The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition)
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4.1 • 205 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The classic bestseller that established the Monks of New Skete as America's most trusted authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the animal/human bond, updated to include the latest developments in canine health.
In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog's Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as trainers of dogs of all breeds to provide--brilliantly distilled--the indispensable information and advice that every dog owner needs.
This new edition of The Art of Raising a Puppy features new photographs throughout, along with updated chapters on play, crating, adopting dogs from shelters and rescue organizations, raising dogs in an urban environment, and the latest developments in canine health and canine behavioral theory.
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.
Customer Reviews
So much good information. Maybe too much.
I’ve been a dog parent nearly my entire life. During my early 20s, I read How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend, and it was an amazing, transformative text in how to raise a dog to be happy and healthy. The same is true for The Art of Raising a Puppy. Information, tips, and insights I still don’t know about dogs after 40+ years. I truly love these books, rereading them frequently as reference texts. So why 4 stars and not 5?
A lot of the experiences are ideal state. And I get that’s where the monks want every dog owner and breeder to go to - the ideal state. But it doesn’t reflect the reality so many dog owners encounter when they get a puppy. Most breeders are caring and always trying to improve, but I’ve never met any that give, for example, aptitude tests to puppies before placing them with families. I’m super impressed the monks do some of these things, but perhaps instead of giving us the exacting lengths they go to as the only way, perhaps more of a good/better/best approach to descriptions of breeder appraoches and behaviors would make some of us searching for a new puppy feel like we don’t have to wait years to be properly paired with just the right puppy and spend $5K or more for the ideal dog.
I finished the book feeling like neither I nor the breeder who provided my pup were nearly good enough for the monks and that I should feel like I and my dog are inferior because we didn’t go to the extreme lengths the monks did. If I read this before dog ownership, I’m not sure any breeder would have made the cut.
Let’s maybe give everybody multiple models with a clear indication of what’s an absolute no-go rather than purely the very best as the only model in every single situation.
Good book
Easy read with good information. Personal experience in the book is helpful
Loved it!
I am getting a Bernese Mountain dog in a few months so I felt the need to prepare. Having never owned my own dog before, I wanted to do as much research as possible. This book provides so much information that I feel better prepared for my pup. I'll refer back to it when the time nears so I can be the best dog owner possible. This book has gotten me very excited about dog ownership. The stories and ways they speak about dogs is truly inspirational.