At Divine Pups, we believe that raising emotionally sound, confident Shih Tzu puppies starts with giving them the right experiences from the very beginning. While many families are familiar with our use of Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), fewer have heard of another key element in our early development program: Early Scent Introduction, or ESI.
ESI may sound simple — introducing puppies to different smells — but its impact is anything but. This carefully designed practice taps into one of your puppy’s most powerful senses and can shape the way they connect with the world for the rest of their lives.
What Is ESI (Early Scent Introduction)?
ESI is a daily exercise used from days 3–16 of a puppy’s life — the same time we begin ENS. During this brief window, puppies’ brains are highly sensitive to environmental input, especially scent. While their eyes and ears are still closed, their olfactory system is already active and highly impressionable.
Each day, we gently present a new, distinct scent to the puppy for just a few seconds. We then observe their response:
- Positive Reaction: The puppy moves toward the scent or shows interest
- Negative Reaction: The puppy pulls away or avoids the scent
- Neutral Reaction: The puppy shows little to no interest
Every reaction is noted, but the goal is not to force any outcome — it’s simply to offer exposure that strengthens scent processing and neurological development.
Why Does Scent Matter So Much?
Dogs experience the world through their noses. In fact, a dog’s sense of smell is estimated to be 40 times more powerful than a human’s. They use scent not just to find food or track prey, but to understand their environment, detect emotional changes in humans, and even process memory.
Stimulating this system early helps puppies become more aware, focused, and emotionally grounded. It also creates the foundation for future work in:
- Emotional support
- Therapy or facility environments
- Service roles (like diabetic alert or scent discrimination)
- Tracking and nosework sports
- Building stronger bonding and responsiveness with humans
The Science Behind ESI
Dr. Gayle Watkins, a respected Golden Retriever breeder and researcher, developed the ESI protocol after years of breeding for performance, service, and companionship. In a multi-year study, puppies raised with ESI showed:
- Enhanced scenting ability
- Greater engagement with humans
- More success in scent-based competition titles
- Stronger performance in service and therapy roles
Her work proved that early scent exposure wasn’t just helpful — it was transformational.
ESI for Companion Puppies: Is It Still Valuable?
Absolutely. Even if your puppy will never work in scent-based tasks or formal training, ESI still offers lifelong benefits.
It supports:
- Greater environmental awareness
- More confident exploration
- Faster adaptation to new places and people
- Improved emotional regulation
- Deeper trust in human handlers
For families, this means a puppy who adjusts faster, forms strong bonds, and is more grounded in new environments — whether that’s at the vet’s office, during travel, or when meeting strangers.
Why We Include ESI in Every Divine Pup’s Development
Our commitment at Divine Pups is to raise not just beautiful Shih Tzus — but prepared, confident puppies who are ready to connect and thrive. ESI is part of that promise.
It’s gentle. It’s non-invasive. And in just a few seconds a day, it creates a measurable difference in how puppies develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively.
When paired with our Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and full curriculum-based enrichment, ESI helps us raise puppies who are:
- Easier to train
- More emotionally resilient
- Better suited for therapy or ESA roles
- Exceptional companions for individuals and families alike
Start Strong, Stay Strong
When you bring home a Divine Pup, you’re not just getting a well-bred Shih Tzu. You’re getting a puppy who has already been introduced to the world in thoughtful, science-backed ways — from day three onward.
Because how your puppy is raised matters.
And we don’t waste a single day.
