I’ve been doing what I call “The Battaglia thing” on my litters for some time now and at present I have a Dachshund litter. When I first saw the article, I wanted to try it and see. I don’t have litters often but I do notice a positive difference. In the past I automatically handled the puppies in such a manner. When I read the article I was thrilled to learn I was doing “good” because I was criticized for handling my puppies like that – turning them upside down etc. I do think it’s important to follow the instructions in the article to the letter!!
A more detailed description of the exercises below may be found in Dr. Battaglia's article "DEVELOPING HIGH ACHIEVERS".
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1. Tactile stimulation |
 Figure 1 |
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2. Head held erect |
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3. Head pointed down |
 Figure 3 |
 Figure 4 |
4. Supine position |
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5. Thermal stimulation |
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photos of puppies courtesy of Marj Brooks
I thought after reading the article, doing what I was already doing in a regimental manner made a lot of sense to me. It’s hard for me to put a finger on the differences in the pups but there is a difference.
With this Dachshund litter, the owners of the sire have been visiting regularly. On one visit (pups 20 days) I was showing and talking about the Battaglia program and suggesting they do it with their upcoming litter. They said they would do it because my puppies were the most advanced at this age that they had ever seen to date.
Darlene has been doing this on her litters for some time now too. Of course, I’ve shared this with anybody who will listen and have rave reviews from those who’ve done it. I will try to have them share their experiences and thoughts.
published in the Winter 1997 Dachshund Review written & submitted by Marj Brooks, USA
TESTIMONIALS
from Susan Mone, Hollyoak Ranch
I have used the Early Stimulation technique for quite some time now on my Springers. I don’t remember where I first heard about it and exactly when I started using it but it has been several years now. Perhaps it might be better for me to share what I found when I did NOT use the Early Stimulation.
Right after one of my litters was born we had a death in the family. As you can imagine when something like that happens, your life no longer keeps to a regular schedule. We were going out of town frequently to deal with everything and my litter, while being lovingly cared for by other family members, did not receive the type of attention it normally would had I been there and the stimulation exercises did not get done. Other socialization techniques that I do with each litter similar to what is known as “the rules of 7” did not get done either.
What I discovered, as they grew and became adults, was that they did not seem to be as emotionally resilient as the previous litters. They had a longer recovery time from things that startled or frightened them. Interestingly, they also seemed to have a lower tolerance to pain, were generally not as bold and curious towards new things compared to previous litters that had the early stimulation and were not as easy to train. Also, that litter took longer than any previous litter for their eyes to open.
Not being a scientist, I cannot say for certain if these issues were due to the lack of the stimulation/socialization or the breeding itself but since I have been working within this bloodline for many years and did not observe anything unusual previously, I felt that it was indeed due to the lack of stimulation and socialization at critical stages.
Since this is my first Doberman litter, I cannot yet tell you of my findings in this breed but I believe from what I have seen in my Springers, the stimulation is very, very important to their overall development.