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 (8) 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 (8) week training cycle the dogs will return to the BBBR facility where they will be available for adoption.

GIVENS HALL PAWS HANDLER MANUAL

CURRENT PAWS DOGS
NOW ACCEPTING
PRE-ADOPTION APPLICATIONS
GET THEM IN EARLY TO MEET THE DOGS UPON RETURN!

Return date estimate 5/7/2023

APPLY FOR BENJI

BENJI IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

03/013/23: Benji has arrived at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.

For all of Benji's weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!

Benji's Week 1 Summary:

This was Benji’s first week with a training schedule and doing circles with other dogs. As previously stated circles are a time when the dogs and all in the PAWS program get together with a circle caller and the handlers walk their dogs and give them commands (like sit, stay, down) according to the callers calls. Essentially, it is a time to show what the dogs have learned. Benj’s training is coming along great, he is nailing everything quite quickly and is doing well with his generalization of different people on the lead. He shows some serious reluctance to go back to his kennel, he would MUCH rather hang with “his” pack, and if the whole pack is there he thinks that’s the greatest thing EVER! He loves to lay around chewing his bone while snuggling with a pack member. He is beyond well on his way to being an AMAZING dog!!!!!!

Benji's Journal for 3/23/23:

Going back to the lead issue from arrival week, today during play time with two of his handlers, Benji was standing relaxed with his lead draped over his nose, he showed no negative behavior or desire to chew his old favorite toy. His training is coming along amazingly, he nails the stay command 98.5% of the time and sits patiently by his handler’s side while handlers engage in conversation. His intros into the public petting him is going amazingly well, he LOVES it and is never slow to flop over and ask for belly rubs.

FOR MORE INFO ON BENJI, CLICK HERE.

APPLY FOR BURK

BURK IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

03/13/2023: Burk has arrived for training at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.

For all of Burk's weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!

Burk's Week 1 Summary:

First week of official training done and I got to say that Burk is nailing it! His sit, stay, and heel are good and with each day that has passes they get better. We have begun shaping down and down-stay. Burk is so intelligent that he already gets the concept of down and offers up the behavior from time to time. It won’t be long before he has it mastered. Mr. Burk has quickly become the fan favorite, everybody loves him! We can’t wait for the next week of training for Burk and what it is to come.

Burk's Journal Entry for 3/20/2023:

Today was Burk’s big day! His first training circle with all three of the other dogs. He did so well, regardless of who was handling him. He stayed engaged with the handlers, and didn’t get distracted much considering all the outside stimuli that was there for him to take in. He played with both Benji and Myra. He played really hard with Benji. Neither dog was overly-exerting their dominance. When Myra came to play, Burk was gentle with her. They both showed submissiveness and were overall just loving on each other. They played really well together.

FOR MORE INFO ON BURK, CLICK HERE.

APPLY FOR MYRA

MYRA IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

03/13/2023: Myra has arrived for training at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.

For all of Myra's weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!

Myra’s Week 1 Summary:

Myra’s first week here has been so great!!!! She is taking to her training very well and gives us great confidence that she will throughout her time with us. She plays well with the other dogs especially little Prim. She is utterly addicted to tennis balls and loves to play fetch!!!! You can see that she is full of adventure and just wants to explore everything. Our first week of training consists of sitting on command and staying which she had taken to with much work. Her high energy can sometimes be a struggle with getting her to focus but rewarding her with the things she loves to do like fetching the tennis ball is reeling her in quite well. I am excited to bring out more of Myra’s potential in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

Myra's Journal Entry for 3/20/23:

Myra’s first circle went well. She is so curious and gets excited about her surroundings but I have confidence that her training will come along very well.

FOR MORE INFO ON MYRA, CLICK HERE.

APPLY FOR PRIM

PRIM IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

01/04/2023: Prim has arrived for training at the Givens Hall PAWS Program in Orofino.

For all of Prim's weekly progress reports please check back here or visit the PAWS Facebook page!

Prim Week 1 Summary:

Time flys when you are having fun and it is impossible not to have fun with Primcess puppy tough! What a wonderful heart warming, soul stirring bundle of joy! Tons of fun, super smart and over coming all odds. She doesn’t like to be alone much but with some time she is learning. Her tummy issues have not been a problem at all.

Prim Journal Entry:

Prim is doing great we are just steadily working on molding behaviors. She is smart and love to work for the most part. We are socializing her well and working on her ASL. She did really well with the vet when she got her shot.

FOR MORE INFO ON PRIM, CLICK HERE.

What is the Givens Hall PAWS Program?

CURRENT PAWS DOGS NOW ACCEPTING PRE-ADOPTION APPLICATIONS GET THEM IN EARLY TO MEET THE DOGS UPON RETURN!

CURRENT PAWS DOGS
NOW ACCEPTING
PRE-ADOPTION APPLICATIONS
GET THEM IN EARLY TO MEET THE DOGS UPON RETURN!