Approximately 2,000 yuan (US$256) for a dog to learn good manners? There's something fresh happening in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The training course is run by graduates from a professional dog training school. And several dogs have been put on the course by their owners.

 

According to a Yangtze Evening News report on the Happy Dogs Training School on December 26, several dogs which were receiving training at the school did not bark at the sight of the journalist. Instead, they stared with curiosity and then continued with their practice.

 

Zhu Min, school principle, told Yangtze Evening News that the dogs were all very naughty before entering school but they were obedient now. Strict health examinations and even an IQ test are required before a dog is admitted.

 

"Dogs differ in character and living environments. Thus the content of the course and the way of training vary," Zhu explained.

 

Dog owners need to sign a professional training contract with the school. The contract says when dog owners can visit their dogs. No visits are allowed in the first week of training.

 

The fee for training dogs not to attack and bite is 3,000-5,000 yuan, 1,500 yuan to train them not to be picky about food and 2,000 yuan to train them to go to the toilet in a fixed place. "Although the fee is relatively high, there are still citizens who frequently come to make an inquiry and sign up for the training," Zhu explained. 

 

All together six naughty dogs with bad habits have become "civilized" graduates. The six trainers are all graduates with pet-related majors. Zhu himself is a graduate from a professional dog training school in Beijing. They have professional courses and text books on training dogs.

 

"The best trainer for a dog is its mother. The best training time is when the dog is about three months old. But many dogs are sold when they are about two months old without 'family training,' The dog owners often do not know how to train them," Zhu explained.

 

"If dogs still have bad habits after being trained, owners can bring them back for more training. The school offers a special course for re-training," Zhu said.

 

However, many citizens are against the expensive dog training. Mr Geng from Wuxi thinks it's an extravagance to spend thousands of yuan and a month to teach dogs how to behave. He observed that the money was enough to support a child to go to school.

 

These dogs are like aristocrats with professional teachers to coach them and they're fed excellent food. Most dog owners simply couldn't afford it. And it's not worth that.

 

Professor Chen from Jiangnan University says that what matters is the civilization of the dog owners and their behavior. They should not spoil their dogs and learn some dog-training methods themselves. 

 

(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua, December 27, 2006)