IT'S ALL ABOUT SAVING LIVES
What is the Givens Hall PAWS Program?
Paroling Animals With Skills (PAWS) is a dog training program located at Idaho Correctional Institution- Orofino (ICIO). Givens Hall is the minimum-security section of ICIO and home to the Givens Hall PAWS Program. Members of this program are screened and interviewed before being accepted into the program and must complete 40 hours of apprenticeship dog training. Givens Hall PAWS and BBBR have developed a partnership where we are training bully breeds for an (6) week training cycle. Each dog will be assigned to a primary and secondary trainer, this training team will provide at a minimum 140 hours of training. During this training the dogs will receive basic obedience and social skills that will lead to a drastic change in behavior. At the end of the (6) week training cycle the dogs will return to the BBBR facility where they will be available for adoption.
CURRENT PAWS DOGS
NOW ACCEPTING
PRE-ADOPTION APPLICATIONS
GET THEM IN EARLY TO MEET THE DOGS UPON RETURN!
Get your applications in EARLY!
GRADUATES RETURN WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2ND
You’ve asked us HOW you can help support our PAWS dogs and their trainers! Here is it!
Every 9 weeks BBBR sends a new round of dogs to PAWS! PAWS is the Orofino Prison training program, location ICIO, where each rescue dog is assigned a team of trainers for 6 weeks of training, companionship and CGC certification!
We have put together a PAWS Amazon Wish List of items that are needed for this awesome program. Whether it is training gear, health related or just plain fun items, BBBR, the rescue dogs, and their handlers appreciate your generosity and support!
All items ship directly to the PAWS program administrators located at ICIO.
Weekly Video
PIANO IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
12/10//25: Arrived at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.
WEEKLY PROMPT: WEEK 6
Piano has had a great week. We have spent a great deal of time working with Piano on some of the behavioral issues he came with, and although we have made great progress he still has some ways to go. The most important thing that can be relayed about Piano and his behavior is that it takes time and consistency in order to show Piano what is appropriate and what is not. We have been patient and consistent with him, and he has made enormous leaps in his understanding of boundaries and appropriate behavior. He is to the point now where a strong verbal correction, just saying his name or the word no is enough for him to understand that he is doing something we don’t like.
He is so smart and willing to learn, which makes our work easier and more enjoyable. Piano really is an incredible dog, he is loving and smart and protective and with the right home he will make some family very happy. We have worked hard on getting Piano to understand the words ‘good’ ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – really so we have some common language that we can build from. These words are words that Piano understands and this is how we have built his training.
Piano has spent this week working on tricks! Piano will ‘stick em up’ when you point at him, and then ‘bang’ where he plays dead. He will roll over from the down position, spin around while standing, he can speak, and shake. We have taught him so many tricks to keep his busy mind engaged and interested. We think whoever gets him will find a deeper bond and outlet for him to learn and be stimulated by continuing his tricks.
Visit the PAWS Facebook page!
FOR MORE INFO ON PIANO? CLICK HERE.
Weekly Video
NINA IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
12/10/25: Arrived at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.
From day one Team Nina practiced consistency and developed a strong bond with her, now any of her trainers can work Nina off lead. Nina looks to us for guidance and recognizes us as her leader. Trust in any relationship is paramount, and is no different with dogs than humans. Nina is somewhat sensitive and shows occasional signs of past abuse. I have noticed this by fast movements towards her, reaching out to grab her, and pointing and shaking a finger towards her. Most recently Nina was taught “Bang” and while she complies and does it, I recognizes her hesitancy in having a finger pointed at her, where she cowers at times (therefore, I personally dismiss further development of this trick) She has no shortage of tricks that she enjoys doing; there’s no good reason to risk the valuable bond that we have with her, she loves her people. Added to her tricks this week is “crawl.”
For all of weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!
FOR MORE INFO ON NINA? CLICK HERE.
Weekly Video
CEASAR IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
12/10/25: Arrived at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.
Caesar
This week was a good one for Caesar. He’s worked on impulse control and inspection and grooming, where he has shown much improvement. Caesar had a tendency to mouth our hands when attempting to inspect his paws, though it was in a playful manner, it is a response we would like to remove from Caesar’s behavior.
To help Caesar become desensitized the touching of his paws, we used the slow feeder to keep his attention while we softly touched the top of his paws. As he showed lack of interest in this paws inspection process, the more in depth the inspection process became. By the end of the week, Caesar is completely comfortable with inspections and grooming.
Caesar has begun playing with Rocco more and more. He still has fun with Nina, but gets along well matching Rocco’s energy during playtimes. We have been working on calling him away from play groups when things get too wound up. He is responding most times we attempt this. When he successfully recalls from group play, he is rewarded with kibble treats or a good scratch under his collar, and then allowed to return to play.
Because Caesar is very impulsive, we have been making him wait for his bowl feedings and initial release into play group. Once he exhibits a calm and patient manner, his reward is ‘’okay’’, which releases him to be free to feed or play. I can see this being a constant practice not only here, but after adoption as well.
WEEKLY PROMPT: Week Six
Rate your dog’s week (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high): 9
Please explain why you chose this number: Caesar gets a nine this week because he has made noticeable improvements when it comes to walking next to his handler where he is supposed to be and also not chasing kibble that has been dropped in front of him showing more impulse control.
What commands did you work on this week? (If the command same as the week before, what was different about your dog’s performance?): This week we’ve worked on Caesar’s reaction to food that has been dropped and also coming when called especially when he is playing with other dogs.
What did you do for playtime with your dog?: This week Caesar enjoyed playing one on one with his handler. He enjoys playing with the soft toys first and chasing the balls but when he gets tired he likes to just lay with a chew toy and g to town. He also enjoyed a fair amount of group play with his other canine friends.
What is one interesting thing you noticed about your dog this week?: Caesar is starting to think a little bit before he acts. Sometimes his “puppy brain” or lack of impulse control will get the better of him but he knows the standard that has been set and is eager to please even if it’s just to get the reward.
What is one thing (training related) you believe you did good at this week?: The team did great resetting Caesar when he started walking in front of the handler and it really showed by the end of the week.
What is one thing (training related) you could improve on: Keeping focus. Because he is so young and his personality is high energy some of that will fix itself with age but we as dog trainers can work a little harder to be more exciting than whatever distractions are around.
For all of weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!
FOR MORE INFO ON CEASAR? CLICK HERE.
Weekly Video
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ROCCO IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
12/10/25: Arrived at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.
ROCCO
This week has been excellent for Rocco! We have worked so much on exposure in different, distracting environments and watching him slowly learn to keep his focus on his handlers has been fun and super rewarding. Rocco is such a puppy with high energy so it has been challenging getting him where I believe he should be. I believe the best thing with Rocco right now is he hardly ever jumps to greet people anymore, he rarely mouths unless someone overstimulates him, and he has been calling out of play so well! Being called out of play for Rocco is huge because of his play drive. It took weeks of working on, but this week we have definitely seen the biggest improvement. Rocco can be called out of play about 8/10 times, depending on the distance he is from his handlers. We have seen great progress in his obedience and circle etiquette. This week we have also started to shape a few tricks such as spin, roll over, and jumping touch. We hope to have these tricks performed by verbal commands only by the time Rocco leaves!
WEEKLY PROMPT: WEEK SIX
Rate your dog’s week (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high): 9
Please explain why you chose this number
Dog’s number: This week we had lots of exposure working in the parking lot as well as going on car rides and Rocco had done amazing!! Each time we go out, he seems to get better and better. Rocco does well in the car and after a few minutes he relaxes and watches everything go by through the window.
What commands did you work on this week? (If the command same as the week before, what was different about your dog’s performance?): This week we worked on dog on dog, downs and sits from a distance as well as pushing duration and started to shape tricks.
What did you do for playtime with your dog?: We have been doing pack plays with the dogs, one on one times with dogs, and playtimes with toys out on the yard and in the ramp.
What is one interesting thing you noticed about your dog this week?: This week I noticed Rocco loves to do fast tricks like spin, roll over, and jumping touch. When the training is sped up Rocco is attentive and eager to please his handler.
What is one thing (training related) you believe you did good at this week?: I believe we did good at being consistent with our training methods and goals, as well as working Rocco in a harness only. We also did good at communicating on what needs worked on and tackling the goals as a team.
What is one thing (training related) you could improve on?: This week we could improve on not letting Rocco pick things up off the ground. He loves to kibble hunt and pick up anything he can touch, so it leaves for a lot of verbal correction which is hard when it feels like we are always on him for reasons that aren’t positively reinforcing.
For all of weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!
FOR MORE INFO ON ROCCOI? CLICK HERE.
Weekly Video
JULIUS IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
Julius is just about done with his time here and he has done amazing. We really haven’t had too many challenges with Julius this week. He is respecting boundaries, playing well, has great social interactions, and loves people. He is an obedient and respectful puppy. Julius understands his markers and how his behaviors shape his environment. He has been gaining a little bit of weight so we are going to cut back his food a little bit this week. He is slightly above what he should be at for his age and weight. We have really just been trying to reinforce the obedience that we have built so far. Other than that we have just been exercising him and letting play and be a happy little puppy. We are excited for Julius to find his forever home.
WEEKLY PROMPT: WEEK 6
Rate your dog’s week (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high): 9
Please explain why you chose this number
Dog’s number: Julius has been really good this week. We are honing in on his commands and really trying to sharpen them.
What commands did you work on this week? (If the command same as the week before, what was different about your dog’s performance?): We have been trying to work through all of the commands and perfect them.
What did you do for playtime with your dog?: Julius plays every morning either with ball playing fetch, or with Piano or Rocco.
What is one interesting thing you noticed about your dog this week?: Julius is really smart. The longer he is here the more comfortable he gets and shows his intelligence.
What is one thing (training related) you believe you did good at this week?: My team has done well at being consistent with Julius when it comes to our expectations around people.
What is one thing (training related) you could improve on?: We could improve about communicating the issues that Julius has when each trainer does their training session with him.
For all of weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!
FOR MORE INFO ON JULIUS? CLICK HERE.
Weekly Video
AUTUMN IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
12/10/25: Arrived at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino!
Autumn didn’t like the cold weather this week. She just wanted to eat some food and cuddle up.
Autumn is doing excellent with her duration and commands. She does extremely well sitting patiently while waiting to fetch her toy.
Autumn enjoyed playing fetch with her favorite rope toy. She loves to play tug as well. We took her outside for group play and she had a blast. Autumn does excellent with other dogs.
Autumn doesn’t like to stay in one place when she’s on the bed. She keeps dancing around like a cat and tries to smell everything
Our team did an excellent job this week teaching Autumn to be patient when playing. This helps her focus on the handler and enjoy the reward at the same time.
WEEKLY PROMPT: WEEK Six
Rate your dog’s week (low) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high): 7
Please explain why you chose this number
Autumn didn’t like the cold weather this week. She just wanted to eat some food and cuddle up.
What commands did you work on this week? (If the command same as the week before, what was different about your dog’s performance?):
Autumn is doing excellent with her duration and commands. She does extremely well sitting patiently while waiting to fetch her toy.
What did you do for playtime with your dog?:
Autumn enjoyed playing fetch with her favorite rope toy. She loves to play tug as well. We took her outside for group play and she had a blast. Autumn does excellent with other dogs.
What is one interesting thing you noticed about your dog this week?:
Autumn doesn’t like to stay in one place when she’s on the bed. She keeps dancing around like a cat and tries to smell everything
What is one thing (training related) you believe you did good at this week?:
Our team did an excellent job teaching Autumn to be patient when playing. This helps her focus on the handler and enjoy the reward at the same time.
What is one thing (training related) you could improve on?:
I would like to learn how to train German Shepherds
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For all of weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!
FOR MORE INFO ON AUTUMN? CLICK HERE.
Weekly Video
BOBO IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
12/10/25: Arrived at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino!
BOBO
Bobo is such a wonderful dog to be around once he builds a connection with you. The problem is that he takes a long time to trust and warm up to people. We have been trying to work through this as best as we can, but this has been a major challenge in a place like the one we train in. We have started asking people to not look at him or pay any attention to him so that he can be more comfortable and make his own decisions to meet someone new. This is a challenge since we live among 150 people. Having said that, Bobo is getting more comfortable with being in these high traffic areas of the building. We have begun implementing him laying down in these areas or at a door that he wants to go through. Once he sits and lays down he can receive the reward of going into a less stimulating environment. We have been making small adjustments like this in order to work on his fear and, even though it is slow, he is making progress. We also have been playing with some of the other dogs to get him more acquainted with them. He gets along with every one of the dogs that are here; however, he does get a little grumpy with the high energy that some of the puppies carry with them. We have included a video of Bobo and Caesar playing this week to show that not only is he a very confident dog with another dog around, but he also loves to play and is able to play one-on-one with a puppy with a lot more energy than him.
with a puppy with a lot more energy than him.
For all of weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!
FOR MORE INFO ON BOBO? CLICK HERE.