The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition)

There is a 20-year newer edition than this! Don't waste your time because SO MUCH has been learned about dog psychology since this edition.

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.

What an incredible book. As much as I need to learn about my beautiful Shepard. I learned that I need to be better and continue to grow for her as well.

This book has really helped me as I raise a puppy for the first time. Interesting mix of the spiritual and practical.

I followed the book’s advice and bought a Starmark training collar — my wife was amazed at how quickly our little beast walked on a leash without pulling or jumping.

Really Touched me and I SO recommend this book

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.

Easy read with good information. Personal experience in the book is helpful