What does a puppy reared at Ironstride Hounds look like? From birth, they are introduced to early neurological stimulation, socialization, and enrichment.
Stimulation begins at 3 days of age through 16 days of age and includes:
Benefits of early stimulation include:
Socialization, which peaks between 4-9 weeks of age, includes:
The third and final stage in the process of growth and development is called Enrichment. Unlike the first two stages, it has no time limit, and by comparison, covers a very long period of time. Enrichment is a term which has come to mean the positive sum of experiences which have a cumulative effect upon the individual. Enrichment experiences typically involve exposure to a wide variety of interesting, novel, and exciting experiences with regular opportunities to freely investigate, manipulate, and interact with them. When measured in later life, the results show that those reared in an enriched environment tend to be more inquisitive and are more able to perform difficult tasks.
Enrichment opportunities include:
2. Following - willingness to follow a person.
3. Restraint - degree of dominant or submissive tendency, and ease of handling in difficult situations.
4. Social Dominance - degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
5. Elevation - degree of accepting dominance while in a position of no control, such as at the veterinarian or groomer.
6. Retrieving - degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with Social Attraction and Following a key indicator for ease or difficulty in training.
7. Touch Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the type of training equipment required.
8. Sound Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to sound, such as loud noises or thunderstorms.
9. Sight Sensitivity - degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing bicycles, children or squirrels.
10 Stability - degree of startle response to a strange object.
We keep all of the aforementioned instances in mind when choosing a suitable puppy for each and every Ironstride puppy home. We ask that you work with us in clearly communicating your needs so that we can all be on the same page with what you are looking for, and we thank you for trusting us with making that decision. When you take home a Ironstide puppy you are becoming one of the family!
Stimulation begins at 3 days of age through 16 days of age and includes:
- 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.
- 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 upwards position. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds.
- 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.
- 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. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.
- 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.
Benefits of early stimulation include:
- Improved cardiovascular performance (heart rate)
- Stronger heart beats
- Stronger adrenal glands
- More tolerance to stress
- Greater resistance to disease
Socialization, which peaks between 4-9 weeks of age, includes:
- Handling by a variety of people- Kids and Adults (Who have been thoroughly sanitized of course!).
- Introduction to a variety of stimuli, including but not limited to balance boards, tents, plastic tunnels, steps, slides, 7-12 different surfaces (concrete, gravel, grass, carpet, etc.), puppy adventure boxes, and a change to their physical environment (new bed/ toys etc) every 3 days.
- Early potty training using puppy litter boxes- many pups leave at 9 weeks already potty trained!
- Multiple car rides, several times a week; starting with 5-minute trips, and ending with an hour trip to the cardiologist.
The third and final stage in the process of growth and development is called Enrichment. Unlike the first two stages, it has no time limit, and by comparison, covers a very long period of time. Enrichment is a term which has come to mean the positive sum of experiences which have a cumulative effect upon the individual. Enrichment experiences typically involve exposure to a wide variety of interesting, novel, and exciting experiences with regular opportunities to freely investigate, manipulate, and interact with them. When measured in later life, the results show that those reared in an enriched environment tend to be more inquisitive and are more able to perform difficult tasks.
Enrichment opportunities include:
- Weekly baths, nail dremmeling, and coat blow-outs.
- Trip to fellow breeder’s house/local K-9 facility to experience a new area for the first time.
- Multiple trips to the vet/cardiologist for well checks/auscultations etc.
- Assessing puppies through the PATs (Puppy Aptitude Test), in order to place them with suitable matches. This is completed at 49 days of age, and includes the following tests:
2. Following - willingness to follow a person.
3. Restraint - degree of dominant or submissive tendency, and ease of handling in difficult situations.
4. Social Dominance - degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person.
5. Elevation - degree of accepting dominance while in a position of no control, such as at the veterinarian or groomer.
6. Retrieving - degree of willingness to do something for you. Together with Social Attraction and Following a key indicator for ease or difficulty in training.
7. Touch Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to touch and a key indicator to the type of training equipment required.
8. Sound Sensitivity - degree of sensitivity to sound, such as loud noises or thunderstorms.
9. Sight Sensitivity - degree of response to a moving object, such as chasing bicycles, children or squirrels.
10 Stability - degree of startle response to a strange object.
We keep all of the aforementioned instances in mind when choosing a suitable puppy for each and every Ironstride puppy home. We ask that you work with us in clearly communicating your needs so that we can all be on the same page with what you are looking for, and we thank you for trusting us with making that decision. When you take home a Ironstide puppy you are becoming one of the family!
Early Neurological Development based on studies and articles found at https://breedingbetterdogs.com/article/early-neurological-stimulation