The Monks of New Skete

About two years ago, my family got a puppy. I'm not really a dog person, and puppies are a tremendous amount of work, so I left most of the training up to my mom. She decided on crate training, and to help her in this endeavor, she bought a book called "The Art of Raising a Puppy." It's written by a group called the Monks of New Skete, which are a religious order dedicated to a monastic life in the Eastern Orthodox Church. They're based in Cambridge, New York.

The monks are dedicated to raising and training dogs, and along the way they've gained a lot of insight into the canine psyche. They explained the social order of dog packs, how puppies' personalities are ingrained in them from birth, and how asserting dominance early on was essential. The knowledge they imparted could only have been gained from years of single-minded devotion to their task. The concept of a monastic existence is an interesting one; removing oneself from society and focusing solely at the task at hand seems such an elevated pursuit.

The monks are Byzantine Rite-Franciscans, and they have a sister monastery of Poor Clare nuns, who make gourmet cheesecakes, as well as an associated community of married people called the Companions of New Skete, who live a similarly religious existence.

Their website can be found below.
http://www.newskete.com/