How to name your dog?

What's in a name?

There are thousands of names to choose from so how do you FIND possible names for your pet and then make sure you choose the right one?

One way to reduce the number of names you are considering is to start with the TYPE of name you would like for your pet.

It may be surprising, but more than half of all pet names are either human names or nicknames. People largely name their animals as they would name themselves. Another fifth of names are based on the pet's appearance or personality. A black cat becomes Blacky or Midnight, and active dog Comet or Dash.

1. Remember that you’ll be using your dog’s name in public. "Butthead" may be cute among your fellow bowling buddies, but it may not go over well at the vet or dog park. Also, choosing a name that's too common will mean your dog might run to someone else (or you might get someone else's dog jumping on you).

2. Make your kids part of the decision process. Kids, like dogs, prefer simple puppy names, too. If naming your Champion Cavalier King Charles Spaniel "Peanut" works for them, consider keeping your favorite hoity toity name strictly for AKC purposes.

3. Ask before using a family member or friend's name. You may think it’s an honor to name your pup after your favorite Aunt Matilda, but she may not take it as a compliment. She might think of it as disrespect

4. Be careful when changing an older dog's name. Stick with similar sounds, such as changing "Barney" to "Farley." It's more important to keep the vowel sounds the same than the consonants, since vowels are easier for the dog to pick up on and what the dog is actually listening for. So "Pikey" will accept "Mikey" but not "Picky" or "Pokey."

5. Do a test run. Once you’ve chosen a name, try it out for a day or so. You’ll know right away whether it’s a keeper.

6. Give your puppy lots of hugs and positive reinforcement (treats) when s/he responds to the name. S/he will quickly learn what his or her name is.

7. Don't name your dog something similar to a command if you plan to teach it one. For example, the name "Kit" can easily be confused with the command "sit". A good example might be; "Madlaina" (Mad-lah-eena)

8. Try to name your dog an one syllable name, your dog can remember easily that way too.