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At Rigas Mini Aussies we are constantly striving to provide the best foundation possible for the puppies that will one day leave us to live in their forever home. We are constantly researching new practices and relying on our experiences to ensure our puppies are off to a great start and ready to adapt to new situations they will encounter with their forever families.

We raise our puppies on a combination of several curriculums - Badass Breeder, Puppy Culture, Rule of 7s, and some of our own techniques. These programs focus on building the foundation for lifelong loyal companions. Our curriculum starts your dog on the right foot from the day they are born.

The most influential time of a puppy’s life is between three and six weeks. Raised in our home, puppies are constantly exposed to new sights, smells and sounds. Talking, laughing, objects being dropped, meal preparation, power tools, vacuum cleaner, and laundry being done. They are encouraged to explore and play to build confidence.

Once home, we encourage our new puppy families to continue socializing with their puppy in a positive way: a puppy training class, puppy play group, or neighbor’s yard.

ENS

Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) is a training program that introduces mild stimulations to very young puppies (days 3-16) in a controlled way. This curriculum helps encourage neurological growth, which improves the development of the puppy’s immune system, cardiovascular system, and stress tolerance.

The process consists of five simple and harmless exercises designed to stimulate a puppy’s neurological system. Each of the exercises is done for 3-5 seconds once a day. The exercises consist of:

Tactile Stimulation – Tickling the Puppies Toes with a Q-tip

Supine Position – Holding the Puppy in Both Hands Belly Up

Head Up – Holding the Puppy with Head Up and Tail Down

Head Down – Holding the Puppy with Tail Up and Head Down

Thermal Stimulation – Placing the Puppy on its Side on a Damp Cool Towel

ESI

Early Scent Introduction (ESI) is a training program for puppies designed to enhance their ability to identify, and react to, specific scents. Starting at day 3-16, we introduce a strong scent to the puppy for brief intervals, and record the puppy’s reaction.

We use items such as herbs and essential oils, but no treats or dog food items. We watch to see if a puppy engages and for how long. ESI has several benefits—improved confidence and stability, greater nose awareness, and more adaptive to change.

Desensitizing to Sound

As soon as puppies start opening their ears (around 2 weeks of age) we start sound training. We live in a world full of loud, new and unusual sounds. All of these sounds our dogs will encounter—from noises inside the home (such as the vacuum or dishwasher), to environments such as the dog parks (birds chirping or dogs barking), and the outside world (traffic, storms, fireworks). Teaching a puppy to be comfortable with all sorts of sounds is key to having a well-balanced and behaved dog.

Sound training is designed to help dogs get used to different noises that they will encounter. Sounds on our playlist include: farm animals, baby cries, thunder, fireworks, grooming, kids playing, city traffic, and many more. We also play classical lullabies each night when it's time for bed.

Enrichment & Socialization

Puppies are consistently exposed to new, novel things to expand their senses, get their brains working and exploring, and to instill curiosity and confidence. With very young puppies, this is as simple as having a variety of different blankets in their whelping box, so that daily blanket changes bring new smells and different textures.

As the puppies grow, so do the enrichment opportunities. Toys are swapped out for new and different ones every couple days, so that they can experience a wide variety of different sizes, colors and materials of objects to chew and play with. Their play yard is rearranged and changed, one day they have a tunnel to run through, a slide to climb on, and a raised bed to sleep on. The next day it may be a turtle to climb over, a gym to play with, and soft plush bed to sleep in.

Puppies experience not only their 'play area', they are encouraged to explore the house, walk on different types of flooring, figure out how to make their way through a maze, master the steps and ramp, play in the grass, climb on the bridge, or jump in the ball pit. We are constantly encouraging our puppies to learn and explore, master challenges, and have fun. Our goal is to send home a puppy that is well-balanced, confident, and able to adapt to new situations.

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