The Art of Raising a Puppy by The Monks of New Skete
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Book Reviews of The Art of Raising a Puppy
Book Review: Perfect for the amateur who wants a friend & companion
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband agreed to a Dalmation for my wedding present in spite of all the misgivings he had about the breed. I purchased many books on dog training to ensure that our dog would be a welcome member of the household all its years. In each of them, I felt that there were holes in the philosophy, problem solving that might cause injury to my dog. I wanted a well thought out, cohesive plan that addressed daily training, submission, and problem behaviour within a philosophical framework. This was the book that became our bible. It was sane, safe for both the dog & us, and it showed immediate results. We got our puppy at 8 weeks, by 12 weeks she would sit, lie down and stay on command for up to 15 minutes whether we were in sight or not. The techniques in the book were so effective that we were able to implement them easily, with just a little time set aside every day. When we began puppy classes at 6 mos., we were immediately promoted to the advanced obedience class and worked with dogs that were showing successfully in obedience with two of the top trainers. They owned and showed the #1 and #2 obedience dogs in the country. Our dog is now 7 yrs old, because of how good she is, we can take her everywhere. She is welcome at our friends, neighborhood children come to play with her, there are even restaurants that insist she come in. Our dog owes the fact that her life is full and happy to this book. She has never had to be tied up, left behind or locked in a room. The quality of her life is so much better,because these monks shared their knowledge in this book. People always ask how we trained her, we go to your website, print out the page and give it to them, because we do not want them to think any training book will do. Ideally, people would read this book before choosing a puppy and then be completely prepared for the sustained effort needed in raising and training a dog.Book Review: It's always nice when a book lives up to expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
After having read several Cesar Millan books, a Victoria Stillwell book and a several books on potty training, leash training and general puppy rearing from various veterinarians before this book, of all the books I've read, while many covered the same topics, this is certainly my favorite. It is the easiest to read and the easiest to understand.
Unsurprisingly Millan, Stilwell, the various veterinarians and the Monks have similar approaches to puppy rearing, they just use different words to describe the same things. The Monks have the leg up over the others for the ease of reading this book has.
The approach is the non-punitive approach. What this means is that you don't "punish" the puppy/dog; you simply don't reward the bad behaviors and always reward the good.
In the real world, people try to attach human emotion and apply it to a dog, who then sees this as weakness and exploits it. By raising your puppy the Monk way, you will never be in a position of need where your dog will be running your house because you never give him/her the chance to fall into bad habits such as nipping, biting, using your house as a bathroom and general disobedience.
One benefit of the book that I hadn't really had any experience with, is the puppy massage. The puppy massage described in the book is relaxing for the puppy and therapeutic for me, especially after a hectic day at work.
If you read no other books on puppy raising, read this one. It gives you methodology for picking the right puppy, explains the various pieces of equipment you'll need and also guides you to build the proper foundation for a stable puppy that not only obeys you, but also treats you a true companion, which is all anyone with a dog should ever be looking for.
Book Review: A Must-Read for All Dog Owners
Summary: 5 Stars
I wish I'd had this book when I brought my first puppy home two years ago. She was a nine-week old Rottweiler I named Belle, a darling, if not dimwitted, dear that captured my heart. Unfortunately, I was ill-equipped to handle such a pet, given her breed, eventual size, and youthful energy. Of course, I knew that puppies required a lot of attention, but who had any idea the extent of care that is necessary to raise a good pet, especially one of this size? I certainly didn't! My uncle eventually took her to his home where she'd have lots of room to run around and other big dogs, so I know she's well cared for... still, the experience left an impression on my mind, and I didn't want to make the same mistakes twice if I ever got a puppy again. Well, two years later, as I prepare to bring home a new puppy -- this time, an eight-week old female rat terrier named Daisy -- I picked up this book, determined to be a better pet owner. And I'm grateful to the Monks of New Skete for preparing such a thoughtful, educational text for people like me. From the birth of these loyal, precious animals to testing for temperament, then moving toward training, I've developed a much better understanding of what it means to work with a puppy. Or rather, to train myself. This text is highly recommended for all dog owners, regardless of age, for it contains a wealth of information that should be shared with everyone before bringing home a loving pet such as a dog.Book Review: Finally some practical advice!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book! I have had it for 6 years and I STILL go back to it when I need help with my dogs. There are even diagrams of dog body language and what each means. So if the dog has it's ears down it means.., if it has it's chest raised and tail up it means.... ! Very practical. The author gives nice background information on puppy development, then what dogs need to be happy and well trained, and finally a few chapters on very EXPLICIT, practical advice on potty training, obedience training, advanced training, etc.
I originally bought this book to train our Bernese Mtn Dog puppy, who is now 6 years old, incredibly well behaved (and very large at 100lb). The book worked perfectly for her. I purposefully went back to the book since we just got a tiny 2lb maltipoo puppy. You know what -- the advice was just as sound as it was for my 100lb Berner! I am very pleased to have this book in my references because I will continue to reread it any time we get a new dog. People comment on how perfectly well behaved my dogs are and I am proud to say that it's really not hard or time consuming -- you just need to follow the advice in the book.
I also recommend one of the Dog Whisperer books, although Cesar tends to be more "theory" and this book is more practical. But armed with both, you will have all the information you could ever need to train your dog, no matter what size, breed or age you start at.
Book Review: Puppyhood made understandable!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have looked at many books on how to train puppies, and this is the one that I keep going back to, in fact it is the only one I continuously used after we got our pup, a Great Dane. It explains how a puppy matures and when is the best time to get your puppy in order for the puppy to become a part of your "family pack". I have followed this book in it's advice for training a puppy, which means starting from the very beginning. At the age of 12 weeks Buck, our puppy, will sit, lay down, come, walk nicely on a leash, and will sit-stay and down-stay for short periods of time. He also will shake your hand, which isn't in the book, but using their methods of praise for behavior you like, this was easily taught!! The house-breaking went unbelievably well and this too was due to the advice of the Monks. This book is an excellent choice for first timers and also for those who have had dogs before. This book helps you to understand things from a puppy's viewpoint and how to use this understanding to help your puppy mature into a wonderful part of your family. If you are someone who thinks that dogs belong outside of your house, away from the family, hopefully this book can change your mind. The most important information that I got from this book was this, don't let your pup do things as a pup that you don't want him doing as a big dog. This book is indispensable!!!