be positive when the puppy shows interest in the scent, moving his/her nose towards it. A negative reaction is recorded when the puppy tries to move away from the scent. If a puppy is neither interested or uninterested in the scent, this is considered a neutral reaction.

The Rule of 7’s

By using the Rule of 7’s at 4 weeks of age, these exercises are shown to boost the confidence in a puppy, improve social behavior and their trainability. It shapes their personality and develops coping mechanisms for stress.

The Rule of 7’s

  1. Been on 7 different types of surfaces: ex. carpet, tile, concrete, grass, dirt, gravel, etc.

  2. Played with 7 different types of objects: ex. rope, big balls, small balls, sticks, plush toys, etc.

  3. Been in 7 different locations: ex. front & back yard, basement, kitchen, vet’s office, bathroom, hallway, etc.

  4. Met and played with 7 different people: ex. children, someone in a hat, someone tall, someone in a wheelchair, etc.

  5. Been exposed to 7 different challenges: ex. climbing on a box, run around a fence, play hide and seek, step up or down doorway, etc.

  6. Eaten from 7 different containers: metal, plastic, cardboard, paper, hands, pie plate, etc.

  7. Eaten in 7 different locations: crate, yard, laundry room, living room, back yard, etc.

If you have any questions after bringing your puppy home regarding training, food, or veterinary topics, please do not hesitate to ask! We are here to help!