Early Scent Introduction (ESI)
Early Scent Introduction (ESI) is a concept developed by Dr Gayle Watkins, a Golden Retriever breeder, scientist, researcher and competitor in a range of dog sports.
Early Scent Introduction is a procedure we do at Havenchie that helps puppies with their nose awareness and confidence. It enhances their ability to identify and react to scents. Similar to Early Neurological Stimulation, ESI is introduced at days 3-16 of a puppies life and is very beneficial for their development.
During this curriculum, we expose them to a different scent each day. As we do this, we hold the puppy close to us, and let them smell each item. After this we then chart their reaction on their neonatal care chart. The reaction is considered to be positive when the puppy shows interest in the scent, moving his/her nose towards it. A negative reaction is recorded when the puppy tries to move away from the scent. If a puppy is neither interested or uninterested in the scent, this is considered a neutral reaction.
What are the benefits?
This procedure creates a more aware and alert dog, which in return makes an even better companion, service, and therapy dog. Many times with therapy and early service dog training, the dog’s scent abilities are a characteristic that is required. Studies have shown that stimulating puppies scent ability early on has been proven to dramatically increase their scent ability later in life.
Here are a few examples of how dogs can help through their scent abilities—
- Nearly half of children with autism tend to run away or go missing. Many dogs are trained to follow the scent and can locate the child.
- Diabetic alert dogs are trained to detect low or high blood sugar levels by the smells in the air.
- Some dogs can even let an elderly person know that the stove has been left on, or even a gas leak.
Naturally some dogs have more of natural nose instinct compared to others. By doing this training and recording their reactions it helps us match the right pup with the right individual need.