Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 11
 The best dog gone training books. April 7, 2008
B. Thompson (Hot, humid Florida (but there is NO snow))
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I raise puppies for a guide dog school and I also teach other raisers how to train their dogs. I always suggest any books by the Monks of New Skete. They teach love and consistency, exactly what a puppy needs.
The Divine Canine February 15, 2008
felinexpessed (OR United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Brother Christopher and the Monks of New Skete pay homage to the dogs who are thought by their owners to be disobedient, stubborn, or unruly. Perhaps it is the slower pace the brothers enjoy in their rustic, secluded setting. Where they not only listen to the voice of God, but they listen to the needs of the many dogs who come under their care.
Using only a firm hand and voice or hand commands, Brother Christopher begins an intensive four week training course with the newest arrivals to New Skete. With apprehensive owners needing to be comforted as they release their companions into the brother's care there is quite a bit of chaos on the arrival day, for this normally quiet setting.
The training method is simple. Understand the pack dynamics. Treat every dog with the respect and love and start building a relationship towards understanding and communication. With vibrant photographs of not only the visiting dogs, but also of the breeding dogs of New Skete (German Shepherds). Divine Canine walks you step by step through the process of their proven training by presenting each dog in a case-by-case matter.
Exercise is important, basic obedience a must and respect for these creatures are essential in order to channel the highly energetic and sometimes spoiled dogs that arrive for training. Interspersed between the training sessions are references and more gorgeous photographs of the German Shepherds the Brothers raise. The sale of the puppies helps to fund the Brothers way of life and their charitable causes.
Brother Christopher writes: "We are sometimes asked what sets us apart as trainers and breeders and why we do it in the first place. The answer may sound simple, but it is the very essence of all we are about. We look for the divine in all God's creatures. We are here, we believe, to find and foster this awareness in all of us."
Thank God for the Brothers of New Skete and the inspiration behind putting this wonderful book together.
their website http://www.newsketemonks.com/
Enlightening January 9, 2008
Wildflower
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A good book for understanding your dog even if he is perfect. Learn loving discipline that is geared to the nature of our beloved pets. Easy to understand and a joy to read for any dog lover.
A review from the Scottish Terrier and Dog News December 5, 2007
Dog Lady (Montreal)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
When we first got Bridget the Scottish Terrier 16 months ago, the advice on how to train her began flowing within minutes of her arrival. And as advice that relates to the rearing of the young almost always is, the counsel we received was highly questionable and contradictory.
"We're using the RCMP method," advised an old friend with a puppy the same age and a copy of an aged dog-training manual used by the Mounties. "Grab the muzzle and hold it shut if they bite."
"Have you heard of 'How to be your Dog's Best Friend' by these famous monks in New York state?' asked a brand new dog walking acquaintance. "They are really against paper training."
From monks to Mounties, the choices were mind-boggling. And even if the Mounties were looking all around less credible, thanks to their problematic handling of humans, the monks' line about being your dog's best friend didn't really appeal to me either. As a parent, I've never wanted to be a human child's best friend let alone a dog's. It all sounded just a little too new agey for me.
In the end I threw my hat in with the adorable Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan and his holy trilogy of exercise, discipline, affection.
Alas, Cesar, who has apparently since remedied the problem with his latest book, didn't provide much in the way of concrete advice to go along with all the inspiration, which is how I came to find myself just over a year later with a dog who still won't come when I call and who retains her penchant for biting people's feet in an effort to get them to play.
What with the Mounties in the headlines again, this time for tazering people, and the monks putting out a new book -- Divine Canine, which also has a companion TV show -- the moment seemed right to give the brothers of New Skete a try.
Well, I am indeed very glad I did. Divine Canine is one of those books that fill you with the power of possibility, the dog book equivalent of listening to the theme from Rocky or Chariots of Fire. "Yes, yes, yes," I say to myself as I read, "I can do that." I can do what Brother Christopher, the trainer featured throughout the book, does because, unlike Cesar Millan, he is telling me exactly how to do it. In fact, Brother Christopher even has photos. I am truly, divinely inspired.
In fact, I am so inspired I put Brother Christopher's techniques to use almost immediately. Next time we are at the park and Bridget starts biting another dog walker's feet, instead of ineffectually pulling her away and screaming, "No foot," I calmly take her aside and look into her eyes as I say "No foot" in a firm, non-screaming way. Progress has already been made thanks to the Monks' emphasis on the importance of eye contact.
Now, maybe this is un-Monk-like to admit, but I am inspired not only by my own dreams of a delightfully obedient dog but also by the schadenfreudeliciously horrible behaviour of some of the other dogs featured in Divine Canine. These dogs, all adults, are way, way worse behaved than my Bridget. In fact, one of them, Chico, is so bad, he even causes the ever patient Brother Christopher to question himself and his dog training techniques.
In the end, however, both trainer and dog rally for a happy ending. Chico learns the five commands the monks feel all dogs must master: heel, sit, down, stay and come. And thanks to the Divine Canine's recipe of inspiration, concrete tips, and perspiration, I swear that Bridget is going to follow in his footsteps and learn them too. (Stay tuned for further developments which will be covered here)
In the mean time, the Scottish Terrier and Dog News highly recommends this attractive book to anyone whose adult dog hasn't yet mastered the five basic commands. We'll most definitely be passing a copy along to the friend who used the Mounties' method. Turns out his dog could still use a few tips.
If you love dogs, you need to read this book. November 6, 2007
Robert E. Keesey (Harrisburg, PA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Do you love dogs? Do you have a dog that controls you? Even a little.
The Monks of New Skete have a special rapport with dogs of all breeds, sizes and disciplines (or lack of same).
This book lists examples of each problem, and how to solve that problem with love and patience.
Each lesson is accompanied by step by step instructions and numerous photographs; and such great pictures. After reading this book there's no doubt in my mind that the Monks understand the thoughts, and motives of the dogs they work with.
If you have a dog, or if you're considering getting one, you need this book.
Review by Wanda C. Keesey (author of Lost In The Mist, release date May, 2008)
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