AUBURN – It doesn’t take long to see their personalities.

Dillon is quiet. Tyson, the gentle giant. Molly, Maygen and Bella, scrappy sisters who love to fight.

Maggie and Manny are cute and shy, the new kids in town.

“They’ve come to learn manners,” said their “mom,” Mary Ritchie.

In the large American Legion Hall, where barks echo to the delight of young ears and furry paws skitter on the polished floor, the school year has begun, class is in session.

Think puppy kindergarten.

“She’s going to be a big dog. I want more control than I obviously do now,” said Karla Billings, nearly sitting on top of Bella, a 50-pound, five-month old German shepherd determined to tangle with her sister.

It’s the first night of a six-week dog obedience class. Sixteen dogs between 15 weeks and a couple of years old, barking, jumping and straining leashes to get at each other.

The goal: Get the puppies to listen. Which means getting their owners to do that first.

“I focus on teaching the people how to teach their dogs,” said instructor Diane Harrington.

It took Harrington just a few minutes to issue her first – seemingly impossible – command.

“I can’t tolerate any barking in class,” she said. “That’s the rule.”

Char, a small, eager, mixed-breed, immediately barked.

Put your hand around your dog’s muzzle, Harrington advised the group. Say “Quiet.”

“In most cases this will work,” she said.

Char barked.

With just an hour for class, the lessons rolled on. Ball the leash in one hand for better control. Tug at the leash to get the puppies to pay attention. Praise them.

Char barked.

Use your puppy’s name a lot. Have the dog heel on your left. Slow down before your stop to let your dog know what you’re going to do.

Walk, Harrington said, urging the 16 puppies and owners into a circle.

Tyson, an 8-month-old, 81-pound Doberman, ran into the back of one of the shepherds. English springer spaniels Maggie and Manny, the babies of the group, walked for a few paces then sat down looking sleepy. A pug tried walking against the flow of traffic, intrigued with a bigger dog behind him.

“Come on, stay with me,” the pug’s owner begged.

Char barked.

Harrington tried where Char’s owner failed. From her, “quiet” worked.

Once more around the circle, Char wagged but didn’t bark.

By the end of the hour, a couple of the smaller puppies had accidents and the shepherds had to be separated. But most every dog walked without pulling, and several sat when they were supposed to.

The puppies were still ready to play. The owners looked exhausted.

“Guess what,” Harrington said. “This was the easiest lesson of the whole course.”