Importance of Carefully Choosing Your Dog’s Name
In this Article, we tackle a problem that plagues every new pet owner. Choosing your dog’s name.
The name you give your dog is the most important signal you can give it. For your dog, the most fundamental meaning is “pay attention to whoever said my name,” and the most optimal meaning is “paying attention to whoever said my name results in yummy rewards!”
How to Pick a Dog’s Name
You can give a puppy you adopt from a breeder or a shelter any name you like. However, I advise you to give the name you choose some serious thought. There are both internal and external aspects to think about.
What to Think About When Naming Your Puppy
Pick a name that is no longer than two syllables; something memorable yet easy to pronounce. Princess Margaret has the potential to be a fantastic dog name, but its length may make it less common. I recommend training with Princess, Maggie, or Mags. Dogs tend to have an easier time remembering shorter names.
Pick something that doesn’t sound too much like a household name or a vocal signal you employ for training. For a dog who is constantly making others laugh, “Clown” would be a great choice. But it appears to be a vocal cue for “Down.” Maybe “Goofy” isn’t such a bad idea, since it won’t cause any confusion for your dearly loved Clown. To avoid confusion with other household members, choose a name that isn’t too close to existing ones. Having three men named Joe, Moe, and Beau living under the same roof can cause some confusion. In addition, those names are reminiscent of the word “no,” which is used far too frequently by the majority of pet owners.
Following these guidelines, you are free to choose any name you like for your dog.
Things to Keep in Mind When Adopting an Older Dog
Most of the dogs we adopt as adults already have names in our households. If the dog is happy when called by its name, don’t change it just because you don’t like it. Shed is our five-year-old rescue dog. We were taught that the name was short for “Sh**head,” which immediately made us dislike it. The name “Shed” stuck since it elicited a positive reaction from Shed.
Our family adopted Muppy from a Mississippi animal shelter when she was about 18 months old. She had to go into a foster family, where she was given the name Marlene, because she was pregnant. She changed her name to Molly during the time she was in foster care and when she was sent to a New Hampshire rescue. We had to take our time getting to know her because she did not know either name when we first received her. Within a week, everyone started calling her “Muppy.” She’s been with us for six years, and her name has been universally praised throughout that time.
Reasons of a Private Nature
You’re free to give your dog any name you like, but others in the household may want to weigh in. Given the aforementioned, I propose allowing the adults to exercise veto power over the name selection process. A child may really think “Mister Fluffy Pants” is the greatest name ever, but instead of fighting it, you should try to find common ground. Buy the puppy an item (a dish, a bed, a collar) with the name “Mister Fluffy Pants,” but agree to call him “Fluffy” during training. Your dog’s ID tag and microchip information should match the name you use most often.
The breeder may have some say in the registered name of your dog if you purchased it from them and they want to register the litter. Tikken, our Golden Retriever, was born on MLK Day to parents from Mariner Kennels. Since Mariner thought her to be a member of the “Freedom” litter, he hoped to have the names “Mariner” and “Freedom” included in her official documentation. For more information, please visit: FMI – http://bit.ly/Tikken-Memories > We decided to register Tikken under the name “Mariner Freedom Fighter,” hence the name Tikken.
Don’t feel like you have to settle on a name for your dog the day you bring it home. But keep in mind that too much waiting could be detrimental. Even before we decided to bring him home, my wife and I knew Gus was a “Gus.” We knew we made the right decision the longer he stayed with us. It took us a while to decide on the best name for Tikken, Dulcie, and Muppy.
Factors Every Dog Owner Should Think About
When you’re mad or frustrated, NEVER call your dog by its name. Even if you only do this once, your dog may start to shun you. Fixing this error can be laborious and time consuming.
Feed your dog a treat every time it comes when you call it.
We hope that this article has helped you in Choosing your dog’s name.