The monks of New Skete have been breeding and training dogs at their New York monastery for more than 20 years. Their philosophy of raising dogs accentuates the essential human-canine bond, whereby owners must learn to understand a dog's instincts, needs, and behavior. Understanding a dog, the monks say, is the key to successfully training him. They first published this philosophy in their 1978 classic guide How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend. Now the monks concentrate on the first three months of a puppy's life in The Art of Raising a Puppy.

Fantastic Book - A Must Read for Dog Owners

This book is wonderful. It is easy to read and contains wonderful insights on how dogs think and feel. It gives practical suggestions like how to calm down your puppy on the car ride back from the breeder's. I highly recommend it.

So gentle and effective

My dog Sparkler and I have benefitted greatly from this wonderful book. No other training method has worked as well for both of us. If I were a dog, this is the book I'd want my owner to get. I think that says it all.

Old and outdated, let's move onto new and improved

I remember reading this book years ago and thinking it was an awesome book. The section on the different growth periods of puppies is very good, however, much of the other information is outdated and incorrect. Many aspects such as the alpha roll and their concept of dominance theory has been proven not to work and there are better ways to get your point across to the puppy or dog. Many excellent dog behaviorists such as Ian Dunbar, Jean Donaldson, Patricia McConnel have more recent methods you can use with raising your dog and are highly respected among dog trainers across the country and internationally.