The Art of Raising a Puppy

The Art of Raising a Puppy

The monks of New Skete have been breeding and training dogs at their New York monastery for more than 20 years. Their philosophy of raising dogs accentuates the essential human-canine bond, whereby owners must learn to understand a dog’s instincts, needs, and behavior. Understanding a dog, the monks say, is the key to successfully training him. They first published this philosophy in their 1978 classic guide How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend. Now the monks concentrate on the first three months of a puppy’s life in The Art of Raising a Puppy.

The book observes a litter of monastery puppies from birth to 12 weeks. Tender photographs and dialogue reflect these precious first few weeks of life. Even at this time, the human-canine link is vital; the monks stress the importance of gentle touch to help forge this connection. Basic puppy training techniques are explored and executed, all of which puppy owners should find easy to implement. Virtually all types of dog problems and dog training are examined in the book, always in compassionate and easily comprehensible language. The monks also look well beyond surface training techniques to analyze the roots of dogs’ problems and explain how training can help. Owners are taught how to gently assert dominance over their dog, which will make for a long-lasting and fulfilling relationship. Beautiful black-and-white photographs of monastery puppies will pull at every heartstring.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Too much emphasis on correction!
I liked this book a lot at the start. As a breeder I love (and practice) all that they advise regarding raising a young litter. However, when they get into the actual puppy training they really turned me off with all of their talk about corrections. I think all owners should start with a much more positive approach to training, rather than jumping right in with corrections. It also gets a little long-winded at times.

4 Stars Puppy Training
I have 3 of their books now, and I have learned a great deal from them. They use a very common sense approach to training and they work.

5 Stars OUTSTANDING!
one outstanding book. covers everything you need to know to raise a puppy. very informative and just one of those books which are filled with very useful info! awesome!

5 Stars help for dog owners
This is an excellent book on how to start out on the right foot with a young dog. It gives a lot of information and stories about problem dogs. I found it very helpful.

5 Stars A Must Read
Very different from other books that I’ve read so far. Offer unique technique and wide variations on how to raise a dog. I love the fact that it is not monotone AT ALL and as mentioned in this book, every puppy is different and therefore you need to adjust your training to suit each puppy’s temperament.

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