The Art of Raising a Puppy Author: Monks of New Skete | Language: English | ISBN:
0316083275 | Format: EPUB
The Art of Raising a Puppy Description
Amazon.com Review
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.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
The monks of New Skete in Cambridge, New York, dog trainers and breeders of German shepherds, here expand on their classic How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend . The excellent instruction begins with an in-depth examination of the puppies of one litter from birth through their eventual placements with new owners-- following their social and physical development, their needs, and clues to their emerging personalities. Proposing that the best way to forge a healthy dog-to-owner bond is to prevent problems before they occur, the authors soundly emphasize that a puppy begins its training "the day it arrives home." They teach readers how to choose an appropriate breed and a promising puppy, and how to assume the position of "pack" leader from the start. Sensitive and unimpeachably humane, this handbook places equal stress on the time-consuming responsibilities of dog ownership and on its ultimate rewards. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 2 Rev Upd edition (June 29, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0316083275
- ISBN-13: 978-0316083270
- Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
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?
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