Your Dog - How To Select The Right Name

by Allison Thompson

When you are trying to find the right name to call your new dog you can select about any one you want. In fact there are hundreds even thousands of different names a dog owner can choose from, but at the end of the day it should be one that is suited to their particular dog. In this article we provide you with a number of guidelines which should help choosing the right name for your dog much easier. Although the name you choose may suit your dog it certainly may not suit another. But through the points below you should be able to select a name that suits your dog perfectly.

1. When selecting a name for your dog go for one which is not only easy for you to say but pronounce as well. If you decide upon a name which you have difficulty saying or pronouncing then your dog will find it much more difficult to understand you. It is best that you (and your family) select a name that can easily be said time and time again and will not provide any confusion to your dog. Plus selecting an easy name means that at those times when things can get stressful, say when you are trying to maintain control over them will make it much easier to deal with the situation.

2. Only ever provide your dog with one name, never ever give them two as you would with your children. A dog with more than one name will become easily confused and will be that more difficult to train and control. So stick to one name only and make sure it is one which your dog will actually find easy to remember.

3. Do not select a name that sounds very much like a command such as “heel or jump”. As you will soon discover actually training a dog that has command for its name will in fact that more difficult to accomplish. This is because the dog will be confused as to what it’s name is and which commands you are asking it to respond to.

4. When selecting a name for your dog go for one that has either 1 or 2 syllables in it, but no more. Names such as Taz, Heff, Jack, Jodie, Lady and Tramp are perfect names to select. Giving a dog a name like these you will find that not only do they learn and remember it much more quickly but they often respond much better when called.

5. When selecting your dog’s name never go for one that has negative meaning or connotations to it. Dogs who have names with negative meaning often do not respond as quickly when called. Also remember that it will not just be you who is calling them and hoping that they respond but other members of your family as well.

6. Do not give your dog a name which is embarrassing or is considered to be politically incorrect. Unfortunately there are still people around who think that because their dog is black they are quite within their rights to call it “Nigger”, but this is just not the case. Plus dog’s are quickly able to pick up on any negative feelings a person is having when calling a particular name and are far less likely to respond.

7. Finally after you have chosen a name for your dog and you start to use it then don’t start changing it. By using one name and then changing to another could leave your dog in a complete state of confusion and they may end up not knowing if they are coming or going.

When choosing a name for your dog don’t just sit down and make a list instead make it as much fun as possible and get everybody involved who will have regular contact with the animal. This is even more important if the dog will become a family pet and so become a member of your family. Yet through the use of the guidelines above you should find choosing a name for your dog much easier than you thought and you may even come up with some thing that is completely unique.

About the Author:

Leave a Reply