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Is the dog a hunting breed? If so consider a name suited to its purpose. For hunting dogs, and all dogs for that matter, a one syllable name is ideal as the dog learns this word faster than if you name him the Count of Luxemburg. We had a registered Golden Retriever who had the “official” name “Sir Brandilite of Newport News”. Can you imagine addressing the poor thing with that? Needless to say, we called him Brandi.
When you bring a new puppy home, spend a few days observing how it acts. What type of personality does he/she display? Is he a very outgoing puppy or more reserved and shy? Often it is the very mannerisms of the pup that bring the perfect name to mind for him.
If you own a small poodle you not going to name it Butch or Killer, are you? A more fitting name will be something that makes sense according to his size and breed. Just as many people like to name German Shepherds Max because of the dogs heritage you should select a name according to the same criteria. I know this is going to be a controversial statement, but why name a large dog Tiny and a Toy breed dog Stallion? Just does not make sense.
Ask for suggestions from each member of your family when naming your dog. Once you have chosen a name do not change it as this only confuses the little one.
What is you dog named? Please share with our readers in the space below.
Meghan
May 9, 2015 at 1:04 pm
We’ve got a reddish Carolina dog (Ginger); a Pointer/Dane mix (Samson a/k/a Sam) and a shepherd mix (Madeline) who came to us already named.
Fran
Oct 6, 2013 at 2:19 pm
Our Dogue de Bordeaux’s (French mastiffs) are Jacques and Aurore (pronounced Aurora) and our half German boxer is Gabi.
Liz
Oct 3, 2013 at 8:26 am
I have a two year old border terrier named Forrest. It seemed so fitting for him as he just loves to run! When we decided to get another dog, we naturally had to name her Jenny!
sonianaaz30
Oct 3, 2013 at 6:54 am
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Nicole
Oct 3, 2013 at 5:22 am
My besties name is Bella because it means beautiful in Italian !
Wanda Mello
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Years ago we had two chows. Tar Rah Rah Boomerang was a black male who we affectionately called Boomer. And we named our amber colored female chow Sunny Sundae Chowgirl. She was called Sundae for short! We also had two Shi Tzu dogs named Pepto Gizmo (Giz for short) and our copper colored female named Una Centava (Penny)! Since then we have named and loved Tejon, Smokey, Ginger, Flossie, Clifford, Cordova, and Mugsy!
Dor
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Our first dog (rescue) was a beautiful golden colored lab mix named Brandy. We got her when she was just 6 months old and had her for 15 wonderful years. She really was the best dog EVER and we still miss her to this day even though in December it will be 3 years since we had to say goodbye to her after a long illness.
Two years ago next week actually we got another rescue, a boxer mix this time called Bella. At first we didn’t think it was going to work out with her, it was obvious that Bella had been abandoned and mistreated and to this day she HATES being cold or wet! But she wormed her way into our hearts after the third day of being with us, she fell prey to an extremely high fever and awful infection which left her almost completely paralyxed. Then we later discovered she must have had the illness for weeks at the shelter but it had gone undetected by the shelter’s vet and didn’t materialize until we had her home for a few days. After several trips to our vet, some major heavy duty antibiotics and a couple of very scary nights, Bella made it through her illness and has found her way into our hearts. She’s still a puppy at only 2 1/2 years old (we estimate) but she’s a wonderful dog and a great guardian for the house. NO ONE gets in this house unless MISS BELLA approves of them! LOL
Then along came Lucy….Lucy is our Shepherd mix and actually belonged to our daughter so when she got married she took the puppy with her. Well, her husband already had a dog and a year later, when their baby daughter was born with some health issues, it was decided then that we would bring Lucy back home here to live with her “grandparents”. Lucy and Bella have become the best of friends and sleep together at the foot of our bed (or ON it!) every night now and run and play in our huge back yard that they love every day! Yep, you won’t two more spoiled dogs than they are but we wouldn’t have them any other way!
Christina
Oct 2, 2013 at 8:06 pm
HENRY…he’s our “Handsome Henry” a 4 year old super gentle Rottweiler therapy dog…
Beth
Oct 2, 2013 at 7:09 pm
I named my Chihuahua Bruce Lee because I thought such a tiny dog needed a tough namesake. My girl Chihuahua is named Lola…because my husband wouldn’t let me name her Tehluhlah 🙂
Petra Kowalis
Oct 2, 2013 at 6:16 pm
I currently have a big brown (90 lb) dog named Bear. It really suits him.
Kinda
Oct 2, 2013 at 6:12 pm
Bogie, Gunner, Chase, Major, Shadow, Ryker are the ones we have lost, Kodi Xander, & Wyatt are boys we have now. All rescues. Love all my boys!
Marsha
Oct 2, 2013 at 4:35 pm
I always take a characteristic or feature and go by that, like Domino for a Dalmation, for example. As for our dogs, the names were my husband’s idea and I already explained it on Facebook.
Kathy Fulkerson
Oct 2, 2013 at 4:27 pm
I have 2 rescue dogs, Ebony a black Lhapso aphso mix with Havanese.. I call her Ebbie because it fits her better, and then there is Ally a schnauser… Their names fit right in with our family names…lol
Bonnie Braun
Oct 2, 2013 at 3:16 pm
Best name I ever heard was given to a fearless little Yorkie. They called him Brute, he never trembled, as Yorkies often do, and he stood his ground around people and other, bigger dogs. The name worked for him.
Peggy Chase
Oct 2, 2013 at 2:43 pm
I have 6dogs, The oldest a pit bull great pyranee mix. Is BJ short for Bob Jr., Then there is Delta who’s companion Dawn was poisoned. Spunky Brewster, a rat terrier, Little bit, cookie, and scrapple. All terriffic dogs.
Celticlady
Oct 2, 2013 at 2:35 pm
My Irish Wolffhounds were King Arthur and Lady Guinevere, (Arthur & Gwen). My chocolate lab, Magnum Blackfoot’s Lady Godiva (Diva), Yellow Lab, Misty & Lobo’s Boy-O (Lobo as an adult).
My current Chihuahuas are Enrique de Elsa y Scooby (Rico), La Estrella de Vanilla y Pepe el segundo (Chloe), Eduardo de Grace y Cesar (Eddie), and Angelina Dedonde no se (Angel)
I treat all of them like majestic IWH.
You get what you invest in your dogs.
Robbi Henry
Oct 2, 2013 at 1:10 pm
My Jack Russell Terrier ladies are named Caleigh and Sadie. The JRT I previously had was named Rachel. I prefer names that are beautiful and that have some meaning to me. They’re my sweet babies.
Ann
Oct 2, 2013 at 11:48 am
My dog was found (most definitely abandoned) under a bridge, hence the name Bridgette.
oksunny
Oct 2, 2013 at 11:48 am
My dog (6.5 yr old, female, yellow lab/GSD mix) is Sammi.
named after my favorite character in my favorite soap opera (Sami Brady from Days of our Lives)
It’s a perfect name for her….
peggy
Oct 2, 2013 at 11:38 am
We have had a yellow lab Sandi.
Rescue Bulldogs Cora bully Chloe another Boots.
English Bulldog his name is Bobby.
Son had a blue tick hound Dexter and a bassett hound Beau.
Most of these 4 legged angels suit their names.
Life would be so empty without them…
sandy
Oct 2, 2013 at 11:27 am
I have two male boxers 90lbs each and they are the love of mylife!! Their names are Buster & Gunner and they fit their names perfect. They are a total joy to have around..Love my boys 🙂
Ken
Oct 2, 2013 at 11:08 am
Fritz and Suzette, both standard poodles.
Chloe
Oct 2, 2013 at 10:32 am
My beautiful friend whose breed is a mystery, but I’m guessing includes german shephard and golden retriever, has fur the colour of a dark harvest moon. When he came home with me from the Humane Society I decided to call him Rufus (a variation of the colour red) and there is hardly a day goes by when we are out walking when folks either stop us to comment on how stunning he looks or just smile at him. I always say that he is as beautiful inside as out.
I once had a friend who called her dog Yafi. He was a rescue mutt and her first dog. Yafi was an acronym for “you’re a f*cking idiot”. Yeash. She never really bonded with Yafi. Wonder why?
Jan
Oct 2, 2013 at 10:12 am
Our black lab is Noodles
Joan
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:45 am
My oldest cat is Ivy (her deceased sister was Holly) They were named that because I got them just before Christmas. The middle kitty is Sophie, because she wouldn’t respond to my first choice which was Jolie. The Russian Blue kitten is Crazy Legs McDuff, aka Duffy. My Cocker is Hanina (Hani for short) and the golden retriever pup is Riley.
Nancy Ames
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:39 am
We have a German Short haired pointer his name is Rocky Valentine (registered)we call him Rocky. My GSD/Husky mix is Acer because he is smart! Acer is a Humane Society adoption when he was 2 months. We are so lucky to have them.
Yas
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:37 am
We have a gorgeous tan pitbull and his name is Zane.
Dusty Gres
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:21 am
We picked up a stray Jack Russell terrier female who was in heat. There was a Plott hound mix living in the woods with a wild pack and who came to the house, sat under the window, and bayed — looking for the lovely lady. When we took him in we had to name him Romeo since he had already been saying, “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?” every evening.
trey
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:16 am
My dog is named Kona. He was named after Kona coffee because of his beautiful brown coat. Our cat is named Jack he is my son’s kitty and he picked it out but it really fits him 😀
john
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:13 am
I just lost my dog, a beloved jet black standard poodle prematurely. His name was “Moose”. It was a fitting tribute to his oversize heart which was as big as Texas and filled to overflowing with love for everyone. Every day I miss him and thank my lucky stars that he allowed us into his world. Before I die, I want to be as wise as a dog- they are the only ones who love unconditionally. Namaste! john
Christne Jaeger
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:55 am
My sympathies for the loss of your best friend. I know the feeling, I lost my best friend Isis last November and I still cry for her.
Standard Poodles were the first love of my life so many years ago! I understand the attraction where some people don’t. Once again, sorry for your loss.
Sincerely, Chris
Amy Waage
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:12 am
Our herd consists of Lilly, Jack, Charles, Oliver, Chica, Kisha, Buddy and Maxx! Chica, Kisha and Buddy were foster failures so we just left their names when they came into our home as fosters. I believe they need to have normal names. We have a friend that inappropriately named his little “Dipshit”! Needless to say that angers me.
Denise
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:09 am
I have 2 doberman-lab brothers. I didn’t name either one of them because they belonged to other people before they became mine. The funny thing is that they belonged to two separate families who didn’t know each other and they both wound up with names that begin with “S” and they sound good together. One is named Slater and the other is Scout.
Pamela Davin
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:07 am
I just groomed a dog named Dufus but he was cute the owners were Dufus He needed grooming so bad he couldnt shit. needless to say I was mad.
Donna
Oct 2, 2013 at 9:05 am
Our dog is a Borador..a lab and border collie mix. His name is Bruno. Beautiful and well-mannered dog.
Eve
Oct 2, 2013 at 2:19 am
I named my first poodle Beau Geste, French for beautiful gesture I believe. We called him Beau for short. I also had two other dogs, one was called muffin, the other was miss muffet,I had another called princess, a cocker spaniel named Dudley, a paralyzed dog on wheels,named snoopy, that was his original name, I found his owner, after I picked him up on the highway, he’d been hit by a car and it had severed his spine, of course they didn’t want him back.I now have cats,One is Rusty, another Taffy, his half brother is Ollie, and his sister is Penney, the oldest cat I have is Misty.
I believe dogs and cats should have decent names, not silly ones.
Ambre
Oct 2, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Theodore Reinhold ( a chihuahua) who came as a rescue was renamed to a more acceptable Spanky Jo, My Aussie Shep is named Roni Bell Specter ( after the singer), and we have Freddie Astaire ( my son claims his name to be freddie mercury) Calvin Maynard, Mortimer Snurd, and Grace Kelley. I beleive they all need Middle Names too. ( they all have our last name in common)
Vicki
Oct 2, 2013 at 2:41 pm
The first time I saw my Chihuahua puppy, she weighed a little less than one pound. I had never seen a puppy walking and playing and eyes and ears open that small before. I picked her up and brought her close to my face and she swatted my nose with her teeny, tiny paw. I said something like, well you sassy little thing. So she became Sassy. Her AKC paper name is Angelita’s (her mother’s name) Sarsaparilla Sue. I named my Siberian husky pup a Russian name after 2 cities in Siberia. her AKC paper name was Czarina Sascha of Isiskaia (the 2 cities in Siberia)…known as Sascha.