The Joy of Playing with Your Dog:
Games, Tricks, & Socialization for Puppies and Dogs
the art of living with Dogs
For many of us, love for creation deepens through the relationships we form with our pets, particularly our dogs. By their very nature and need, dogs draw us out of ourselves: they root us in nature, making us more conscious of the mystery of God inherent in all things. We cannot but delight in recognizing God’s mystery in the length and breadth of our daily life. In our particular monastic context of New Skete, we have been privileged to share this in a special way with our German Shepherds, who in an entirely natural way have taught us many important lessons about life and about ourselves.
Our relationship with the German Shepherd breed began when we were given our first dog, Kir, in the early days of our monastery. Kir was a beloved pet to all of us and our relationship with him led us to adopt more German Shepherd dogs and eventually, at the request of friends, to begin breeding these intelligent and beautiful animals.
About 15 years ago the Monks formed a friendship and working relationship with Marc Goldberg, a well-known dog trainer based in Chicago. Together, they have co-authored two books, and are working on a third. They co-developed and co-wrote the dog training method detailed in The Art of Training Your Dog.
About the Monks of New Skete
The Monks of New Skete have achieved international renown as breeders of German shepherds and as outstanding trainers of dogs of all breeds. Their unique approach to canine training, developed and refined over four decades, is based on the philosophy that "understanding is the key to communication, compassion, and communion" with your dog.
To learn more about the Monks of New Skete and New Skete Monasteries visit newskete.org.
About Marc Goldberg
Marc has been training dogs since he was a child, starting with his first dog, Gus, in 1969. Together they won a Dog World Award, AKC obedience titles, High In Trail, and other awards. He has been training ever since. Marc is past president of the International Association of Canine Professionals.
To learn more about Marc Goldberg and his training programs, visit ChicagoDogTrainer.com.