The Art of Raising a Puppy

This book is literally invaluable to anyone getting a new puppy. I could not recommend it more...it was recommended to me from the breeder of our new pup a few weeks before picking her up and it was by far the best read of the 5 books I purchased on canines. DEFINITELY a great choice.

This was so helpful to us before we got our puppy. It's much more comprehensive than other books and the audiobook was a great way to listen in the car. It was a great way to get my kids to listen to a book they would not have sat and read.

Have found a lot of very useful information in this book. It is very practical & a must read if you are thinking about getting a puppy.

I love this book. It is well written and full of smart advice. The beginning chapters about puppy birth and development are beautiful and a welcome change from the bland how-to books. I don't think this or any book is going to teach you how to raise a great dog all on it's own. But this book, teamed with others and real life instruction in a puppy class, will do you a world of good. Although some of it's ideas, specifically about the Alpha wolf, have now been disproved the heart of the book is still valid and I highly recommend it.

Even if someone does not have a dog, I'd recommend this book to any pet owner. The "Big Idea" of this book is that "obedience" actually translates into "to listen" and "discipline" actually means to teach.

The Monks emphasize that their is a relationship (they would say a divine relationship) between a dog and his owner...but that relationship is based upon mutuality...a mutuality of respect and responsiveness. (Kind of a nice way to look at human relationships as well.)

Flowing from this is that the owner has a responsibility to be a thoughtful, kind teacher and to attentively "listen" to their dog...not to "correct", not "punish", but to understand their dog and to teach their dog with respect and kindness.

If you have an opportunity to view the Monks DVD or VHS on this topic you can see the love and understanding these men have for their dogs...they aren't simply "training", they have a deep and profound relationship with their dogs.

This is not only a "dog training" book, this is a great book on how to relate to all living creatures.