I brought home an 8 week old shih tzu and used the recommendation to tether him in my room and provide a blanket for him to sleep on. After only 3 nights he was sleeping all night long and when he needs to go out in the morning he barks once. It is amazing how well this worked. I have read numerous puppy books and this one far exceeds any of the books. The focus is on understanding your new best friend and applying the proper techniques to raising a happy and obedient pet.

if all people read this book prior to adopting (purchasing) a puppy the pet control situation would be helped ten fold every year until eternity. this book not only guides those who have a puppy but shows how to chose a puppy for a particular lifestyle.

I love training dogs and learning more about their nature and behavior. This book was extremely helpful, and it answered many of the questions I had about a dog's normal development and milestones. The Monks reinforce what I've discovered about my own dogs, which is that it is never too early to start training and that puppies are capable of becoming charming companions from a very young age.

If you are thinking of getting a puppy, read this book first.

If you're getting a dog or have a dog read this book. It is a great resource for getting your dog in line. It proved to be a source of information that offered balance to the modern training methods that are based only in rewards.
I prefer the positive motivation but there are times when this book has offered ways to correct bad behavior that 'treats' don't help with.
If for no other reason you should read this book to gain insight into dog behavior. These folks have been doing this for a long time and can help humans see their role in a companion animal's life. i.e. that dog's want and need a strong 'alpha' owner - even if it isn't in your personality type (I had to adjust - but it was for the better)

Having owned many dogs in my life, it seems very clear that there is no one right method of making the dog a vital and beloved member of the household. German Shepherds, the breed that the monks work with, are eminently trainable as are a few other breeds. Some are very resistant to training or, at a minimum, require very different approaches. Perhaps the best advice one can give on training is to observe a friend's dog who you think is particularly well-mannered. See how that friend relates to the dog and ask what he or she did when the dog was a pup. Some well-behaved dogs are born and not made. Lucky you if you happen to get one of these; but the connection between man and dog goes back milennia and it is an interesting and complex relationship

The mindful, carefully researched approach to raising (not just training) a puppy provides what few other dog training books do -- the big picture. Why do dogs behave the way they do? Why are their instincts sometimes not in synch with how humans need them to behave, and how then can their instincts be influenced and molded gently to be compatible with a lifetime with humans?
I read this book cover to cover when I got my new puppy, and bought it for my dad when he got his.
My only challenge has been that the other people (teenage daughters and my boyfriend) who love my puppy have not read the book. I need to get it on tape and put it on their iPods!

Exellent book with many insights to dog behavior. It's been valuable to training our dog. The only draw back is that there aren't enough examples or "how tos" for me.

Get this book and keep it if you think of ever raising a puppy. Very educational and also entertaining. You will learn a lot about dogs' temparaments, their various, often unexpected behaviors, and generaly about the world of dogs. Great Resource!!! Another great title is "Cesar's Way" by Cesar Millan

This book was recommended by a breeder and has proved to be one of the best dog books I've read. The monks do such a great job and have helped a lot of us to understand our dogs better.

There are about 170 reviews of this book already on Amazon, so I do not want to take up too much more space with our opinions. My wife and I have the following comments about this great book:
1. Easy to read and apply the information. We have Pekingese dogs and not the large dogs that are cited in the book. Still, the Pekes are quite stubborn and demanding. The techniques advised in this book worked well to train our dogs.
2. Outstanding insight into how your dog thinks. We think the best aspects of this book deal with providing solid insight based on years of experience and fairly good science as to how dogs interact with humans and others. This allows you as the owner to better relate to your dogs and the training/behavioural aspects advised in the book make much more sense and are easier to implement in a consistent fashion.
3. Excellent use of photographs to enhance the text.
4. We have lent our book to at least 2 other people (maybe more) and purchased this book for family members and referred many others to get it for their new dogs. We cannot say enough good things about this wonderful book.

I have my second copy of this great book, having loaned the first to someone and never getting it back... Being on the verge of aquiring our third German Shepherd, my wife and I haven't raised a puppy in many years, so it was time to re-read the owner's manual. This book is a timeless and definitive tutorial for anyone raising a puppy and beyond. While the instructions and "how-to's" are certainly essential, I find that the philosophy and theory presented throughout is the most valuable part of the book.

If you want to add a four legged friend to your family and wish to have a happy and well adjusted pet (and self) this book is a must. I wish I could afford to buy a dog from the monks of New Skete... but at least I can use their wisdom and guidance. God Bless their work!!

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.

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.

This is the best book I've found on raising a puppy, by far. It's easy to read, the instructions are clear, the approach is humane, and the monks add a touch of philosophy that fills the book out nicely. As we've followed the monk's approach our puppy has learned and behaved exactly as
the monks said he would. It's made for a happier puppy and a happy family all around. We've found several dog trainers who use the monk's approach with great success. Excellent puppy traininng book!

No one should get a puppy before reading this book.

Best no-nonsense approach to raising a puppy. I have had many dogs in my life and I still learned stuff from this book.

Let me begin by saying that I am not an expert on this topic, but I love my puppy... and feel I need to be.

The merits of this book is that it documents the THINKING, experience and methodology of a group of monks who've dedicated their lives to raising German Shephards... the downside is that it ONLY discusses their method, and does not take into account any others - - of course, this is not a fault of the book - - they are simply describing their approach (which they feel happens to be right, and all others wrong), but while their method is not "radical", I'm wondering if the method is really for everybody and all dogs... (The method, incidentally is somewhat orthodox leash training - - and does not use treats as rewards... I worry that some people might get out of hand with the POP-no's, and it may not be for PEOPLE who might confuse the corrective associations with acts of utter dominance and intimidation! Unfortunately, in reading a book, how can a person's leash technique be corrected. In the end, at one extreme of the scale the monks warn against coddling and spoiling the dog... but on the other hand, we don't want to traumatize it either!)
another point: their writing style is easy to understand, but at the same time a bit dry (no warm and funny anecdotes, or as another reviewer elsewhere said "psychobabble") - - again, a plus or minus depending upon how you look at it.

In the end, the fact that this book does DOCUMENT in detail the process of how they raise their pups makes it GREAT reading... however I think the key caveat is that it should be supplemented with other reading...

The monks of the New Skete Monastary in upstate New York have produced an excellent guide for puppy owners of all experience levels. Their training philosophy is based on using the dog's pack instincts to establish the owner as the "pack leader" who must be obeyed and looked to for leadership. I saw two main areas where the monk's recommendations differ from the other training techniques commonly advocated today. First, they advocate using praise and affection as a reward for behaviors (rather than food treats). Second, while they advocate positive reinforcement of desired behaviors, they differ from other common contemporary training methods when it comes to dealing with unwanted behaviors. The monks advocate humane correction rather than the ignoring of undesired behavior. We found this to be absolutely essential with our 12 week old German Shepherd puppy when the "ignore" method advocated by other trainers failed utterly.

The book is laced with many helpful photos to illustrate the training points and contains an excellent chart of of dog facial expressions for various states of mental condition (thus helping you understand your dog's state of mind: very important in effective training).

Overall this book is a must-read for anyone who has a puppy or is considering acquiring one.

I wish i read this before i got my dog. It was so helpful in correcting some of his behavior problems.

The comments in this book are GREAT! I have been around dogs for 50 years and this book is dead on. If you want a well trained dog, then this is the starting point. Be the Alpha Dog and order this book...you
will begin the journey of a well trained pet in your family.

If you are past the point in your life where "Puppies for Dummies" is of any use to you, if you have had a dog and understand the basics, if you are ready for the more advanced tutorial in really understanding your relationship with your puppy from the first minute he/she is born, if you know that "picking a puppy" is more important than choosing "the cute one," then this book is for you. It is not a training tool, and there are no chapters on teaching sit, stay or come. This will give you a critical understanding of the dog's mental development and what to expect at different stages of the dog's life from birth forward. Get this book AND READ IT before you decide on your next puppy. Also, there is an appendix with "exercises" to do with your puppy prospects to help you choose the puppy with the right personality for you or your family, and it REALLY works!

There is nothing divine about the methods recommended in this book. Most were developed as far back as the early 1900's for police and military K9 training. These methods were never developed to address behavior problems (military and K9 dogs were of sound temperament - those with behavior problems were destroyed).

These methods not only set dogs up to fail, waiting for them to make mistakes and then punishing them for it, they require owners to constantly react to the dog. This is an extremely energy-intensive way to raise a puppy, and excessive punishment used when raising a puppy runs a large risk of creating a puppy with serious behavior problems when they get older.

In working with dog owners who have read this book, they have misused and overused so many of the methods (such as the penny can) that they have desensitized the dog to the point that the dog no longer responds.

If owners want a practical, non-aversive approach to raising a puppy, check out books by Ian Dunbar, Trish King, Jean Donaldson and Patricia McConnell.

This is a great guide especially if you pick it up before you get your new dog. It helps you to pick a puppy that is right for you and to test its temperement. It helps you with conditioning your small puppy for a smooth transition into formal obedience training and how to deal with common puppy problems.
They use gentle corrections advising you the sooner you start trianing your puppy the less corrections you will need. It is a great book I learned a lot. It was also very easy to read.

This book is a must for new puppy owners. It is full of helpful information and tips!

Anybody that deals with a working dog of any kind, will benefit from reading this book. It was full of useful information and ideas.

very good book, full of useful info and easy to read, showing how patience and kindness do work best

Precurser for Cesar's foundation - good for beginners; excellent refresh for long time dog owners.

This book is excellent, it taught me things I never knew about raising a puppy, let alone a German shepard. I still have this book, and every now and then go back to it. It made raising my dog much easier. The more she learned, the more I wanted to teach her, which makes raising her so much more fun.

Train your puppy right from the beginning with this handbook to dog training that'll give you much-needed insight into your puppy's point of view.

The book was very informative. There were many ideas I used with my puppy. I will continue to use the book as my puppy gets older and in an adult

I ordered this book for my niece who recently welcomed a new puppy into her house. I read the book myself 3 years ago when I was in a similar situation. I read it before the puppy came home and being an educated owner has made him a much better dog. He is a well behaved and socially acceptable dog; thanks to the knowledge I have from the book. The book was a major help in all stages of his growth and gave me an understanding that I never had with 4 previous dogs I raised. This book is a tremendous help and I would recommend it to everyone with a new puppy - even if you have previously raised dogs. It helps to read it before you get a dog since you are then well prepared.

An intriguing new angle to a popular subject... it reminds me of another favorite, "Adam's Task: Calling Animals by Name," by Vicki Hearne, which also focuses on really understanding your pet. It combines animal training with philosophy and literary criticism. The Atlantic Monthly called it "A fascinating and often surprising discussion of animal-human encounters." If you are an animal trainer-- or even just an animal lover--it's definitely worth checking out.

Everyone should read this book before they get a puppy. It is extremely informative on starting off on the right track with a new puppy. It is a easy read with very simple instructions on getting the best from your new friend and having a well trained dog for life. I know first hand how much easier it is to have trained the pup right from the start rather than trying to correct and break bad habits already formed in a dog. They teach you to see through the eyes and habits of dogs, not people. Many people think of their dog as a person, which is not true. You must be able to teach your dog in their own language and this book does just that. You will not be dissapointed with this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book -- it's written in an engaging way, yet is very informative. I found the early chapters on puppy development to be very helpful in understanding how a puppy's personality is affected by its very early experiences. I also thought the instructions on basic puppy training and care were very plain and useful.

Some reviewers have criticized this book and talked about the alpha roll and other techniques they didn't like from the Monks' other book -- well, judge this book on its own merits. I thought the Monks' advice on discipline was very gentle and everything they recommend seems to be targeted to making the puppy happy and secure while keeping the human sane. A lot of their advice is intended to maximize the relationship between dog and person, which is the whole idea behind having a companion dog.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of getting a new puppy. This, along with some other books on dog behavior and training, will go a long way toward building a lifelong bond with your dog.

Great read if you are interested in more than just the basic steps to training a puppy. This book gives you insight into dogs. Some of the stories are a little long winded but the training suggestions are wonderful. This combined with internet research and a step by step training guide has really aided me in training my puppy.

You really can't read this if you do not HAVE a dog which you are actively training. It's more of a manual than a informative book.

This is simply a fantastic book and should be required reading for anyone who is considering getting a dog -- even if you've owned dogs before. I read this book prior to getting a new English Springer Spaniel puppy (my second ESS) and am so glad I read it ahead of time. It gave me a lot to think about and questions to ask myself -- not only about what I wanted from the dog, but also what I plan to bring to the relationship. From the first few weeks of a puppy's life until it is adopted, this book provides an in-depth, thoughtful look at critical aspects of a pup's development and how we, as the pack leaders, can bring out and nuture the best in our dogs. I will be reading How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend next.

This book came highly recommended, as being very popular with vets and puppy owners. It has a lot of information on training a puppy to come, sit, lay down, heel, etc. There is also interesting information about dog psychology. Most of the advice in this book depends upon someone being home with the puppy all day long, everyday.

We got a new puppy three weeks ago. Knowing little about dogs and nearly nothing about puppy care, we purchased this book as our primary source for puppy raising advice. I'm very disappointed. Some of the early puppy training games are fun and seem to work fine. Some of "how to speak puppy" advice seems to work. The "how to pick a puppy" appendix (a couple pages only) worked great. But most of our puppy raising questions are not answered.

Numerous topics of extreme interest to new dog owners are simply not addressed. There is no advice on problem behavior, how to teach your puppy good manners, and such. What if your dog barks too much -- from what I've read the most common reason for someone to give up a dog? The authors don't say, just "puppies bark". How to tell when puppy is house trained fully? Nope. How to get puppy to tell you when they need to go out? Nothing. What about jumping on furniture? Go fish. How should I house train if I can't be there for puppy every 1.5 hours all day long? Nothing. How do I train my puppy to calmly accept being alone for brief periods? Apparently, you don't. What toys are good for dogs? No opinion given. What is a simple game that kids can safelty play with my dog? Nope, they apparently haven't heard of playing with dogs.

Additionally, some of the advice simply does not work. Their durring meal advice is to force the puppy to lay quietly, by putting a foot on the leash close to the collar. All this accomplishes is a franticly squirming dog. How is that helpful? I'd like to have our puppy lay quietly during meals, but this book will never help accomplish this. Their companion advice on meals is that having a whole lot of other dogs laying quietly during meals demonstrating the desired behaivor helps. Well, that is useless to me!

Overall, a very disappointing book that claims a lot and delivers little.

This book came highly recommended, as being very popular with vets and puppy owners. It has a lot of information on training a puppy to come, sit, lay down, heel, etc. There is also interesting information about dog psychology. Most of the advice in this book depends upon someone being home with the puppy all day long, everyday.

Alas, numerous topics of extreme interest to new dog owners are simply not addressed. What if your dog barks too much -- from what I've read the most common reason for someone to give up a dog? The authors don't say, just "puppies bark". How to tell when puppy is house trained fully? Nope. How to get puppy to tell you when they need to go out? Nothing. What about jumping on furniture? Go fish. How should I house train if I can't be there for puppy every 1.5 hours all day long? Nothing. How do I train my puppy to calmly accept being alone for brief periods? Apparently, you don't.

Additionally, some of the advice simply does not work. Their durring meal advice is to force the puppy to lay quietly, by putting a foot on the leash close to the collar. All this accomplishes is a franticly squirming dog. How is that helpful?

So, some very interesting information on obedience training and what to expect at different ages, but no help whatsoever if you encounter problems with your new puppy.

This is a great book for learning about dog training. I bought this copy for a friend.

This is an excellent book for anyone who is a first time owner of a puppy. The author give great insight into the mind of a dog. There are great tips to properly motivate a dog to behave and understand what makes him/her act the way they do.

Meanwhile a lot of other people written very good books in a very different stile:
Suzanne Clothier (Bones would rain from the Sky)
Patricia McConnell (The other end of the Leash)
Turid Rugaas (Calming Signals)

We have three Irish Setter and we prefer a soft method for our dogs.

I picked up this book, determined to be a better pet owner. And I'm grateful to the Monks of New Skete for preparing such a thoughtful, educational text for people like me. This is a wonderful book that taught me a lot about my dog, why she acts the way she does, and what I can do about unwanted behavior. From the birth of these loyal, precious animals to testing for temperament, then moving toward training, I've developed a much better understanding of what it means to work with a puppy. Or rather, to train myself. This text is highly recommended for all dog owners, regardless of age, for it contains a wealth of information that should be shared with everyone before bringing home a loving pet such as a dog. Another great book for dog owners that I recommend is "Cesar's Way" by Cesar Millan

Excellent book for the serious dog lover. A great way to prepare for a new puppy. I have read a lot of books but Monks Of New Skete hit every topic on target. You don't have to be a GSD owner to benefit - they address what breed is best for you and shelter rescues. They take you step by step from birth to help you understand puppy's needs and developmental phase. I have bought this book for several people because I think it's a MUST HAVE.

This book specifically talks about German Shepherds but will work for any dog with some intelligence. Read it before you get a dog if you can but if you're like me and you suddenly have a dog and are asking yourself, "now what?" get this book immediately and start reading! It's not very long but it covers everything you need to know. Most important is understanding how to get your dog to respect you. Notice I said respect and not fear. If your dog doesn't respect you or fears you then there's not much chance of actually getting the dog to listen to commands.

I bought the first edition of this book some, maybe, 14-15 years ago and used it in raising puppies. I gave that one to someone and am getting a new puppy in September. The book is recommended by the breeder of German Shepherd Dogs, and we are revisiting the book. IT IS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!! Don't raise a puppy without this book!

Until I read culture clash I thought this book was probably mostly ok, if not someone superstitious. Since then I have realized that this book is more dangerous then good. The ideas in this book are mostly baseless, the methods in this book may "work", but they are definitely not the best, and can be very damaging do some breeds.

Please, if looking to buy a book, get culture clash first, then get this. You will then realize what I'm talking about.

Buy this book before you pick out your puppy - it has excellent tips for picking out the perfect dog. This is the best training book I used for my dog. She is amazingly well behaved!

I raise Aussies, and just recently had a litter. I asked all my puppy buyers to get this book before they took a puppy home. I even gave my copy to one who did not have time to get one! It is great for raising delightful dogs and answers many of the questions all dog owners have. Thanks Monks for writing such a helpful book, and allowing us to raise great dogs!