Top Tips On Naming Your Dog

by Fred Roundstone
(Angmering, West Sussex, UK)

One of the responsibilities you have when you bring home a new puppy is giving him a name. This may seem daunting to you because whatever you name him he will live with for the rest of his life. You want the name to be the best; one that's worthy of your special new puppy.

Here, then, are some tips when it comes time to name your little guy or gal:

1) Don't feel you have to rush right into choosing. Live with him a bit so you can get to know his personality. It's hard to see what he's really like until you get him home and watch him interact with the family for a bit.

2) Allow the whole family to participate in naming him. Your 5 year old may surprise you by coming up with a wonderful name.

3) Remember that cute puppy names don't necessarily fit when the dog grows into adulthood. Snuggles might sound sweet when he's a 10 week old furball, but sounds ridiculous when he's a 75 pound manly dog.

4) Pick a name that fits the dog's personality or maybe his behavior. Is he quick, sneaky, smart, spoiled, sweet, easy, or stubborn? Work those into names like Prince, Lucky, Rebel, and so on.

5) Don't be boring or degrading with your name choice. I once had a neighbor who named his dog Dimwit. Maybe the dog didn't know what it meant, but everyone else sure did and treated him accordingly.

6) Your dog's name shouldn't sound like other words you're teaching him or he will become confused. For example, Kit sounds an awful lot like Sit, and Joe sounds like No.

7) Some names are funny, but will they always be funny? It might be a current joke that no one will "get" in a few years, or you might grow tired of it, in which case it becomes annoying rather than funny.

8) Another idea is to name your pup after a famous dog. Maybe there's a dog with a great name you admire that looks similar to your dog. You can do an online search for famous dogs... or famous people names for that matter.

If you can't come up with something satisfactory, get online and look at one of the many dog name lists. Here you will find more dog names than you'd ever imagine. Surely you can pick out a few great names the family can choose from and you and your dog can be happy with.

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Top Tips On Naming Your Dog

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