Rating: 
Summary: Don't let this be your only dog training book.
Review: The training methods the Monks of New Skete use frighten me.This is not a book that should be put into the hands of new dog owners. The New Skete Monks methods are outdated and some are down right dangerous. I believe that even the Monks now admit that their alpha roll is not a good idea and the thought of telling an unexperienced dog handler to use a vehicle to run their dog is appauling to me. There are better dog training books out there. The only reason I rated this at three stars is because someone interested in STUDYING dog training could learn a few things from this book and learning about the Monks and their dogs was fairly interesting to me. If you are looking for a good beginning dog training book, try The Canine Good Citizen instead. (It's a better training manual for a beginner, it's not as expensive as this book and it's easier to read too!)
Rating: 
Summary: Who's in charge? you or your dog
Review: This is a great book with a lot of interesting informaion in regards to training and loving your dog. I have a Boston Terrier and a Daschund and belive me they learn differently. Thats why this book is great. It teaches you that all dogs have some similar traits that you can exploit to help live a harmonious life together. Learn how to be the "PACK LEADER
Rating: 
Summary: Very outdated
Review: Monks was an interesting book twenty years ago......sadly their disiplinary techniques have been picked up and and administered by dog owners to disasterous results. As a dog trainer who specializes in improving dogs behavior,I can tell you with all honesty that their roll over and scruff shake manuvers are not only very dangerous to the dog but also the owner. Countless owners have reported to me how when applying these monk techniques not only did their dog become more unruly but also violent. The monks are cool looking guys with beards and robes and live communely, and i'm sure they are nice folks...but they need to retract their alpha wolf scruffs and rolls and do it soon before more people are severly bitten!The reat of the book is really rather ordinary...many books on this subject are now being written by far more knowledgeable and experienced trainers.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware
Review: This book is showing its age. Written at a time when Alpha-Wolf theories came into fashion, it has done a lot to promote dubious punishment methods for dogs. These methods are based on the faulty application of wolf behavior *directly* to domesticated dogs -- and a misunderstanding of wolf behavior at that. The Alpha-Roll and Alpha-Shakedown as well as the chin-uppercut(!) may work for the Monks; their GSDs must be specifically bred to be absolutely gentle with people and the Monks of course have a lot of experience with their disciplinary measures. However, an inexperienced trainer could easily hurt the dog with the same methods. To be fair, the Monks caution about this and about only using physical punishment for "severe" offenses but legions of trainers and dog owners have not heeded the warning very well. In addition, as many behaviorists and trainers now recognize, dogs that are dominated by physical force learn to domiate by physical force. Many breeds and individual dogs will become *more* aggressive with these training methods -- especially towards children and adults who are physically weaker than the dog. And when that dog grows to full size, he will challenge his "Alpha" since leadership was established by brute strength -- and more than likely, the dog will grow up to win over the human. Leadership over your dog can be established through firm-but-gentle measures. Pass on this book and instead look for ones by Jean Donaldson, C.W. Meisterfeld, Ian Dunbar and Karen Pryor.
Rating:
Summary: "Understanding is the key...."
Review: This is by far the best book on understanding and training dogs I've read. I am a new dog owner and did not know about the dog sometimes thinking it was the leader instead of its owner, as the book explains. Now I know why my German Shepherd acts the way she does. After realizing this, I used many of the disciplining techniques in the book to gain control again. It really has meant a profound change in the dog's behavior
Rating:
Summary: My Dog's Best Friend - This Book
Review: My dog receives so many compliments on her behavior that if I had a percentage of this book, on recommendations alone, I would be very wealthy. Through their training method, my dog has become a true member of our family. I have been asked numerous times if I would train other dogs. Since I have only one dog, I don't know if we lucked out genetically or if the method is that superb, but it worked on Rosebud, our labrador retreiver.
Rating:
Summary: How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend
Review: I have had German Shepherds all my life, but that is not why I recommend this wonderful book from The Monks of New Skete. This is a fabulous book about dogs and having a great one--it's not by accident! Over the years I have given this book to many friends who were getting puppies. The Monks are quite insightfull. Their techniquies and more importantly their approach to dogs is the best. If you want more than just a dog--you want a companion (man's best friend), then follow their advice and you will have just that. If I were to buy only 1 book on selecting, training, having a dog companion, this would certainly be that book!
Rating:
Summary: Brother Job's Thoughts Ten Years After Publishing
Review: I was privileged to meet and work with Job Michael Evans, co-author of How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend, approximately ten years after this book was published. By that time he had moved to New York City and begun his own Dog Owner Counseling business. He said if he could change anything in the book, it would be the chapter on discipline. At the time the book was written, there was little to nothing in written form on HOW TO DISCIPLINE YOUR DOG. The Monks of New Skete were breaking new ground. Copying what a mother dog would do to it's pup for discipline was a concept that was embraced by many dog trainers. The draw backs were discovered as time passed. The fact that it was freely and openly discussed in hindsight only reinforces the integrity of the authors and their genuine desire to understand, communicate, have compassion for and communion with their dogs and encourage others to do discover this as well. The wealth of excellent information in the rest of the chapters far outweighs the questions of discipline techniques, and for that reason, I would recommend this book to anyone who owns a dog and especially to someone getting a dog for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: The New Skete method did not work for me
Review: I was a novice dog owner and bought this book to help me train my increasingly agressive and out of control puppy. (I chose this one based on the Amazon customer reviews) I tried the training methods used by the monks even though they seemed to be overly confrontational. After a few weeks of the "shakedown" and "alpha rollover", the dog's behavior began to get even worse. The physical punishment was eroding any bond of trust that I had established with the dog. To make a long story short, I changed training methods and concentrated on positive reinforcement only. It made all the difference in the world. My dog is now almost a year old and she is truly my best friend (with first rate manners). I learned the hard way that you don't need to intimidate your dog to have her love and respect you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent information presented intelligently
Review: This is a great book if you are interested in training your dogwith love and kindness. The Monks offer excellent advice if you are aone-dog household or a multi-dog household. I have a German Shepherd dog and refer back to this book more than any other breeding/training book I've seen.
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