(the art of choosing the right name for your dog)
Dogs are one of the best things on the planet Earth. They are the source of joy and happiness for numerous individuals residing all over the world. Whether it be a child, an adult or someone aged, a dog can easily bring a big smile on their face just by their mere presence. Ask any dog owner, and they will affirm that their pooches are one of the best aspects of their life and their closest friend. So, it is very important for anybody who wants to be a dog parent or have just started raising a pup to invest some time in deciding what to actually call their soon to be closest companion. A name is a very important part of someone’s life. They have to hear this particular word the most number of times during their entire existence. So, it is highly essential to choose a name for anybody whether it is a human, a pet, or a close belonging very wisely and after a considerable amount of pondering.
There are some basic set of rules and tips that anyone can follow to ensure that they are choosing the correct and best name for their little bundle of joy. But first, it is very important to know what to do and what not to do while deciding the name of your puppy/doggy.
It is both easier for the owner and the dog if the selected name is short and sweet. It will be convenient for the owners as they have to call their pups numerous times a day and it will be good for the doggy as it will be easier to recognize a short name rather than a protracted one.
Suggestion: choose a one or two syllable name.
After you have picked a name, keep it on a trial basis. Start calling your dog with that name and see how it responds to that. If it responds positively majority of the times when you use the name, then it should be fine. But, if the pooch is not reacting favorably, then you might have to reconsider.
Suggestion: keep a name on trial basis for about a week and if the pup is happy with it and responds affirmatively to it, then that name can be used permanently.
This is more of a recommendation than a rule but, it is a very well-known fact that dogs have a larger hearing range than humans, and thus they can hear high frequency sounds a lot better than us. Hence a dog’s name can be chosen using alphabets with sharp sounds as they will react more quickly to such sounds.
Suggestions: try names starting with k, ch, s, sh, t et cetera.
Most people don’t invest much time in naming their pups and just select a name that is very generic and common in the dog community. But, it is very important to know that as it is a very common name, hence you can easily run into some other dog in a park or at the vet’s clinic and it might create a little bit of confusion. So, to avoid that it is recommended to choose your mate’s name after a considerable amount of thinking.
Suggestion: be innovative while choosing a name for your dog. Don’t shy away, choose anything that is appropriate and makes you and your pooch happy.
If the selected name sounds very similar to a command or an instruction that you want to teach your dog, then your pet might get confused as they recognize their name by its frequency and if a command that you are teaching to your dog has a similar frequency, then your dog will not be able to differentiate between its name and the command.
Suggestion: names that sound similar to common commands like sit, come, go, stay, heel, wait, down et cetera are not recommended.
Consider a scenario, you have lived your whole life up to this point by the name of Raj, but suddenly people start calling you Rahul. Are you comfortable with that? And, can you get used to that? This will be the exact case with your dog. They will have a very hard time recognizing their new name and hence it shouldn’t be done unless it is absolutely essential.
Suggestion: changing the name of your dog is not advisable once it is fully grown. But, still, if it has to be done, then try naming them something that sounds similar to their old name.
Now that you know what you should and shouldn’t do while naming a puppy/ dog, we have decided to make your job a bit easier by sharing some tips to pick a right name for your dog.
You can select a fine name for your dog based on its looks and its personality. From its physical features to its inner qualities, anything can be taken as inspiration while naming your dog and in this way, you will have a name that is not so common and that means something to you and your pooch. Its physical characteristics like its coat, color, body dimension and its inner traits like its temperament etcetera can all be considered while deciding a name.
Suggestion: a rust-colored dog can be called as “Rustyâ€, a highly feathered dog can be called as “Woolly†or “Fluffyâ€, and a short-statured dog can be called as “Shortyâ€.
You are going to call your dog countless times during its whole lifetime, so why not name it after something that you are fond of. If a person is attached to their job or profession, then they can name their pup something that relates to their job. Or if anyone is in love with some kind of hobby like cooking, reading etcetera then they can also name their dogs in such a way that reminds them of their cherished interests.
Suggestion: an engineer can call their dogs “Betaâ€, “Google†etcetera. A person who loves to read can call their dogs “Hercules†(Greek Mythology) or “Albus†(from harry potter books) and a person who loves to cook can name their pups “Buttercupâ€, “Pumpkinâ€, “Honey†etcetera.
We are not only talking about the human celebrities but you can also name your dog after a famous canine itself. If you are influenced by the pop culture and media, then why not use your fandom to name your little companion. Celebrity names that are preferably one or two syllables in length can be taken inspiration from while naming your doggy. Also, famous dogs portrayed in movies, television and cartoons can also be thought of while deciding your dog’s name.
Suggestions: dogs can be named “Hank†(Tom Hanks), “Jake†(Jake Gyllenhaal) etcetera. Also, they can be named “Chewbacca†(Star Wars), “Hachi†(Hachiko), “Marley†(Marley and Me), “Snowy†(TinTin), “Dollar†(Richie Rich), “Shiro†(Shin Chan) and so many more.
In the end, selecting a dog’s name must be treated more significantly and should be decided after a fair amount of deliberation. It can be anything that is relished by you and to which your dog responds to in a positive manner. So, it's about time, that you stop stamping your dogs with generic and common names, try something new, try innovating, all you have to do is think!