Puppy Obedience Training

This is a story about how 12 carefully selected inmates at Walla Walla Prison have taken on the task of training 6 young dogs from the Blue Mountain Humane Society.

When the program began,the trainers said the young dogs were often anxious and hyper, unable to even walk controllably on a leash. On Friday, their trainers showed how far they have come in a few short weeks; they sat, heeled, rolled over and stayed on command; they even had a few tricks to share.

The inmates have also noted an improvement in their own outlook and behavior. Gus Turner, the primary trainer of a rottweiler-German shepherd mix named Sadie, explains, “It changes the whole atmosphere to wake up in the morning and have a dog jumping on you.”

Shanghai Loves Pet Training School, a black adult Kunming dog looks quite docile, sitting or running at every command from its trainer or owner. In the school, about 40 dogs are undergoing training at present. Cute as some of them may appear, most have “criminal records.”