How To Pick A Name For Your Dog

The names you give your pets reveal a great deal about yourself. It’s no wonder that pet owners spend more time choosing the right name for their furry family members. Thus, how can you choose the ideal name for your dog? What is the key to selecting the perfect name for your furry friend?

Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with a suitable moniker for your new canine companion.

There are many possibilities for dog names.

You can even use a dog name generator to pick one.

However, you won’t want to choose a dog name that’s difficult to pronounce, causes confusion among other dogs, or is difficult to recall in the dog park.

How to Choose a Dog Name

Picking a dog’s name is an individual experience that considers both your own and your pet’s unique characteristics.

To pick a name that suits both you and your new family member, consider the following suggestions before making your final decision:

Make a list

Do you understand the feeling when you first encounter somebody and their name doesn’t match their face or personality?

It’s a difficult experience to explain, but it happens.

Lucky for you, your dog won’t have to experience an unfitting name.

You get to decide the name of your new canine companion.

In addition, you don’t need to name your new furry friend as soon as you bring them home.

To help you pick the best name, make a list of all the possible dog names you’re considering.

Moreover, it’s best if you spent spend some time getting to know your dog’s characteristics before deciding on a name.

This technique will also help narrow down your choices to the best ones.

Try and test

Once you’ve compiled a list of possible names, test them out with your dog.

In testing the names, try to pronounce the name in several different tones. Moreover, to eliminate names that are weird or difficult to say, you can try shouting them.

After doing this, ask yourself which one sounds better when you say it?

Which one seems most genuine?

Which one is most unlikely to cause you embarrassment at the park?

Once you’ve decided on a name, it’s time to check whether your dog agrees.

See how your pup responds when you use the name.

Do they raise their brows?

Do their ears prick up as you say the name?

Are you able to elicit even half a wag of their tail?

These subtle cues may indicate an identifier that your pet will learn to react to. (1)

Nevertheless, you shouldn’t become disheartened if your dog doesn’t like the name you picked out for them.

In many cases, dogs are referred to by a nickname or shortened form of their full name.

Consider the sound

Consider the sounds of typical canine commands while choosing names for your dog.

Dog training might be made more difficult if your pet’s name sounds like a command rather than a title.

According to animal behaviorists, words with strong consonant sounds help dogs discern their namesake from background noise.

Additionally, dogs may react better to names that end in a vowel.

It also improves your dog’s ability to recognize their name.

Due to this, if you say a word ending in a vowel, the frequency of your voice alters. (2)

Likewise, pets don’t perceive their name in the same way people do.

Dogs hear the sound of their name as a signal, and they respond accordingly.

You may teach your dog to pay attention and respond appropriately when you call their name through repetition and training.

It’s also important to keep your pet’s name short and simple to make it easy for them to grasp what you want them to do when you call their name. (2) (3)

Avoid negative or offensive words

Avoid giving your new 4-legged friend an inappropriate or embarrassing name.

Likewise, don’t give your dog a name that might offend or humiliate other people.

Don’t use racist or cultural slurs, insults, vulgar slang, or swear words in naming your pet.

In addition, if you’re going to name your pooch, don’t forget to think about how you’re going to train them with that name.

When your pet starts to listen to instructions, they will repeatedly hear their name and eventually begin to react to it. (4)

Veterinary behaviorists believe that dogs remember their names as a result of an experience after hearing it.

For instance, when you give them treats after calling their name.

To put it another way, it might function as a trigger word rather than a unique identification. (4)

Choose the right name for your dog

When choosing a name, go for one that has a special meaning to you or captures your pet’s distinctive trait.

Regardless of what you decide to call your dog, make sure it’s one that both you and your furry friend love because you’ll be using this name for a long time.

Resources

1. “Naming Your Dog or Cat”, Source: https://pets.webmd.com/features/dog-cat-names
2. “You Named Me Brutus? Really?” Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/garden/the-art-of-naming-a-dog.html
3. “How to Teach a Dog His Name”, Source: https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/how-teach-dog-his-name
4. “Dog Training: The Fundamental Guidelines For Training Any Dog”, Source: https://dogtime.com/reference/dog-training/79-training