The authors of the classic guide How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend now tell you everything you need to know about the crucial first months of your puppy's life. From the decision to adopt a pup through the practical steps of choosing the right breed, preparing your home, caring for your new charge, and practicing basic obedience exercises, the monks of New Skete offer clear, compassionate guidelines for raising a puppy.
Introduction
Monasteries are not as otherworldly as you might imagine. If
they appear secluded and removed from the mainstream of society's
activity, it is only because they attempt to create a climate that
fosters an authentic engagement with life at its most profound and human
level, something often lost amid the noise and distraction of today's
world. When we are quiet enough, freed from all our inner noise and
chatter, we can see with new respect the natural beauty and wisdom of
the world around us and appreciate our ties to it. Such perceptive
silence opens up our lives to healthy reverence and awe for all things;
it creates a capacity for openness that is both humanizing and
life-giving.
So what does all of this have to do with raising a puppy? A great deal,
we believe. Our monastery is set in a quiet, rural area in upper New
York State. For more than twenty years, as part of an effort to support
ourselves, we have been actively involved in the breeding and raising of
German shepherd dogs. We have also operated a training and consultation
program that is open to dogs of all breeds. During this time we have
worked closely with numerous professionals -- breeders, trainers, and
veterinarians -- to deepen our understanding of all facets of canine
care.
We have learned that our monastic environment offers us a unique
perspective. Here we are forced to reexamine our attitudes about
everything, including dogs. We are constantly challenged to become more
open to the language dogs use to communicate with us. This
experience confirms our deepest intuitions about the relationship of
human beings not only with their dogs but with every aspect of their
lives.
In our book How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, we made what we had
learned about dog behavior and training available for other people and
their dogs in the varied and diverse environments where they live. We
hoped to foster in our readers a more realistic understanding of their
dogs and an increased awareness of the benefits of their companionship.
Drawing on our own experience here at New Skete, we described how dog
training actually goes far beyond the elementary instruction of basic
obedience commands; it must encompass a whole new attitude and lifestyle
with your dog. It must touch on the levels of a dog's own life that have
often been ignored. This is why we explored the broader issue of
companionship itself.
We still firmly believe in this approach, and the years since the
publication of our book have deepened our understanding and commitment
to the principles we discussed there. We have been energetically
involved in the breeding of healthier, sounder German shepherds, as well
as in working with owners of many breeds on a counseling/training basis.
These are demanding tasks, and the fact that we are a close-knit
community permits us to pay careful attention to each of these concerns
and learn from them.
But we still see that, elsewhere, ignorance on a vast scale continues to
make dogs the victims of human thoughtlessness and abuse. As anyone
seriously involved in the field knows, working with dogs and their
owners is a bittersweet experience. It regularly forces us to witness
the collision of philosophy with reality. The remarkable little puppy so
filled with the capacity for life and companionship one week can easily
become an incontinent, destructive, and hyperactive annoyance the next.
We have seen this happen repeatedly.
"This is the most readable book on dog training for the layman that this reviewer has come across. Any person who has ever thought of owning a dog should read this engaging book from cover to cover."
"The Monks of New Skete have turned out a book on virtually every phase of dog care, understanding, and training. They have done so from a tremendous depth of affection for the animals--an affection that shows in phase after phase of the book. A fine book indeed."
"Full of sympathetic details and well--illustrated chapters . . . an excellent course in canine care and obedience."
