The Art of Raising a Puppy

Rating:
Summary: Excellent suggestions
Review: This book provides excellent suggestions on raising puppies. The authors concentrate on their specialty, German Shepards, but the lessons should translate well to most every breed. The tools suggested and the way to handle the misbehavior that accompanies any pet in the early stages ensures that the training is based on love and mutual respect instead of the master and the subject model.

We have had three dogs at different times in the recent past and we have used some of these techniques ourselves. Though we are not nearly as patient as the authors, we believe that anyone that loves their dogs will appreciate the techniques in this book.

Rating:
Summary: raising a puppy
Review: I have worked professionally with dogs for the last 7 years and am grateful that I found straight forward talk from the Monks. They have incredible insight into canine behavior. For people who cannot handle the 'shakedown', keep in mind that this is rarely needed, for if you have a strong enough relationship with dogs, they will respond long before the 'shakedown' is necessary. Out of approximately 8,000 dogs to cross my path (in a day care environment), this maneuver was needed with only 1 dog!! No training technique or book is the last word on the subject. Great techniques come from many sources and the Monks are one great source. Thanks for such good reading.

Rating:
Summary: From Breeder to First time puppy buyer, a must read!
Review: The Monks have done it again, in this book they take you through the journey of puppyhood from birth thru the first year. The monks do a fabulous job of teaching about all the stages a puppy goes thru and how to best care for and train your puppy during these stages. Well written with insightful examples, an honest and straight forward must read for anyone considering the adoption of a puppy.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful
Review: This book has given us some good training ideas
for our Boston Terrier Sammy. He is a good boy and
is getting better every day.

Rating:
Summary: A must read! The best
Review: The best book I have ever read with practical advise on the importance of researching breeds and breeders and training and caring for puppies. It is invaluable. It is written intelligently and sensitively showing a real respect and love for dogs. It teaches you how to handle your puppy from the first moment you meet. There advice is easy to follow, understanding and I am sure anyone that follows the advice and instruction in this book would raise a delightful and happy puppy who would be a wonderful companion for all of it's life.

Rating:
Summary: A great reference for any new puppy owner.
Review: While waiting for the day my newly adopted puppy would come home, I read every puppy training book I could get my hands on. This one was by far my favorite. By using an actual litter as an example, the monks take you through the beginning stages in a puppy's life and how its experiences will affect its personality. There are clear, descriptive training exercises as well as a section on disciplining a dog (a topic I found no other books would touch). The thing that most impressed me about this book was how the monks describe a regimen that produces a loving bond between you and your dog. They say that the purpose of dog training is so that the dog can take an active role in the owner's life, without interfering and causing problems. After reading this book, I feel much more confident in training and raising a dog, and I feel as though I would not be able to understand my little American Eskimo pup nearly as much if I hadn't read it.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST have before you purchase your puppy
Review: We purchased this book when we got our German Shepherd puppy 9 years ago. I truly admire the Monks of New Skete and the techniques they have implemented in training puppies. I recommend this book to all of my friends when they are considering adding a "dog-friend" to their family. I wish everyone would read this book before they add a dog to their family.
The techniques the Monks advocate not only work but they assist in establishing a bond of love, trust, and respect with your dog that is remarkable. The training techniques are easy and humane. I found their recommendations, for the traits to look for in the type of dog you want, to be very useful. I also found the description of the different maturity stages that your puppy goes through to be very helpful in understanding our puppy as she grew into adulthood.
I can't express enough the fact that if you are getting a puppy and want to train it right you MUST purchase this book!

Rating:
Summary: Great training book for gentle, humane training
Review: My dog is now 2 1/2 years old and people always ask me how we trained her to be so loyal, obedient, loving and playful - my answer is "I read this book called The Art Of Raising A Puppy written by some monks in New York and started using it when she was 8 weeks old". I have recommended this book to other friends who have raised their puppies with the monk's philosophies and their dogs are the same - loyal, loving, obedient, and playful.

The book stresses the importance of understanding why your dog does things so you can help train/correct them the best way. When you use the methods in the book it seems your puppy obeys earlier and needs to be corrected less than others who do not. Good luck with your training - I hope your relationship with your dog is as rewarding as ours has been.

By the way I do a lot of work with the local humane society and they are big on "clicker training" - I have seen many animals trained with this method and they don't have near the bond with their trainers as those I've seen trained with the monks methods. Just wanted to mention that.

Rating:
Summary: Monks of Skete offer excellent advice
Review: The training techniques in this book helped teach my puppy who was 8 weeks old how to sit and lay down in about 1/2 hour. Excellent advice and a very worthwhile book.

Rating:
Summary: Puppyhood made understandable!!!
Review: 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!!!