They’ve done it again. Those canine friendly Monks of New Skete have put together a classic for dog lovers of all ages and experience. Divine Canine: The Monks’ Way to a Happy Obedient Dog is one of those books we all need on our shelves.

Part obedience manual, part dog vignettes, the Divine Canine achieves something that many how-to books don’t; the stories are interesting and the photography grabs you to pull you into the text.

So how did the Monks achieve this feat? The book is laid out to address certain important questions about dog care and training. Along the way, they have intermixed stories of dogs that they have retrained or handled. There are also pictures of the training methods along with photos that make you go “awwww.”

The Divine Canine would be an excellent holiday present for the person who has just gotten their first dog. It would also be great for an old-timer who already admires these spiritual children of St. Francis of Assisi, the Monks of New Skete.