Naming your pet can be fun – especially if everyone in your family agrees on the dog name. Sometimes, however, this is not the case. There are thousands of names to pick from – and that can make it even harder. How do you decide? Where do you start?
To help you get started on the dog naming process, begin with these two foundational considerations:
- Does gender matter? Names like Bailey can be male or female.
- Do you want a human name? According to PawSheets, human names for dogs is the way to go. Most of our database is full of dog names that are human names. And, why not? They are treated like humans (or better) in my house.
Seven Tips to Naming a Dog (or any pet)
Once you decide on the type of name, then it is time to start thinking about a few other name components.
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End the name in a vowel. This is true for dogs and other animals. Names like Buddy or Zoe cause our voice to go up when we say it. This provides a happy sound and can help get your dog’s attention.
My dog Sampson was already named when we got him. I wanted him to keep his name. However, 10 years later, I realize I usually call him “Sammy.” And when I say “Sammy” his tails really wags…
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Two syllables. It is our nature to shorten long names so even though it may seem cool to call your dog Cappuccino, chances are you will shorten it.
I named one of our dogs “Bob’ since two family members thought it would be cool to say “What About Bob?” (from the movie). We usually referred to him as Bobby.
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Avoid negative associations. Names like Cujo or Killer could make finding a dog sitter more difficult. Need I explain?
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Avoid names that sound like commands. Keeping commands simple and clear is important in training - as dogs want to please. A name like Liam could be confused with “Leave it.”
Our border collie mix, Bob, always barked when our son came home. We would say to each other “Ian’s home” when he pulled in – the trigger for Bob to bark. One night we were reading movie credits and said “that was Ian Holm.” The dog went nuts.
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Different than other pets. Same principle as to keep commands clear. If you call a name that is close to your dog’s name, he/she will come. Make it worth their effort when they come as they think they are doing the right thing.
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Personality. Giving you dog a name that matches their personality, acknowledges their spirit and individuality. If your Russel Terrier runs around the house like a maniac, maybe Sleepy is not the best choice. I like this tip the best.
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If you are still struggling, maybe think about getting some help from tools like The Dog People’s Dog Name Generator. I tested it out for my Lab and it offered three names – Top Trending (Bowen), Most Popular (Cooper) and a handpicked name (Truffle). Out of the three suggested, I liked Truffle the best. If you need more inspiration, the site provides you with an option to find more names by looking through the most popular pet names in the US.
Analysis of the PawSheet database reveals that our customer’s dogs’ names are consistent with the lists posting top dog names. PawSheets found Daisy, Bella, Charlie and Bailey to be the most popular names.
Hope you enjoyed this post and helps you out. Please share with your friends.
Image: Jamie Street, Unsplash