Would dogs be confortable with names that for humans sounds mean?

Do you think that a dog's name has any influence in his personality and his social behaviour?
Have you ever changed your dog's (or other animal) name?

I am asking this after been seeing many dog's names that i found "depreciative" (i hope it is the right term), well, i mean, if the dog can feel ashamed, humilliated or unconfortable because of the name it has, or if is possible for the dog to dislike his own name.

My very personal experience: i am about to adopt a dog named "Gigolo" (see "German Shepherd Dog" thread from April 8, 2004), i think this is a mean name, from a mean former owner, and i was wondering if dogs are aware of their names, in this sense. I cannot picture myself calling outloud in public: Gigolo, come back; Gigolo, lets play a little more; Gigolo, lets go home. LOL. I really think the dog wouldn' be comfortable either.

Also I heard of many owners that noticed change in dog's response and behaviour after changing names.

What do you think?

I think the dog can't determine if his or her name is depreciative just by the word, but a dog can sense something in how a person addresses it... So for example, say a dog's name was Stupid. And so everyone who addressed it, might have a certain attitude toward the dog because of his name, and I think the dog would pick up on that. I think when people name their dog something like that, they have a bad attitude about their dog and their dog knows this. So I agree that it's best to change that kind of a name, because it will change how people address the dog and even think of him or her.

If I saw a dog named something bad, I would feel bad saying their name, and I think the dog would pick up on that too. But I don't think they actually know what the word means or that the word itself is bad.

Just my take on it :)

I believe that dogs are aware of our "energy" (for lack of a better word), both positive and negative, that may be subconcious to most people. So they may not know the actual definition of their name, but they do understand that it has a negative connotation.

Besides, words are an outward sign of our internal thoughts and character. Other people don't know what we truly think; they have to go by our outward behavior and words instead. I wouldn't want others to think that I value animals less because I call them names that deprecate them.

I agree that sometimes they respond differently when you change their names. But that is most likely because they have developed a negative association to the first name due to mistakes made by the owner. For example, many people yell at their dogs and use the dog's name "NO FIDO!". After too much of this, a dog could develop a very negative association with its own name. Names should always be used in a positive context.

Aside from that, I don't think they can be humilitated if some idiot gives them a stupid name. I hate it when people do that though.

Hello,

I think it would be a very good idea to change this dog's name immediately. First of all, you are uncomfortable with it and rightly so. Secondly, I think that if other people hear this dog's name, it will affect their interaction with the dog. You know how first impressions affect the dynamic of any interaction? Anyone hearing this dog's name will think that within moments, this dog will be humping his or her leg and that this dog is obsessed with sex. That this dog is a beast who just loves them and leaves them. Definitely not a respectful image to be projecting onto this dog.

The person who named the dog Gigolo sounds like they didn't really respect this dog. Maybe it was a man who was projecting his own sexual inadequacies onto this powerful dog. I mean look at a gorgeous german shepherd -- they are powerful and dignified. So did some man who thinking he is being comedic name this dog Gigolo just to make the dog less dignified so that the man felt satisfied by taking down the dog just a notch with that undignified name? Did the person who named this dog respect this dog in how they treated him? I'll bet they treated this dog not very well since they abandoned him. (I read your post about how you came to adopt him and Brava! Thanks for giving this dog a good home). The dog is getting a start at a new and much better life -- he deserves a much better name.

When I was in college, I once rescued a kitten who was a month old from a college boy I knew who was letting the kitten run free. This immature college boy (jerk) decided that month that he would rather buy beer and marijuanna than cat food. The kitten was like starving and thin. I asked the boy about the kitten and he said the kitten would have to catch mice since he didn't have the money to pay for kitten food. This stupid attitude infuriated me and I basically took the cat from him saying that if he wasn't going to feed the cat, he didn't deserve to have him. This boy let me have the cat because he knew I'd turn him into animal control if he didn't give up this poor cat that he was starving. So I took this poor kitten home with me and gave him a loving home for 17 years until he died in 2003. This jerk boy named the cat Toker which in the US is an expression for when someone someking marijuanna takes a hit from a bong(water pipe) -- they say he is toking or taking a toke from the bong. A Toker is one who takes bong hits of marijuanna.

I never used drugs and sure as heck wasn't going to present this cat to a vet and say, "Could you please neuter Toker?" Immediately the vet would think I'm some kind of pot head moron for naming the cat such a stupid name. I wasn't going to do that to my cat or to myself. Since the kitten liked to play rough and tumble with all kinds of toys and seemed to think he was fierce, I named him Buck after some of those yukon and midwestern adventure characters. Within 3 days, Buck new his new name and was fine with it.

A negative dog name always reflects badly upon the owner. If some guy tells me his dog is named "Bozo", I always think the owner is a jerk for having named the dog such an ignorant and disrespectful name. If I were meeting you for the first time with your newly adopted dog, and you said, Anna, this is Gigolo --
I'd think -- "Wow, she doesn't respect this dog very much, what a shame!" So it would reflect badly on you.

Since you are the dog's new owner and are giving him a new chance, please give him a dignified name that is appropriate to him and that will not negatively affect interactions with humans. If the name connotes a negative or disrespectful thought, people will associate that with the dog and may not treat the dog as well as the dog deserves to be treated.

Thanks for rescuing this dog. In your other post, it sounded like the neighbor fellow that took him after he was abandoned, didn't appreciate this dog (since he was objecting to the price of dog food). A magnificent german shepherd derserves to have a name much better than Gigolo. (In my opinion) :)

Do you need some help from board members on coming up with better names for your beautiful shepherd? Let us know.

Best regards,
Anna Lisa

Some things that may have a negative connotation to you, may not be negative at all to someone else. I'm not a pot head moron myself, but, I think Toker is funny. I also don't think Bozo is a bad name, my first thought was the clown. I just think it's fairly narrowminded to assume that someone is a jerk or a moron because you think of a certain thing when the pet's name is spoken. I'm trying to think of specific examples here.....Oh, well I had a friend in high school that named her dog Jerk because that's the only way he played with stuff as a puppy. He jerked all his toys around like a madman. It doesn't make her ignorant, because you think she's calling her dog something mean. And, what about people that name their dogs after alcoholic beverages (which some deem a worse drug than marijuana)? I've known Tequilas, Bacardis, Margaritas, Martinis, etc. It doesn't mean their owner's are lousy alcoholics. I think it's just as ignorant to assume someone is a moron for naming their dog bozo or gigolo or toker as some think it is to name them that in the first place. And, I'm not saying that some people that named their dogs Toker or Smokey or whatever aren't pot heads. But, I'm also saying you can't judge a person by what they name their pets. I've known plenty of jerks and stupid people with pets named Sam, Max, Princess, etc (and no offense to anyone with those names, they were just names)....And, I think it's one thing to think something immediately when you first hear a pet's name, but, if someone's going to act differently or treat a dog a certain way because of their name, that's stupid. Oh, yeah, I knew someone with a dog named Killer, and, he was the biggest sweetheart. :) And, so was the owner. And, if someone is mistreating your pet because of his name, you may need to find other people to interact with. Heck, just shorten Gigolo's name to Gig. I don't think it's necessary to completely change his name. I personally don't see anything wrong with the name. I loved the movie, American Gigolo, that's what I first thought of. Or Deuce Bigalow. ha ha. Anyway, that's my two cents. thanks for rescuing the dog, either way!

Thank you very much you all, specially you Anna Lisa, who is having a hard time with Tesoro's health; i was chocked to know about your struggle, and you are still so kind to express us your view.

Rosana
and

Rex "REX TREMENDAE MAJESTATIS"

I wrote my last post before seeing Guster Girl's post.

I knew both former owners and the dog from my neigbourhood, and the first time i heard the dog's name (i didn't know the dog was available to be given away) my heart pounded (i have no cardiac issues), and i had the feeling the dog was in same way ashamed of it.

I tought: OMG who could give a wonderful dog such a name?
I felt really uncomfortable. Such a destiny this dog had: unwanted and discarded for the last two owners (this is all i know) and with a name like this... I believe the vibration of a name influences an individual personality. The posted responses describe my feelings very well.

Thank you all, once more

Rosana
and
Rex "REX TREMENDAE MAJESTATIS"

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I just think it's fairly narrowminded to assume that someone is a jerk or a moron because you think of a certain thing when the pet's name is spoken.

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Guster Girl,

Wow!

I respect your right to disagree with my opinion. I feel it is unfortunate that you feel that I am "narrowminded" Yes, I do realize that there are jerks who call their dogs King and Princess. However, why can't I judge any person for any reason? Am I not allowed? By whom? I think we all make judgements every single day.

Canis Amicus asked for our opinions about names that might be considered mean. I gave my opinion. And you gave yours.

I admit that I am slightly annoyed at the way you express your disagreement with me Guster -- that because I have an opinion that is counter to yours, that I am narrow minded and that you are the open minded one? Does that mean that you are right and I'm wrong? I don't know that either of us knows the divine truth and is right here. It seems to me that the tenor of your post comes across like you are being quite judgemental of me (which is ironic because that is exactly you accuse me of).

My opinion about derisive dog names is weighed on my experiences where I rescued/adopted pets from abusive homes where the owners gave their animals (what in my opinion) were disrepectful names. I already mentioned the Toker the Kitten who was flea ridden, sickly and was being denied vet treatment for worms, and being starved to death by his drug addicted owner.

Here's another: Over two years ago, I adopted a wonderful Australian Cattle Dog who was surrendered to a kill-shelter by its owner of 7 years. The family got 'tired' of the dog shedding and they put it out in the yard full time. The dog developed behavioral problems such as crying squealing 24 hours a day to be let back in their house and the dog was being left outside in thunderstorms and bad weather. Their dog was named Scrappy. This family surrendered Scrappy to the Animal Control Officer when he came to issue a ticket because of the neighbor's repeated complaints about poor Scrappy crying out in the backyard 24/7 being kept out in all kinds of weather with very inadequate protection.

Yes, I judged the name Scrappy. As his new owner, it was my right to assess anything that is in his best interest. And I had a personally had a problem with the name Scrappy because that is how this family treated this beautiful and well trained dog. (In his first year of life they had sent Scrappy to an expensive obedience school when he was a pup; but they didn't go to the training themselves because they thought they 'knew enough'). When this family got tired of him, when he wasn't a cute puppy anymore and he was shedding on their rug, they disposed of him outside like he was a scrap to be discarded. And when this fully housebroken and well trained dog started crying all day and night because he had been banished to their back yard, instead of letting the dog back in, they surrendered him to the animal control officer. (True, it did give this dog an opportunity for a better life, for which, I am grateful).

But, why get a dog in the first place (7 years prior) if you are going to banish it to the back yard because he blows coat twice a year? What do you think them banishing this dog to the yard did to him? It hurt him deeply.

Now I realize that to some people, the name scrappy can bring happy thoughts like "scrappy doo" the cousin of scooby doo. And personally, I like Scooby Doo from my childhood. But to me, this dog having the name Scrappy reminded me of how his previous owner's didn't appreciate their own dog because when they tired of him, they dumped him like he was an entity to be discarded. This dog was about to be euthanized at the shelter because most adopters don't want a 7 year old dog. And this dog does not have a scrappy personality. He is calm, doesn't jump on people, and is a polite gentleman. There is nothing Scrappy about him. There was a negative association with me and that was all that mattered. I am not saying there is anything wrong naming one's dog Scrappy. I am saying that I personally had a problem with this dog being named that and it definitely didn't suit him.

This dog never once soiled in my house. He was afraid to jump on the furniture. He knew all the commands. He never once did anything rude or nasty when I brought him home. His only quirk is that if there is a thunderstorm, he runs and hides under my desk. I'd expect this type of phobia after being banished out to a yard on a chain 24/7 by the last owner.

Because he was 7 when I adopted him, I didn't want to extremely change his name to something foreign sounding to him. Since he does a happy little dance when he is going for a car ride, getting a treat, or his supper, I named him Happy which does rhyme with Scrappy. And the name suits him because he is a very Happy and extremely content dog.

(Please don't email me if your dog is named Scrappy and he is well treated. My point is that I personally associated the name Scrappy with the negative treatment of his previous owner. You bet I have negative feelings towards what these people did to that dog. As a human being, I am entitled to my feelings. So, I changed the name. If you love your dog Scrappy and he is well taken care of, then that is cool with me. It doesn't mean that I think that all dog's named scrappy are abused by their owners. )

Maybe there are so-called 'open minded people' who claim that a name doesn't affect their first impression of an animal? But there is a lot of well known evidence based on research in human psychology to indicate that, with people, first impressions truly do count. When the average person hears a name that sounds mean, I tend to believe it does influence their perception. And people do judge others every minute of the day. It happens and that is simply reality.

If my personal experience has 9 times out of 10 been that people who disrespect their pets tend to give disrespectful names, then those experiences will undoubtedly influence my perceptions. What is so awfully wrong with that?

I somehow doubt that I'm the only person in the world who would unfavorably judge an owner who I am meeting for the first time who call's their dog "stupid" as being disrespectful to their dog. Even if that owner was so nice and met the dog's physical needs, I'd always personally feel in my heart that I think it is a shame that they gave an animal as beautiful and loving as a dog such a disrespectful name. Also there are levels and magnitudes here. Like I think it would be worse to call a dog Stupid than Scrappy. Just in case I need to say it again -- JUST MY OPINION. :)

In respectful disagreement with ya Guster,
Anna Lisa

Ok. I wasn't saying you were wrong and I was right. I do believe that judging a person based on their pet's name is not openminded, though. I never once stated that you were a narrowminded person. I may have narrowminded views on certain things, and, openminded views on others. I just simply said that judging someone so superfically is narrowminded. So, we can agree to disagree. It's all good to me.

We changed names on our cats. I don't remember what the name was for our first female burmese cat was but we changed it to Poona.
And then our last black cat we got from SPCA we changed to Suki.

I personally think its the way you call to your pet.

Our female dog has this huge long name and we shortened to short names and she comes too all.
But if are angry or upset our voices tell her and she won't come as she knows she is in trouble. so, its all in the voice you do when you call their name.

You can change to any name you want too that you are comfortable with.

Just make sure they don't rhyme with other pets names as we have had to watch that.

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Originally posted by 3CaniBellisimi
However, why can't I judge any person for any reason? Am I not allowed? By whom? I think we all make judgements every single day.

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Oh, and, I also felt the need to state that, no, I don't think anyone is "allowed" to judge anyone else. I'm not a religious person, but, I don't believe any human should judge another. And, I'm not saying that I don't, because I'm human and stupid as h**l sometimes. But, it's certainly not something I feel is a right of mine. And, again, reading your post, I never stated that I was the openminded one. I don't know you, and, I'm not about to make a generalized statement like that. I'm saying that your opinion on this topic, is narrow minded. I said what I meant. I feel that you read a little too much into my statement, so, I wanted to make it clearer.

Guster --

Ok -- I agree to disagree with you also. That is cool with me.

Best regards,
Anna Lisa

I think your tone of voice matters alot more then the name itself. I wouldn't be comfortable calling out Gigalo to my dog though. lol. Ron (my cat) has a degrading name; we call him Big Ol Fat Ron. He doesn't seem to care because we say it with love. ;)

Big fat ol' Ron is cute. :)