How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend The Classic Manual for Dog Owners

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9780316610001
• ISBN10: 0316610003
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780759524385
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-23
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Summary

How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, an informal, friendly guide by The Monks of New Skete, is really two books in one: a step-by-step training manual and a philosophical discussion of the spiritual benefits of owning a dog. The Monks, who support their community in upstate New York by breeding and training German shepherds, reveal a profound devotion to all breeds in this detailed guide to every imaginable aspect of dog ownership. They cover it all: naming the puppy, training with eye contact and jingling keys, establishing the best sleeping arrangements, even dealing with pet loneliness. Owners are advised to think of themselves as the dog's alpha figure, to train with praise instead of punishment, and to beware of becoming the dog's maid or doorman. Throughout, the authors reflect on the deep spiritual connection possible between humans and dogs. Generations of dogs have been trained with the bestselling 1978 edition of this book. With this update, the Monks are bound to gain many new fans--happy humans and obedient canines alike. With modesty and generosity, the Monks offer an extensive list of other helpful books about dogs, as well as a useful appendix of American Kennel Club titles and terms. --Judy Fireman

Author Biography

The Monks of New Skete have lived as a community in Cambridge, New York, for more than thirty years. They support themselves by breeding, raising, and training dogs at their monastery. Their two books on dog training, How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, have together sold nearly one million hardcover copies. Their award-winning video training series, Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete, comprises three one-hour videotapes and is available in a boxed set. (Call 888-77-SKETE.) The Monks of New Skete are also the authors of In the Spirit of Happiness: Spiritual Wisdom for Living

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
An Introduction to Training
Myths, Mutts, and Monks	3	(6)
How New Skete Went to the Dogs	9	(6)
What Is a Dog?	15	(3)
Some Important Terms	18	(4)
Selecting a Puppy or Older Dog	22	(13)
Researching Canine Roots	35	(3)
How to Read a Pedigree	38	(8)
Where to Find Training	46	(9)
The Concept of Praise in Dog Training	55	(8)
Discipline: The Taboo Topic	63	(16)
What's Cooking?	79	(8)
Grooming Your Dog	87	(8)
The Inner Dimension of Training: In the Beginning Is the Relationship	95	(8)
Environments
Canine Environments	103	(1)
City Life	104	(10)
Suburban Life	114	(4)
Country Life	118	(7)
Outdoor Life	125	(4)
Sensitivity Exercises
Your Dog May Be Lonely	129	(9)
Where Is Your Dog This Evening?	138	(6)
Playing Pavlov	144	(9)
Silence and Your Dog	153	(5)
Radio Training	158	(2)
Massage for Dogs	160	(6)
The Round-Robin Recall	166	(2)
Keeping Fit for Life	168	(4)
Avoid Canine Incarceration!	172	(5)
Children and Dogs	177	(12)
Starting Off Right
Puppy Training	189	(28)
Standard Obedience Exercises
Starting Out	217	(2)
Equipment	219	(6)
Heeling	225	(14)
The Stay	239	(9)
The Recall	248	(9)
The Down	257	(5)
The Down-Stay	262	(5)
About Obedience Competition	267	(4)
Problems
Understanding Your Dog's Personality: The Problem Explained	271	(7)
House Training	278	(4)
Chewing, Digging, and Jumping Up	282	(7)
Protection Training and Attack Training	289	(3)
Alarm Barking	292	(2)
Aggressive Behavior, or How to Deal with a Canine Terrorist	294	(8)
Behavior In and Out of Cars	302	(5)
Social Implications of Training	307	(1)
When a Dog Dies: Facing the Death of a Dog	308	(7)
A Parting Word
Dogs and the New Consciousness	315	(8)
Select Reading List	323	(4)
Appendix	327	(4)
Index	331