Customer Reviews

Art of Raising a Puppy

5 star:		(192)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

The breeder we bought our german shepherd puppy from recommended this book to us. I am amazed at the work the Monks of New Skete are doing for the german shepherd breed. My hope is that all breeders would use the New Skete method with their litters. If this were done, then maybe so-called "dangerous breeds" would lose their bad rap. Surely there would be less dogs in animal shelters and pet shops.

I can not stress enough the importance of early human socialization, and the Monks of New Skete seem to agree. If you are planning on breeding a litter, I urge you to pick up this book an heed the authors advice.

This book also stresses humane training methods, and the importance of positive reinforcement. Using this method has helped with my dominant GSD pup. Constant scolding will get you nowhere. A quick pop on the lead when bad and copious amounts of praise when good makes training a happy occasion for both dog and master.

I would recommend the three tape training set "Raising Your Dog With The Monks of New Skete" along with this book. The tapes show the New Skete method from the puppy birth, to training the adult dog, and brings the information together nicely.

My husband and I are new to "puppyhood" and wanted some help. I did some research and was swayed by the reviews of the New Skete Monks' book. I am very glad I purchased this book. It offered us insight into dog behavior, specifically in regards to living in a pack. We have had our Shepherd/Chow mix puppy for one month and she is wonderful. She's 10-12 weeks old (we're not sure) and can sit, lay and roll over on command. We just got her an eight week old playmate on 1-29-00 who is also a Shepherd mix of some kind. We are implementing the techniques we learned from The Art of Raising A Puppy with her as well. I was very nervous about the Chow in our first dog since I was attacked by my brother's 12 years ago. However, the info on the owner establishing yourself as pack leader was indispensable. I feel more confident in training our dogs and am less fearful of their aggressive behavior when it occurs. I am now going to purchase the New Skete Monks book on How to be Your Dog's Best Friend. Highly recommend this book.

In July 1997 I wrote the following review for this book in our breed club magazine. It is probably worth repeating it. My thoughts have not changed.

Some books are more special to me than others. On my shelves I have many books on dog behaviour, obedience, psychology etc. but there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes right down to the nitty gritty of raising puppies, and that is the most sensitive of books, "The Art of Raising a Puppy".

Back in 1978 The Monks of New Skete published a book entitled "How to be Your Dog's Best Friend" and told how the Monks obtained their first German shepherd in 1966 and how "Training dogs grew organically out of our experiences with our own dogs". Their careful breeding and training of their German shepherds and the training of visiting dogs became the means of financing the running of their community. "The Art of Raising a Puppy, published in 1991 is a quantum leap forward in sensitivity; I loved it from the moment I read the first few pages and was gently lead through Anka's gentle birthing of her puppies. It matters not a jot that these are all German Shepherds; we can easily relate everything to our Rhodesian Ridgebacks. The affinity these monks have developed with their dogs almost sends a shiver down one's spine. As I read on I felt myself agreeing wholeheartedly with what they were saying...and wishing that I could have been the one to say it! They have managed to convey all the minutiae of canine behaviour that only constant and vigilant observation teaches and then convey it to the reader. I could not find a single area of puppy upbringing that was not covered; from the initial decision to purchase a puppy, finding a breeder, aptitude testing, general care, basic training for puppies, lessons from the pack, discipline and common puppy problems, and much, much more: a veritable wealth of knowledge all in one book. For instance there is a chapter entitled "Reading your Dog" (one of my favourite hobbies) with subtitles, Canine Communication, Vocal Communication, Visual Communication, Olfactory Communication, Pack Dymanics and Training the the Pack. And throughout the book there are excellent photos, some of which give you a puppy's eye view of the world, also their adaptions of the classic illustrations of canine facial expressions and body language. This magic book will certainly enlighten those who misread the messages that out canine friends give. In "How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend" they speak of "inseeing" and its importance in your relationship with your dog ..."Inseeing is standing inside your dog's psyche, putting yourself at her centre, where she is a unique, individual creature, and understanding her from that perspective", and they again reintroduce this concept in "The Art of Raising a Puppy" The closing chapter reminds us that "When you take the time and energy necessary to raise a puppy correctly, wonderful things happen. The dog becomes a friend.

When someone walks in to the dog training center I work at and says I'm reading this great book by the Monks of New Skete, I pause and then find some tactful way to say, remember, if something seems like it might not be right for you and your dog, it isn't right for you and your dog. Then an instructor who also is very involved in "black-spotted dog" rescue will walk by and say "Whatever you do, promise me you'll never do an alpha roll. You wouldn't believe how many dogs I see because of the alpha roll."

The alpha roll is a technique espoused by the Monks, although I hear the main author of these books no longer recommonds the roll. It is to teach the dog that you are dominant. Basically you roll the dog over and hold it on its back until it quits struggling. Problem is instead of learning that you are dominant, many dogs learn that you are scary. And a fearful dog can grow up to become an aggressive dog. If you want to read a harrowing tale about what the alpha roll can do to a dog, pick up Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash.

Some of this book is helpful. I particularly like the interview with Maurice Sendak (whose dogs have clearly unlearned some of the Monks' training.) The food/potty training schedule is very helpful. That's what people rave about when they come into the center. Up to about chapter 11, I don't see anything majorly wrong with the book. The chapters on early development and socialization provide a lot of useful information. If the "Who should have a dog" chapter persuades one person that they aren't ready to provide the environment needed for the type of dog they are thinking about, I have to applaud it.

But, their main methods of training don't feel right to me. Enough said already about the alpha roll. No food? I understand their point that you want the dog to work for you, not a bribe. But I have seen several dogs I.Q go up significantly when the reward is changed from kibble to cheese. Treats go an awful long way towards getting your dog to focus on you, and getting your dog to figure out what you want it to do. We teach sit by putting a piece of food by the dog's nose and moving it up. They catch on pretty quick! Once they've figured it out, then we start backing off on the "bribes."

And no food, just corrections and verbal praise, might work on German Shepherds but forget it on Basset Hounds. And I wouldn't expect it to work well with labs, chessies, basenjis, many spaniels etc etc. As for corrections, doing things such as holding a dogs forefeet up when they jump on you until they squirm is unnecessary. And that makes me cringe when I think about the still-growing hips of a young dog. Most dogs eventually get it if they get no attention when they jump but lots of attention when all four feet are on the ground. It takes patience to train this way, but withdrawing attention works wonders if a dog has learned that your attention is good (that is, attention doesn't mean an alpha roll).

I could go on, but oh well. I'll say it again, if something doesn't feel right for you and your dog, it isn't right. You have to be the judge. And as for "The Art of Raising a Puppy" take the good out of it and erase the bad from your brain cells. If you are in need of a basic Puppy Primer, everyone I asked when I was getting my first puppy said to get "How to Raise a Puppy you can Live With" and I agree. "How to Raise a Puppy You can Live With" is one of the best places you could start.

The only thing I regret about reading this book is the fact that I didn't buy it and read it sooner. It dips a little (actually a lot) into every essential aspect of properly training a dog from day one. Some of the best parts are the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test in the Appendix and the extensive bibliography in the back. So if you find something that wasn't covered to your expectations of completion, then you have an easy resource to locate more information on the the subject. To be honest with you, I haven't found anything in the book that wasn't necessary or covered enough. The only reason I sought more information was out of couriosity rather than need. Needless to say, the book was well written, informative and ultimately intriguing. Their methods are proven no matter how old they are. They have done their research and it shows. I am a believer for many reasons. For one, when you read the book (if you already own a dog) there are several occasions where you think to yourself and say, "so that's why..." The other reasons are because of all the times I have practiced their methods on one thing or another, the expetations of results are consistantly detailed in the book.

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!!!

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.

This book was invaluable to me when raising my puppy 2 1/2 years ago. The monks of New Skeete, who breed German Shepards have such a wealth of information and experience, they couldn't even fit it all into this fabulous book. I had some specific concerns and they even gave me advice over the phone. Regardless of your dog's pedigree (or lack thereof), this book will get you from housebreaking to lifelong companionship.

The Monks compile a great deal of knowledge into one very informative, very well-written, hard-to-put-down book. This book focuses on the development, both physiological and psychological, of puppies: from the dams pregnancy and whelping on. They address what to do, what to avoid, nutrition, etc., for each phase. I strongly suggest that you also read "How to be Your Dog's Best Friend". In the latter book (their first) they make it very clear that you should read not only their book, but many others on the training and evolution of dogs and a variety of other related subjects and provide a recommended reading list. Having read both books (and many others), I felt that they had no pretensions (as some do) to be the utmost authority on the subject. Nonetheless, as for puppy books, this is my number one pick, my guidebook.