Customer Reviews:
 Bless the Monks! February 4, 2005
59 out of 65 found this review helpful
Our dog Cadfael, a 190-pound English Mastiff, is a great example of what the Monks' training can do for a dog and his owners. He is our first dog and _Best Friend_ came through for us time and time again. While I read many books about dogs before Cadfael came to live with us, the Monks' book and _Dogs for Dummies_ proved the most helpful both in practical and philosophical matters. I also recommend the Monks' book on puppies and their videos.
I think one of the most important services the Monks offer to future dog owners is their attitude that the dog represents a major, major commitment on your part, in terms of time, money and emotional involvement. If you are not willing to invest in the dog, you will shortchange the relationship on all levels. The relationship will suffer. We feel this is particularly true in the case of a dog that is expected to spend most of his time outdoors. The monks are right: if you want an animal to live outdoors in a pen, get a cow or sheep or chicken that has not been bred to be social with human beings.
From the very beginning, before we brought Cadfael home as an 8-week-old, 18-pound puppy, we incorporated the lessons in this book. We followed the monks' advice as far as finding the right breed for us and the right breeder. We bought our supplies well in advance, including the enormous crate (which we used for the first year). We both took vacations so that we could be with him constantly for the first three weeks or so, to focus on housetraining and socialization. From how to keep a dog from jumping up on you (who wants a dog who's taller than you and outweighs you by 60 pounds jumping on you?), to providing the right toys so the dog won't be interested in chewing the wrong things, to keeping the dog quiet at night, the monks were there with the answers.
We like how the monks encourage you to get physicial with your dog, even giving massages. Cadfael loves that. He lets us clean his ears, clip his nails and brush his teeth, too, because, as the monks suggested, we started all these activities very early on. He is so accustomed to being bathed that he just stands there and lets him soap him down and rinse him off. (Have to do that outside, because there's no way he'd fit in the tub.)He is a pleasure at the vet's, too. He has been so used to being handled that it makes the doctor's work much, much easier.
The monks stress the importance of training, and my husband and I cannot agree more. The monks do a great job explaining how to train the basics: sit, stay, come, heel, lie down. While we did a lot of home training, we also enrolled Cadfael in a series of obedience classes, as well as allow him as much social interaction as possible. We can walk Cadfael on a busy city street and not worry. We can leave him in the car in appropriate weather and know that he will be all right. We can let him off the lead on a trail and know that he will come back when we call. We can have fun playing ball with him because he will fetch the ball and drop it on command. We can take him to an outdoor restaurant and trust him to sit under our table while we eat lunch.
One of the reviewers I read seems to have real problems with the discipline tactics the monks employ. We used both the shakedown and, once or twice, the alpha wolf rollover. Neither is about hurting the dog physically or mentally; used with proper timing and drama, they are designed to immediately get your dog's attention and let him know that whatever he's doing is a definite no-no. They are designed to let your dog know you are in charge. And, regarding the reviewer's claims that the monks are indiscriminate in their discipline, here's what the monks themselves have to say about the alpha wolf rollover: "Let us note that many dogs may never need such physical discipline. But if you have a dog that does, it seems better to administer discipline effectively and meaningfully once, rather than dozens of times in an ineffective way." Amen!
The monks are quick to point out the fact that a dog is not a person and certainly not a child. But a good dog is a wonderful companion whom you want to have around and who wants to be around you. It is up to the dog's owners to work with him and provide him with the things he needs to make him a good dog.
Well, Cadfael has turned six, and it is time to go back to the breeder to get a friend for him. Our breeder tells us she will have puppies this spring. So I'd better get reading and get the crate out of storage!
 A delight for the ignorant January 18, 2005
26 out of 96 found this review helpful
This book is immensely appealing to those with little experience with dogs and little knowledge about them. It makes everything so simple. All the dog needs is some really hard cracks under her chin, enough to make her scream and later cower and tremble at the sight of you. And best of all, one method fits all dogs! You never have to think about a thing. What works for an aggressive, hardheaded dog that barely notices a solid whack is exactly what you use for a sensitive, confused, frightened dog. The monks are not bothered by fine distinctions. Nor do they feel obligated to waste their time by studying and understanding different breeds and different dogs, or by carefully adapting their training methods to the dog. By throwing in a dash of smarmy psychobabble about the joy of relationships with dogs, they even manage to get credit for being "sensitive." People who understand dogs know better. Different dogs require different methods, and no dog should be brutalized into cowering and trembling at the sight of her "best friend." But many dog owners desperately want a quick fix to the problems they have created through their ignorance, neglect, or outright mistreatment of their dogs. If the dog gets hurt in the process, so much the better. Revenge is sweet. Therein lies the enduring popularity of this grotesque piece of garbage. However, before you begin to sample the pleasures of smacking your dog around and hurling her to the floor, be forewarned: Plastic surgeons have made a bundle from this book. Alpha rolls and chin bashing are an excellent way to have a sizable chunk of your face removed, which does rather take the fun out of it . . .
... a classic made better ... November 23, 2004
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
The original "How to be Your Dog's Best Friend" is by any measure, a very complete and substantial dog book ...
This new revised edition is more than set to continue as a "classic" in its own right ... The revision is quite substantial - incorporating new understanding & the changes that have taken place in dog training over the past decade ... and the book continues to mirror the love & devotion that Skete Monks have always had for dogs.
Your Dog's Best Friend is by concept and intent is not just a "mere" dog training manual and offers much much more to the reader ...
The book covers a whole spectrum of topics from ... how to find/select a puppy ... cooking for your dog ... basic grooming ... basic training ... training for obedience competition ... including a section comprising of 9 chapters on how to deal with common problems related to living with dogs (with a chapter how to cope, when a dog passes on) ...
Not so commonly found in other dog books ... Your Dog's Best Friend also has a section titled "Sensitivity Exercises" ... dealing with issues of dog behaviour & dog behavioural patterns, and explains dog loneliness, dog silence and dog dreams ... This section also suggests various exercises (massage) and training (round robin recall of life), designed to enhance and make precious the people/dog relationship ... GREAT! ...
Another great section covers the spectrum of "Environments" where the Monks of New Skete explore city/urban life, suburban/country life and the great outdoors.
Written in conversation-like style, the book comes alive through the use of well chosen anecdotes, humour and the Monks' own distinctive approach & philosophy to life & living ...
The book makes for very easy reading, and in its clarity - makes for easy appreciation & understanding ...
But most of all - I have come to really like this book because - it touches me ...
"Myths, Mutts, and Monks" ... "What is a Dog?" ... bring warmth to the printed page, and the book urges the reader to begin a wonderful journey towards deeper & greater understanding of our canine friends ...
The Monks write " ... Because dogs are guileless and utterly themselves, they lack the capacity to deceive. if we take seriously the words they speak to us about ourselves, we stand face-to-face with our own truth."
A very good book ...
Learn How Your Dog Thinks November 21, 2004
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book changed the way I relate to all dogs, not just my own. This is a book by true dog lovers -- people who don't see dogs as human children but, rather, complex creatures descended from wolves, now reliant on humans, and with their own unique way of thinking and perceiving the world. I loved my dogs before I read this book, but after reading it the first time, I felt that I actually *understood* my dogs, and felt that I knew what it took to make them not just happy in a moment, but content for a lifetime. I've had three dogs now, each from a shelter or on his or her way to one, and this book helped me address different behavior issues with each. I wish everyone who is thinking of giving their dog up, particularly because of a behavior problem, would read this book. Our animal shelters would have a lot less dogs, and a lot more homes would have dogs, as a result.
Great book written with honesty and insight July 25, 2004
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
I think that this is one of the best books I have ever read, period. Not just about dogs. The book is written very simply and clearly. It is also written with out fear or favour for political correctness but with just the dog's welfare and their needs in mind, so that you can have a well trained dog. Please do not listen to the people who are crying hoarse because of the discipline portion of it.
I am a Hindu and when I read this book , I could feel the earnestness and love with which this book was written. The monks seem to have a natural understanding of the dogs which has to come out of a natural and complete understanding of oneself.
The book is about how you can give what your dog needs to make it feel better and have a fruitful and happy life and not about what you or the media think they need to make you feel better.
I hope I have the opportunity to meet these monks.
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