Enrichment with each litter begins on day three with our use of Early Neurological Stimulation exercises. You can learn more about ENS on our Puppy Enrichment page. One of our goals with each litter is to increase their ability to adapt to external stressors by exposing them to low levels of stress. Stressors are a natural part of dogs living with humans and it is important to condition puppies to deal with these stressors without become flooded and anxious. Riding in a vehicle is a common experience for puppies and dogs, however it is not always a pleasant experience and I want to find ways to make car rides a happier experience for our puppies.

Although we give them lots of car rides during their first 9 weeks, occasional bouts of carsickness has not been eliminated for every puppy who travels home in a car. For this litter, we have added an early motion exercise in hopes of helping their bodies acclimate and overcome the triggers for car sickness. This is an experimental exercise, but I hope that it will have profitable results for the puppies’ comfort in car travel as they get older.

The puppies have had one car ride with Cricket and I will continue motion exercises in different forms, such as riding in a cart and playing on the rocking sled with balls and treats.

I captured some video so you can see our early motion desensitization for yourself.