Divine Canine: The Monks' Way to a Happy, Obedient Dog

I have four dogs and have had multiple dogs all my life. This is has been the most helpful book for me in training my dogs ranging from Weimareiner to Bull Terriers. It was recommended to me by two professional dog trainers and now I see why.Case Studies Provided by Breed & Temperament: This book is well designed in that the authors provide case studies of different breeds and temperaments of dogs. All the dogs in the case studies are older and most have behavioral problems. Some of the breed outlined are: Bull Terrier, English Bull Dog, King Charles Spaniel, and Labrador Mix. If you have a bull dog or terrier, this book provides extensive examples how to deal with these independent and more stubborn breeds such as using more treats to motivate and giving them more play time before training to keep their interest.Details Photographs Show the Commands: The training programs show detailed step-by-step photographs of how to perform the commands. Each case study is broken down in sections that make the process easy to follow. The photos show in detail how to teach a dog to "Stay" and "Heel" which are two commands that I did not thoroughly understand how to train until I read this book.Specific Behavior Issues Addressed: There is also a section to address specific behavior problems as well. What I love best about this book is it discusses how the basic training program can be tailored to dogs depending on their behavior and temperament. The authors give thorough and specific examples of how to deal with temperaments such as dominant, apathetic, stubborn and high energy to behaviors such as unresponsiveness to commands, jumping up on guests and aggression to name a few.Best Tips I Got from This Book: One of the best tips I got from the book, was to keep a young unresponsive dog (my Mini Bull Terrier) on the leash in the house, until she was fully responsive to all verbal commands. It has worked as now she is off the leash in the house and not nipping at my children which was her most offensive behavior before I started this program. The suggestion of using a 30 foot long lead to train for the "Come" and "Retrieve" commands has been extremely valuable to me. Beginning the training in an area that does not have distractions for the dog was also been a great tip.I highly recommend this for people who want to obtain a better relationship with their canine companions and to gain control of their household again from an unruly adult dog.

I have read every book published by theMonks of New Skete. Each and everyone is informative, well written and loaded with fabulous insight how to better manage yourself and interact with your best friend.

This is an excellent read for the novice to dog training. Although the experienced trainer might be slightly less impressed, my guess is that most will find it a truly enjoyable set of accounts. Because it is written in a case study format, you are allowed a window into the lives and issues of individual dogs and their owners. Although not as philosophical as, or a substitute for "How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend", it includes a synopsis for basic training at the end. Initially, it looked more like a eye candy than a substantive account of the Monks at work, given the preponderance of color photos, but it turned out to be a fine text filled with nuggets of the Monk's wisdom.

The book has gorgeous pictures! But besides that the book offered practical training advice from experienced and dedicated dog trainers. The examples in the book address issues dog owners face once the puppy phase is past and their dog is mature and has been living with the family a while. It discusses the training required to resolve the problem and the reasoning behind their methods. Also, they stress that the owners have to continue to work with their dogs once the dog is back in their home; the problem isn't solved overnight.

We love all of the books by The Monks of New Skete. This one is a great exploration of various dogs with issues and how the monks addressed those issues by educating the humans and correcting the unwanted behavior in the dogs using a balanced training method and pack leadership.Highly recommend this book as well as 'Let Dogs Be Dogs', 'The Art of Raising a Puppy', and of course 'How To be Your Dog's Best Friend'.

I loved this book. I've had a trainer taking an interest in my out-of-control Malinois, always sharing with me what my dog was thinking, how he needed me to take over being the Alpha. I just couldn't understand how to get from Point A to Point B with my dog. This book was exactly what I needed. It filled me in on just how to get from having an out of control dog to becoming the Alpha in his life. I read the book while on vacation to India and came home with a lot of confidence on recreating my relationship with my beautiful dog. I'm no longer feeling run over by my rambunctious dog. We're setting new rules both for in the house and for when we go outdoors. It's a gradual shift, but a very welcome one.

This is a great book. The beginning has a brief intro on their general philosophy on dogs and training dogs. The rest (I think--I'm actually only 2/3 the way through) consists of 5-10 pages each on a specific dog that came to them with behaviour problems. They talk about the dog, then they talk in detail about what they did for that specific dog and owner.This book is also great because of the pictures. There are tons of great colorful pictures of the dogs in each scenario. They also have step-by-step pictures of the monks training the dogs to do certian things (sit, stay, come, heel).This is not an all-inclusive guide on how to train and raise a dog. For that, I would recommend "Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete". This complements that, or any other formal training book, very well. Great book.

I love the Monks of New Skete and have read all their books. However, I could have stopped at The Art of Raising a Puppy which should be required reading for anyone thinking of getting a puppy. This book was a fun read, but reading about these 8 or so different dogs didn't help too much with raising my own. If you want your new puppy to get off to a great start, buy The Art of Raising a Puppy (read it several times) and skip this one.

A well-written guide to Man’s Best Friend that helped me to understand, know, and love my canine companions more than I felt was possible. I’ve bought other titles from the Monks of New Skete and have been as equally impressed and have learnt so much as well as getting so much more in return. I’m happy that I bought this book and I’ve gifted friends with copies, too.

Very good book to read to understand how to interact with your dog but not so informative for puppies eventhough they have a book on puppies too.

I loved the calm, but firm approach they take with dog training. It made me feel in control of my dogs without being harsh and gave me a level of expectation which was good for me as well as my animals.

Super informative....great refresher!

Want to better understand your dog? Read this book and the amazing stories within. Fantastic read! A great gift idea.