EARLY Neurological Stimulation - Page 1

I was just reading this article from a link to a GSD breeders site, and was wondering do most breeders approve? The idea is to create "stress" by removing the young pups for short periods and this will enable them to better deal with stressful situations when matured.  

Is this standard practice for most breeders?

We have been doing the "super puppy" regimen for the last few years.  With no "control group" it's hard to say how much difference it makes, but I do know our pups are very adaptable, trainable and don't stress easily at new situations. We also expose them to lots of different environments/people/horses/other livestock/children ect.

At that age, wouldn't their mother leaving them for short periods provide the same type of "stress"? Just wondering, lol! Super puppy regimen, is it? lol 

I did the 'super pup' routine with my babies, too. As Okie said, it's hard to tell if it made a difference in a clinical sense as I have nothing to compare with, but our pups are all pretty stable, everyone seems happy with them! And the 'super puppy' routine provides a little more handling every day, even if it doesn't affect neurological development, the extra handling is good for the pups, & gives you additional insight into the pups as individuals.....I could see little differences in the way each pup dealt with it as they got older. A couple would just relax into your hands like little dolls, others would keep trying to wiggle around, & one would always try to face me, even before his eyes were open! They routine I was using had you touch their toes with a cool, wet piece of toweling as one of the stimulations, it was interesting to see the different responses, some would spread out their little toes, some would retract & 'guard'....but after a while they all got used to the various stimulations, & the routine I was using did not allow for varying the stimulations once tolerance was achieved.....I don't know if tolerance was the goal, or if it would be more effective to continue to vary the stimulation for neurological development. I loved the attention I got to give them, but I felt a little guilty about wetting their toes, & holding them upside-down....even if it was only for 5 seconds! And their Mom made a fuss over each pup when they were returned, I wonder if that had something to do with how the program works, or if that mothering behavior was taken into consideration at all? Anyway, it created a bond between the puppies & I that is indelible. Whenever I see one of the pups, they come running to me, full of kisses. It kind of breaks my heart. They know, & remember so much. *sigh* I'll never make a breeder. jackie harris

We use superdog, too. It's also known as the bio sensor program:

www.luckypoodle.com/html/super_dog_program_________.html

That's what the military called it.

From: "Developing High Achievers"
by Dr. Carmen Battaglia
May 1995 AKC Gazette
The U.S. Military in their canine program developed a method that still serves as a guide to what works. In an effort to improve the performance of dogs used for military purposes, a program called "Bio Sensor" was developed. Later, it became known to the public as the "Super Dog" Program. Based on years of research, the military learned that early neurological stimulation exercises could have important and lasting effects. Their studies confirmed that there are specific time periods early in life when neurological stimulation has optimum results. The first period involves a window of time that begins at the third day of life and lasts until the sixteenth day. It is believed that this interval of time is a period of rapid neurological growth and development, and therefore is of great importance to the individual.
The "Bio Sensor" program was also concerned with early neurological stimulation in order to give the dog a superior advantage. Its development utilized six exercises, which were designed to stimulate the neurological system. Each workout involved handling puppies once each day. The workouts required handling them one at a time while performing a series of five exercises. Listed in no order of preference the handler starts with one pup and stimulates it using each of the five exercises. The handler completes the series from beginning to end before starting with the next pup. The handling of each pup once per day involves the following exercises:
1. Tactile stimulation - holding the pup in one hand, the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot using a Q-tip. It is not necessary to see that the pup is feeling the tickle. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds.
2. Head held erect - using both hands, the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail. This is an upward position. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds
3. Head pointed down - holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward so that it is pointing towards the ground. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds
4. Supine position - hold the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep struggle. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.
5. Thermal stimulation - use a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator for at least five minutes. Place the pup on the towel, feet down. Do not restrain it from moving. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.

These five exercises will produce neurological stimulations, none of which naturally occur during this early period of life. Experience shows that while sometimes pups will resist these exercises, others will appear unconcerned. In either case a caution is offered to those who plan to use them. Do not repeat them more than once per day and do not extend the time beyond that recommended for each exercise. Over stimulation of the neurological system can have adverse and detrimental results.
These exercises impact the neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected. The result being an increased capacity that later will help to make the difference in its performance. Those who play with their pups and routinely handle them should continue to do so because the neurological exercises are not substitutions for routine handling, play socialization or bonding.
Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to the Bio Sensor stimulation exercises:

1. Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
2. Stronger heart beats,
3. Stronger adrenal glands,
4. More tolerance to stress
5. G

The last thing was "greater resistance to disease" but for some reason, it won't let me edit/update it.

There is a 'routine' that you perform with each pup, I incorporated it into the daily weighing, & umbilicus check. I'm not sure I can remember the whole rountine, but you give each pup a number of different stimuli for 5 seconds per stimuli, holding on their back was one, touching between their wee toes with a cool, moist piece of toweling was a another, holding them (carefully!) upside-down was another. It's not just being alone....like I said, I felt somewhat guilty about it, I kinda felt like it was a very mild form of torture, so my pups got cuddled all the way through it....LOL! And then their mom would cuddle them some more when I put them back....she would give me this 'roll your eyes' sort of look when we'd start the routine, but she totally trusted me. Kali & I raised those pups as a partnership, & I still feel like I violated her trust by placing them. I don't know if it stimulated their neurological systems, but as I said, they sure remember their human 'mommy'! LOL~ jh

Yep! That's what we used, too! Oh, I hated putting them on the cold towel, I revised that one to wetting one little paw! So maybe that 'blew' the whole thing, but that really seemed torturous! And my husband nearly had a stroke the first time he saw that one, then I really felt badly....poor tender little warm fuzzies, put on a cold, wet, towel.....Oh! the Horror! No amount of explaining about how this would prepare them for a cold, hard, world would placate him....! So I changed that stimulation to a cold wet towel on 1 foot! I know, I wussed out! But it still seemed to be Okay, like I also said, everyone likes their puppies, so.....? jh