I've read several parts of the books (I always find them when I've barely got enough money to put gas in the car and food in the dogs - you know how that works) and they had one in the library at one time (it disappeared)
, but I first learned about them watching a three part (I think) series on either the Learning Channel or Biography Channel several years ago. I had the good fortune to meet someone who owned one of their dogs when I was doing some research up in Kentucky. We must have talked for four hours there at the state rest area! What an impressive creature he was. Beautifully mannered, intelligent, clever, alert but relaxed, poised, totally tuned in to his owner and vice versa. And the owner had really been taught to be tuned in to the dog as well. Not at all the subservient relationship you see so often with more common training methods. I'd been to dog training classes and was completely turned off by the attitudes and tactics that were common and the tone of the interaction between dog and owner. It always seemed to be either terribly simplistic, as if the dog was lacking in mental ability, or very martial, which I detest. Seeing the series, snatching a good read here and there and then actually getting to meet a New Skete dog and owner was a total epiphany. Where do you think I learned to trust my practice of talking to my critters?
The next decent sized billing I get paid for gets a corner earmarked to go to the bookstore and buy the whole series.
