The Art of Raising a Puppy

I purchased this book to help me prepare for brining a new puppy into my home. I was looking for more practical, straightforward information that would be laid out in a more textbook-style way, but that’s not really what this is at all. That’s not to say this isn’t a great book with lots of great information, it’s just presented in a way that I found myself getting sick of after a while. Every concept dives straight into a specific example of a specific client or dog they trained. Sometimes this is good and makes sense in illustrating a point they were trying to make. Other times I just wanted there to be a way to distill the story into a more concise format. While it is nice to see plenty of citations, I wish it had more illustrations regarding certain techniques, and maybe more sections on common concerns for new puppy owners. I gave it 4 stars. The book is good, but I don’t think this should serve as the “one stop shop” for curious or new puppy owners.

Totally based on misguided theories of dominance and wolf pack behavior. Dogs are not wolves anymore. We bought several puppy books to get different perspectives, and this has been the least useful.

This is a great informative book. It’s been quite some time since I’ve raised a puppy. This book has reminded me of all that goes into rearing a dog up from puppyhood. It gives a lot of great information and insight into why puppies behave the way they do. This is a great book for the novice and expert. It has a lot of information about training and socializing puppies from the moment you get them. It also puts a lot of emphasis on your relationship with the dog and why it’s so important to have a great bond with your dog. I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking to adopt a puppy. It’s a great refresher course for any dog owner, whether they’ve raised puppies before or they are complete novices.

I think I've read this book three times in my life so far. Great reminders for new puppy owners and existing dog owners a like. While I won't implement all their techniques, I do love the majority of their approaches...especially regarding early puppy development and intro training. Highly recommend!

Years ago, my family adopted a stray off the streets. She was awful. She would run up behind children, grab them by their knees and drag them around the yard. It was painful, to say the least. We were on the edge of sending her off when we got /How to be Your Dog's Best Friend/ by the same monks. After applying the techniques in that book, that dog ended up being the most loving, gentle animal and even helped some of my friends overcome their fears of dogs. BIG change. She was always headstrong and stubborn, but the monk's advice helped to make her responsive and kind.I just got my second puppy, so I thought I would get this book by the same folks on puppy-raising. We got to meet his litter and watch them playing (a good piece of advice from the book). We decided to take home the biggest pup, who was crawling all over the others even at 4 weeks old (we did not take him home when we first met him (there's more on that in the book!)). We knew he would be a handful, and he is (there was a lot of amazing insight on how to choose a puppy in--you guessed it--the book!).We didn't follow everything to the letter, but pretty generally follow their advice. He's 8 months now and when I take him out in public people ask me if he is a 10-year-old service dog because he is so well-behaved (was asked this exact question thrice the last time I took him with me on the ferry. They always guess 10 years, too. Kinda weird, right?).The most helpful information, I thought, was on developmental stages. The info on training is really great, but they also include a ton of info on your puppy's development so that you know how to use what training methods as they go through different phases. Even if you are someone with a lot of experience with dogs and dog training, it never hurts to read more; and these guys know what they're talking about.

The picture attached: why is potty training not in the index? Really??If you want to get to the heart of the problem be prepared to read a bunch of worthless information to find what you’re looking for. Everything is told in story form. There is no such thing as bullet points or quick looks to figure out how to solve this problem our that. Whoever wrote this worthless book was looking to win the Nobel prize in literature and they just may have done so.

If you are getting a puppy, this book is the first thing you should get and keep. I pull it out with every puppy I get. It has a helpful chart in for when you first get your puppy. I recommend reading this book before you get your puppy. Then I recommend buying their training books also. I have used these books for many, many puppies and will continue to use and recommend to other people as well. This was a gift for someone else since my copy is old and worn. I get a puppy about every 5 years or so. Excellent choice for training and understanding.

The best guide to everything from selecting a pup, bringing it home, understanding the growth and developmental stages and most important, how to understand your dog in a way that maximizes your bond. I bought this on audible and found it so great that bought the hardcover edition to serve as a household reference.

I would suggest reading “easy least puppy squeeze” instead. The use of pain or discomfort to a puppy in training is old fashioned, unkind and unnecessary, as is dominance. I think it’s absurd that as religious people they encourage forms of torture on animals, even causing slight discomfort is torture... Save your money and your relationship with your dog!

I enjoyed this book, very spiritual in regards to owning a dog ( not religious ) and I would highly recommend for 1st time owners ( before they buy a pup) who often don't realise how important it is to pick the correct breed for your family/life, and makes you seriously consider if you have the time for a dog..... It is by no means a training book but gives useful info on all aspect of bringing up a pup. Not a book for people who don't like reading as it's long and and meandering - I was thoroughly engrossed, but I can imagine it boring other people.

A good read that does not take to long and that has quality advice not based on emotions but rather imperial evidence. Focusing what is best for both parties (owner and dog)

Excellent book for beginners. Educational and informative, easy to follow.

Just before our third German Shorthaired Pointer puppy was to arrive in our home, I decided to buy "The art of raising a puppy". I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it and find it to be an inspiration to make sure we do things right. The book is well written and easy to read. Particularly the chapters on crate training, early grooming and socializing I have found to be very useful but the book is full of little treasures and has helped all of us understanding our pup much better than we thought possible. Our pup "Fritz" is now eleven weeks old and the advice from the monks thus far has proven to be invaluable! We also have "How to be your dog's best friend" and the "Raising your dog with the monks of New Skete" DVD (ISBN 0-9656417-1-6). The DVD is great and helps my family members who aren't into reading to raise our pup the "New Skete" way! Yes, the monks are monks but their religious beliefs are never pushed down the readers' throats. Their style and philosophy however is pleasant and inspiring. I can't recommend it highly enough!