Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 56-60 of 155
 Compassion July 1, 2005
The Reviewer II (So. California)
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
It is funny how people bemoan that some of these techniques are "mean" or lack "compassion." Well, if you have an aggressive dog, it is far more cruel to let the situation get so out of hand that you'll have to get rid of the dog, with the dog most likely meeting its end at the pound.
I wonder how many dogs are put to sleep each year because of the owner's "compassion" (i.e., they were too much of an idiot to properly train their dog to be a good canine citizen.)
Thoughtful and balanced approach June 27, 2005
LA in NJ
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
In this revised version of their previous book, the Monks of New Skete offer practical and philosophical advice about how to train your dog. The ideas are based on being respectful of your pet, while teaching him/her to be respectful of you. The Monks use a combination of correction and positive reinforcement for dog training. They repeatedly remind readers that use of physical correction is only for very extreme situations, and that the temperment of each dog should be considered while training. Having read the original, the changes in this version (including removal of recommendation regarding an alpha roll) clearly reflect the Monks ongoing process of learning about dogs and dog training, as well as the feedback they have received from readers. Because their methods are not heavily food based (i.e. treats for everything) they are appropriate for training situations where food cannot be used (for example, seeing eye dogs). I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a dog.
Great German Shepherd Knowledge Book May 11, 2005
Sweet Delilah (Jackson, Ms.)
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
The Monks have many years of training German Shepherds therefore they could provide insight not found in most books. I found the book to be very interesting & very helpful with a Problem German Shepherd.
Bless the Monks! February 4, 2005
Good Brother Cadfael (Virginia)
62 out of 68 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
Susan Shott (Chicago, IL United States)
26 out of 93 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 . . .
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