That new little puppy needs a name, so what should it be? Sometimes a dog has to live its lifetime with a name that was picked by a five year old!
How Do Owners Pick a Dog's Name?
What do people use as a basis for a pet’s name? Sometimes it is based on its color. White puppies may get named Snowball or Cotton, black ones are often called Pepper or Shadow. Some celebrity dogs inspire a wave of puppy copycats, such as Lassie (from the TV series), Benji and Air Bud (from their movies) or Sandy (Little Orphan Annie).
The Favorite Puppy Names website has many tools to use for naming a dog. They also provide other guidelines that are not often thought about when coming up with a name. In their “7 Simple Puppy Naming Tips” article, they remind us that a dog’s name will be used as many as 35,000 times during its lifetime. Keep it simple.” they recommend, “Dogs grasp brief orders, so short and sweet says it best. Names with just a couple of syllables work well.” One or two syllables are best.
Think Twice About That Name For Your Puppy!
Additional good advice from this article is not to use a name that is easily confused with a command that will be used. A puppy named Bo might confuse “No!” with his name, and slow down behavior modification. (Uh-oh President Obama!) They also recommend a reality check for the name by imagining calling the puppy’s name in public. ‘Shithead’ was a funny name for a dog in the movie “The Jerk”, but might prove embarrassing at the park.
Keeping these basics in mind, there are many dog naming resources available. PetRV.com lists the top ten dog names by gender as follows:
Top Ten Male Dog Names:
- Max
- Jake
- Buddy
- Bailey
- Sam
- Rocky
- Buster
- Casey
- Cody
- Duke
Top Ten Female Dog Names:
- Maggie
- Molly
- Lady
- Sadie
- Lucy
- Daisy
- Ginger
- Abby
- Sasha
- Sandy
Unique Dog Names:
If a more unique name is in order, the owner can use creativity that represents his own personality.
- If the owner is a jokester, the focus can be on humor - he can name an all white dog, “Spot”, or a Chihuahua “Curley”. He can use a smile provoking name such as “Doodle” or “Giggles”.
- If the owner is sports nut, he can use an athletic spin. Some names that come to mind are “Babe”, “Hogan”, “Jordan”, “Hank”, “Phelps” or “Sasha”, “Jelena”, “Billie Jean”, or “Steffi”.
- Traveler? Geography can be useful - “Vegas”, “Paris”, “Cali”, “Aussie”, “Dakota”, “Rocky”, or “London”.
- Love nicknames? He can pick a prestigious or controversial name with a plan to use a nickname. Examples would be “Roid”, short for “Steroid”, “Ham” for “Abraham”.
- Environmentalist? Green pet names are sure to become the new "in" craze!
Whatever method is used to name that sweet little pup, if it's said with love he'll respond in kind!
Resources:
PetRV.com website
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