Louis from Dogtopia Bloomfield

What’s in a name? For our four-legged friends, a name can mean a lot. Is the name easy for them to understand? Is it memorable for others? Does it fit with their personality? Here are 5 things to consider before permanently assigning your new dog their lifelong moniker.

Best Sounds for Dogs

The key to naming your dog is making it as simple for your pet to understand when they are being called. You will want the name to start with a letter that has a sharp, distinct sound.  A name that starts with a D, T or K sound will be easy for your dog to pick up.  A name that starts with an S or F, which has a softer beginning, could be a little more confusing for them.

A dog’s name will also work best if it ends with a sharp “a” or long “e” sound. Again, this will be more distinctive to their ears and easy for them to differentiate from other words.

Size Matters

As most dog owners know, the bulk of commands are either one or two syllables to make them as easy as possible for your pup to understand. The same logic can be applied to what you name your dog. Any name you give them that is longer than two syllables could get lost in translation from their ears to their brain.

If brevity is not your thing and you would like to give your dog a really long name, you should work out the appropriate shortened version of the name because that’s what he will end up being called within a week or two. The name Sir Barksalot of Smithville might be really cute but the shortened version of it would probably end up being “Sir,” which is not a distinctive word for dogs to easily recognize when you are calling for them.

Avoid Command Words

You will also want to avoid any names that sound similar or rhyme with the most common dog commands.  Names that sound like “sit,” “stay,” “heel,” “no,” and “come” could be easily confused by your pup. Imagine how tough it would be to get your dog to stay if they are named “Fay” or how difficult it would be to get them to sit if their name was “Mitt”.

For Public Consumption

One of the most frequent times that you are going to call out to your pup is at dog parks. Because of this, you may want to ensure your pup’s name is something that you would be willing to yell out publicly. Your favourite band might be called the Doom Shackles but is that really something you want to be heard yelling out in the middle of a public space?

Breed Heritage

Need inspiration for a dog name? Take a look at their breed’s heritage.  Is your pup a Corgi? Perhaps a Welsh name after the country that made the breed famous. Is your dog a Weimaraner? How about a name reflecting their German background?

In the end, these are all just suggestions for the naming of your pup. Let your imagination flow and pick a name the whole family will love.  Just be sure to make the name as easy for your pup to learn as possible. It can be one of the keys to setting up the best communication possible between you and your dog.