Let Dogs Be Dogs

Understanding Canine Nature and Mastering the Art of Living with Your Dog

By: The Monks of New Skete

Narrated by: Dan Woren

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

America's foremost authorities on dog care and training distill decades of experience in a comprehensive foundational guide for dog owners.

No matter what training method or techniques you use with your dog, the training is unlikely to be optimally successful unless it is predicated on an understanding of the dog's true nature. Dogs need food, water, exercise and play, rest, veterinary care - the basics. But since dogs naturally want to be led, they also need focused and compassionate guidance.

Through abundant stories and case studies, the authors reveal how canine nature manifests itself in various behaviors, some potentially disruptive to domestic accord, and show how in addressing these behaviors you can strengthen the bond with your dog as well as keep the peace.

The promise of this book is that, especially in an ever-accelerating world filled with digital distractions, you can learn from your dog's example how to live in the moment, thereby enriching your life immeasurably.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 The Monks of New Skete (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Raise dogs like your children

I like that the title is "let Dogs be Dogs", but the recommendations mirror those for raising healthy, obedient, independent, and happy children.

I would just emphasize that 0-6 months of age for a dog is similar to being a human toddler. You should only use luring and never discipline your dog/child. 6-12 months are the elementary grades, when dogs/kids listen to you and want to please you, so focus on positive reinforcement. After the first year, they start their teenage years, which dogs never leave. They may test your leadership, but if you have a good loving mutually respectful relationship, you will establish a life-long bond. Just remember to never get angry about anything because your dog/child is just doing what dogs/children tend to do, and always discipline calmly and with your dog's/child's best interests at heart.

Also, just like every child is different, so is every dog. Some dogs/kids are easily crushed when a parent raises their voice while others don't flinch. Remember that you need to tailor the relationship to your dog's/child's personality.

Great book!

good

very good book as a professional trainer myself I see very few books I would recommend this is one of them

Best insight about dogs for me.

I adore the Monks and have read all their books. This one was as enlightening as all of them.

Who knew Monks were so awful?

This book was recommended to me from a bookseller. I should have spoken to a dog trainer first. My first objection is that, thought there is an entire monastery devoted to training German Shepherds, and they have been doing so for such a very long time, surely they could have found a way to do this without damaging the poor things. These folks don't even attempt to train the dogs humanely - they skip straight to zapping their brains out. And people flock to buy the poor dogs, expecting to be able to manage them. I wonder if the shock collar comes with the dog. They (it specifies that the book was written based on the experiences of the entire monastery). Upon acquiring a new puppy to train, the Monk meets and and names it, then goes about the laborious task of "crate training" it, by sticking it in a crate, locking it in, then leaving the otherwise empty room for the remainder of the day. The condescension is quite appalling, especially given that most of the people who read this book are neither monks or dog trainers, nor do they live in a monastery surrounded by other monks who are also training dogs. While these men spend the time away from their dogs doing calmness things, like praying and so forth, the rest of us have jobs, children, and elderly parents to care for, none of which is especially restful. The sound of the dog howling and whining in its crate alone would put most of us on Xanax. Please, don't buy this book. It might be fast and easy to terrify your dog into obedience, but do you really want to spend the next 15 years with a remote zapper in your hands? Is that really the life you want for your dog?

ideas work

We've begun to implement some of the ideas in this book and have seen positive reactions in our dogs. The bottom line is that these gentle methods work.

Tons of great advice and instruction

This was the third book I read by the Monks of New Skete and Marc Goldberg, and it may be my favorite. We are raising our 5th dog, but this time as empty nesters and with only one dog at a time. We have always had what we believed to be good dogs, but this time wanted to put more effort and deliberate training into this one. This book explained so clearly, and thoughtfully all about the relationship between me and my dog that the training isn’t just instructions handed down by a drill instructor to be executed with perfection by a student, but rather the fluent dance of coexisting with respect and boundaries. I don’t want this to sound like doing yoga with your dog. Please read the book or better yet listen to it and write a better review than me!! I feel much more at ease about being a pack leader doesn’t mean drill instructor 😊

glorious

this was an amazing book I cannot begin to express how it made me feel but it made me think about and what it taught me highly recommend any passionate dog lover. or to anyone just hoping to understand their furry friend a bit better.

very helpful

Very helpful for people wanting to know more about spending a life with your dog. I liked how the the author narrated his own book. it makes it more personable.

Great book

I was leery at first due to the religious connotation but was extremely pleased with not only the practical but spiritual aspect of this book. I would definitely recommend for new owners and seasoned dog owners. I grew up in kennels, AKC and with 4H. My background with dogs is in my opinion strong but this book gave me additional tools and insights to be a better pack leader.

Wonderful insights into our furry friends

It's a long narrative peppered with excellent insights and instructions for establishing a rewarding relationship with our dogs, even the most challenging ones.

OK I guess but not was I was hoping for.

I struggled to finish this book, I found it kept going off subject and didn't focus enough on specific dog issues and rectification.