The Art of Raising a Puppy by Monks of New Skete Review: A Classic Guide with Enduring Depth

The Art of Raising a Puppy is a dog-rearing guide written by the Monks of New Skete, a monastic community based in Cambridge, New York, whose work as breeders of German Shepherds and as trainers of dogs across all breeds has spanned decades. The revised edition, published by Little, Brown and Company in 2011, updates the original with new photographs throughout and expanded chapters on play, crating, adopting dogs from shelters and rescue organizations, raising dogs in an urban environment, and the latest developments in canine health and canine behavioral theory. The book also includes a puppy aptitude test and a bibliography — resources designed to help owners assess and understand their specific dog rather than apply a one-size-fits-all approach. It is structured to move owners through the critical early months of a puppy's life, with an emphasis on the idea that socialization experiences during that period are foundational to developing healthy, confident behavior.

This title sits alongside the Monks' companion volume, How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, as what the publisher describes as a "now-classic bestseller" that established the Monks of New Skete as authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the human-animal bond. The 2011 revised edition reflects a commitment to keeping the book current — incorporating new thinking in canine behavioral theory rather than simply reprinting an older text. One reader with over forty years of experience with dogs, writing on Apple Books, noted that the book still delivered information, tips, and insights they hadn't previously encountered, suggesting the text rewards even experienced owners rather than serving only first-time puppy parents.

What sets this guide apart from narrower training manuals is its framing of puppy-raising as an act of relationship — one that calls on the owner's patience, kindness, compassion, discipline, and powers of observation. Writing at janicegreenwood.com, one reader characterized the book as "a metaphor for how, in relationship with another being and animal we can learn the virtues of patience, kindness, compassion, joy, discipline, and observation," adding that "for the Monks of New Skete, puppy training and breeding isn't just a livelihood, it is a spiritual practice." This dimension reflects the community's monastic context and gives the book a tone that differentiates it from purely technique-focused competitors. The Monks consistently resist the impulse to anthropomorphize dogs, instead grounding their guidance in an understanding of dogs as distinct creatures with their own nature — an orientation that shapes every recommendation in the book.

Alongside its philosophical orientation, the book is designed as a working manual. It covers the guidance that, according to the publisher's description, provides "brilliantly distilled indispensable information and advice that every dog owner needs" — drawing on the Monks' direct experience as breeders and multi-breed trainers. The revised edition's updated chapters reflect changes in how dogs are acquired (including shelter and rescue adoption), where they live (urban environments), and what science has added to canine behavioral understanding since the original publication. The inclusion of a structured puppy aptitude test gives owners a concrete diagnostic tool. The book's design intent is to equip owners with both the foundational understanding and the specific techniques to guide a puppy through its most formative period.

Readers who want a guide that combines behavioral science with a considered ethical approach to the owner-dog relationship will find this book particularly well suited to them. Those seeking a quick-reference format or a strictly technique-driven checklist may find the book's reflective, discursive style asks more of them than they anticipated. The Monks' deep specialization in German Shepherds, even as they address all breeds, is worth noting for owners of very different breeds who may find some examples skew toward large working dogs. For new puppy owners willing to engage with both the practical and the philosophical dimensions of what it means to bring a dog into a household, this revised edition delivers a resource that readers across experience levels — from first-time owners to decades-long dog enthusiasts — have continued to return to long after its original publication.