What Is ENS Training?

One of the questions we get asked often at Little Stone Bernedoodles is:“What is ENS training?”

And no — it does not involve turning our Mini Bernedoodle puppies into tiny military recruits before their eyes are even open.

ENS stands for Early Neurological Stimulation, a series of gentle handling exercises that are done during the very early days of a puppy’s life. Many breeders use ENS as part of their puppy socialization and puppy enrichment programs to help expose puppies to mild, controlled stimulation during an important developmental period.

At Little Stone Bernedoodles, we begin ENS training around day 3 and continue through day 16. During this stage, our puppies are gently handled daily using simple exercises designed specifically for young puppies.

Why We Start ENS Training Early

The first few weeks of a puppy’s life are incredibly important for development. During this time, puppies are growing and changing rapidly, even if most of their daily activities currently involve:

• sleeping

• eating

• squeaking

• and dramatically wiggling two inches across the whelping box like they just completed an extreme obstacle course

Early Neurological Stimulation introduces puppies to small amounts of controlled handling and mild new experiences at a very young age.

Many breeders believe early handling and puppy enrichment can help puppies become more adaptable and comfortable with human interaction as they grow.

Who does the ENS training in our home?

One of the most special parts of our puppy raising program is that our children are heavily involved in helping socialize and handle our Mini Bernedoodle puppies from the very beginning.

Our puppies are raised inside our home as part of everyday family life, and our kids help with many parts of the ENS process and daily puppy interaction.

This means our puppies are being gently handled by littles from a very young age. They become familiar with:

• different voices

• gentle touch

• normal household activity

• family interaction

• being loved on constantly

Which honestly means most of our puppies assume humans exist primarily to hold them and tell them they are adorable. They are not entirely wrong.

What Happens After Day 16?

Even though the official ENS exercises typically end after the first 16 days, we absolutely do not stop handling or socialization there.

As our Mini Bernedoodle puppies continue growing, we focus heavily on:

• daily handling

• puppy socialization

• sound exposure

• confidence-building

• crate introduction

• new textures and surfaces

• positive human interaction

• household experiences

Our puppies continue experiencing normal family life as they grow and develop.

Because our puppies are raised in-home with our family, they are naturally exposed to many of the sights and sounds they will encounter in their future homes.

Why Puppy Socialization Matters

Proper puppy socialization is one of the most important parts of raising confident, adaptable dogs.

At Little Stone Bernedoodles, we believe early positive experiences help lay the foundation for family-friendly companions with loving temperaments.

Our goal is to raise Mini Bernedoodles that are:

• affectionate

• confident

• adaptable

• social

• family-oriented

• well-loved from the very beginning

Family Raised Mini Bernedoodles

At Little Stone Bernedoodles, we specialize in family-raised multigenerational Mini Bernedoodles with a focus on:

• temperament

• socialization

• lower-shedding coats

• manageable size

• health testing

• intentional puppy raising

Our puppies are raised in our Idaho home surrounded by children, daily interaction, and lots of love.

And yes… occasionally they are also surrounded by children arguing about whose turn it is to hold the puppies.

Looking for a Mini Bernedoodle Puppy?

If you are looking for a family-raised Mini Bernedoodle puppy that has been intentionally socialized and loved from the start, we would love for you to learn more about our upcoming litters at Little Stone Bernedoodles.