How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend

Product Description
The Monks of New Skete are known for their unique approach to raising and training dogs; they maintain the philosophy that "understanding is the key to communication, compassion, and communion" with your dog.\nIn
How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, the monks build upon the basic puppy training covered in their book
The Art of Raising a Puppy to tell you everything you need to know to care for your dog. From how to select a dog to fit your lifestyle, how to read a pedigree, how and when to train, how to properly use praise and discipline, and how to feed and care for dogs, the monks offer clear guidelines to improving communication with your canine.\nFilled with the wisdom, compassion, and caring that the brothers are known for,
How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend helps you better understand your dog, which can lead to a deepened bond with your pet.
From Library Journal
As well-known breeders of German shepherds, these monks (The Art of Raising a Puppy) have developed excellent insight into some of the best ways to train, manage, and enjoy life with your dog. The tapes begin by offering basic information on the dog as a pack animal and on how to select a puppy and find training help. They then progress through housebreaking, a variety of training procedures, and situational considerations. Social behaviors, problems such as chewing and digging, and suggested solutions are discussed. Not every technique is appropriate for every dog. The monks essentially acknowledge that there are definite breed differences in training herding dogs vs. terriers vs. toys, etc., but that disclaimer may be missed by some listeners. While "one size does not fit all" in terms of training or lifestyle, their advice is generally very sound. Their approach is firm but compassionate. Michael Wager sounds like a sage, older man who is very familiar with and confident in his advice. A very good value and highly recommended for public, school, and college libraries.\n-Carolyn Alexander, Brigadoon Lib., Salinas, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
The Monks of New Skete share their invaluable training techniques and philosophy in their bestselling book,
How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend. First and foremost, the Monks--who themselves breed and raise German shepherds in Upstate New York--emphasize that "understanding is the key to communication, compassion, and communion" with your dog. Outlined in seven highly readable and informative chapters, the training principles offer a better knowledge of your pet's psyche and personality--ultimately deepening the bond between human and animal. Striving to educate and sensitize new and potential owners to dog kind, the book explores different breeds and temperaments, and assesses the best places from which to obtain a dog. Thanks to a succession of neatly ordered chapters and subsections on everything from crates and leash training to dog treats and massage, training is made accessible and even fun. The Monks lay particular emphasis on the importance of training with "spirit, humor, and most of all, physical and verbal
praise!" Whether you're a new owner or an old-timer,
How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend is one of the best training guides available, written with compassion, empathy, and humor.
--Naomi Gesinger (
Amazon.com Review)\nThe Monks of New Skete have been raising and training dogs for over 30 years at their Cambridge, New York, monastery, and this volume-updated from the 1978 version-offers solid insights on dog training, behavior, grooming, feeding and a host of other topics. Whether discussing country, city or suburban dogs, the monks dispense good advice on humane care, such as admonishing owners to avoid "canine incarceration," i.e., leaving a dog confined alone for long periods of time. While the book does contain many useful, tried-and-true techniques for obedience-stay, heel, down-stay, recall and the like-its unique value lies in the mon