A dog lover’s reading list wouldn’t be complete without these three books…
Contents
And why did I create this mini-reading list?
Having to care for another living being is a serious challenge and bits of wisdom can be found in many places.
But in this day and age, disinformation is just as popular and sometimes more appealing than good advice for raising a GSD the right way.
Using HayesHaus.com as my medium, I try to provide you with the best bits of helpful, yet distilled dog information as I can. I consider these books good places to start for any dog owner, German Shepherd or otherwise.
The Monks of New Skeet offer a balanced approach to raising a puppy peacefully in your home.
Buy on AmazonThe Art of Raising a Puppy is a wonderful book, as is obvious in it being revised and released for a second edition. The monks lead owners through raising a puppy in what I would call an artful manner. Their methods are carefully crafted to produce results and have done so over the years this book has been in circulation.
The Art of Raising a Puppy is a must read for any new dog owner and should be a staple in home that puppies find themselves a part of their families.
As you’ll see throughout this book, raising a puppy peacefully takes time and patience. When monks have to take extra time out and write a book to teach people to be patient with their animals you should take them seriously. However, do note that you are (in all likelihood) not a monk. Take what the monks say with the understanding that it may not be 100% applicable to your life style and be sure to modify your plans accordingly.
The German Shepherd “bible” written by Max von Stephanitz the god father of the German Shepherd dog.
Buy on AmazonMax von Stephanitz’s The German Shepherd in Word in Picture is referred to as the “German Shepherd bible.”
This book contains information pertaining to the first domestic dogs and the emergence and design of the German Shepherd dog through selective breeding practices. It is filled with informational pictures of the history of this great breed.
Max goes into infinite detail about the German Shepherd Dog and his intentions with the breed. He was well versed in anatomy, biology, the science of movement, and veterinary medicine. All of this knowledge was applied extensively to constructing the German Shepherd dog to be in Max’s words, not the best at anything but second best at everything.
A guide through the dark times of losing your pet
Buy on AmazonA Pet Loss Companion is an amalgam of, professional family therapists and group therapy, wisdom that allows you to face the deep tragedy of losing a pet. Many people searching to buy dogs/puppies have recently lost a loved one. It is important to deal with grief in a healthy manner in order to give the still living beings in your life all you can.
The Pet Loss Companion is a helping hand on the road to emotional recovery for those grieving a lost friend.
These three are my favorite but there are certainly others worth reading that I didn’t include on this list.
Turning it over to you, which ones did I miss?
If you have a recommendation off your book shelf or stumble upon a GSD-related read next time you’re at the local library or book store, please feel free to reply in the comments of this post with the book’s title and author. I’ll add it to my own reading list then include it in this post!
HayesHaus.com sometimes gains a commission from products purchased through these links at no additional cost to you. And with this being said, it’s my promise to never recommend a dog product on HayesHaus.com that I either have not used or would not personally use at our West Newbury kennel. My aim is to provide resources that make being a dog owner easier and recommending products is one way to do so.
Founder of Hayes Haus Kennels, Brandon Hayes grew up in Massachusetts and is no stranger to the dog world. He's been working as a dog trainer for 15+ years and breeding German Shepherd Dogs since 2009. In his free time, he enjoys coaching wresting at Triton High School.