Naming Your New Puppy

So you've decided to bring in a new member of the family - a puppy.  After a lot of research and a lot of soul searching you decided to choose a reputable breeder to provide you with your puppy.  Your puppy will be ready to take home in a matter of weeks.  What about a name?  Is there a right way and a wrong way to pick a name for a puppy?  Are some names better than others?  Where do you start?

Dos and Don'ts When it Comes to Naming Your Fur Baby
Although choosing a name is a subjective process, there are some things to be aware of as you consider potential names for your puppy.  While many people select a name before bringing the puppy home, some wait until they've had a chance to get to know the puppy in the home environment to see what kind of name fits the pup's personality.  Either way, there are a few "do's and don'ts".  In some ways picking a name for a puppy is not all that different from picking a name for a new baby.  If you've been an avid fan of Greek mythology all your life, do you really want to name your child or your dog "Aphrodite" and make them put up with that name all of their lives? 

Avoid One Syllable Names
There are two "don'ts" most dog experts would agree with when it comes to names for a puppy.  Both have to do with how a dog learns it's name.  Have you ever seen a bilingual dog?  Some dogs respond to commands in English or Spanish.  The dogs don't understand the words the way we do. They associate the sounds of the words with the action we want them to perform  - so the first "don't"  is to avoid one syllable names.  Most training commands are one syllable so a one syllable name will make it harder for the dog to discriminate between the sound of its name and the sound of certain commands.  The second "don't" is to avoid names with more than two syllables.  The reason is the same:  there are three or more sounds associated with a multi-syllable name which makes it harder for the dog to learn.  What's left?  Two syllable names are the recommended "do" when it comes to selecting a name for a puppy.

Too Many Spots and Rovers Already

Now it's time to get personal.  Start with how you feel about names that are traditionally associated with dogs --like Rover or Fido or Spot -- and names that are also used with humans.  There are many nice "doggy" names to be found in the world of literature, like "Buck" from Jack London's "The Call of the Wild".  There are also "doggy" names from famous dogs, like "Balto" or "Togo", two of the lead sled dogs in the famous Alaska serum run that is commemorated in the yearly Iditarod dog sled race.  If you're more comfortable with human names, any two syllable name that strikes you is fine, with one caveat.  If you may be adding a human baby to your family at some point, think a little about names you might like there.  If you've always dreamed of having a son named "Edward" think twice before you name your dog "Teddy."  "Teddy" and "Eddy" are just too similar sounding.  So enjoy the new puppy, whatever it's name might be! Too Many Spots and Rovers Already

Now it's time to get personal.  Start with how you feel about names that are traditionally associated with dogs --like Rover or Fido or Spot -- and names that are also used with humans.  There are many nice "doggy" names to be found in the world of literature, like "Buck" from Jack London's "The Call of the Wild".  There are also "doggy" names from famous dogs, like "Balto" or "Togo", two of the lead sled dogs in the famous Alaska serum run that is commemorated in the yearly Iditarod dog sled race.  If you're more comfortable with human names, any two syllable name that strikes you is fine, with one caveat.  If you may be adding a human baby to your family at some point, think a little about names you might like there.  If you've always dreamed of having a son named "Edward" think twice before you name your dog "Teddy."  "Teddy" and "Eddy" are just too similar sounding. 

So enjoy the new puppy, whatever it's name might be!