Your Dogs' Names: How Important?

[Twisterdog]

I was just thinking about my dogs and their names. I have seven dogs, and two rescues right now, and I named NONE of them.

My son named Vanilla and Sequoia, which are both cool names, I think.

Lucky, Pepper, Iggy, Gia, Rocky, Crystal and Jewel came to me with those names already. I can't really say I like any of them, except maybe Gia. I never would have picked them. And a couple of them ... Iggy, Rocky, and Pepper ... totally do not fit the dog and are just dumb, IMO.

But, it seems like once I hear a dog's name, like it or not, that is the dog's name and it sticks forever.

I used to AGONIZE over dog names, before I got into rescue, and named my first three dogs. I would look up names in books, write them down, ask for opinions, etc. Then I got hundreds of pre-named rescue dogs over the next decades, and now it doesn't seem to matter at all what they are named.

What about you? Do you agonize? Would you change a dog's name you didn't like? Or does it really not matter? Just curious ... seems kind of wierd to me that I named none of my dogs. LOL

[wolfsoul]

Names are important to me; I do agonize over naming puppies etc. However, if a dog already came with it's name, unless the name was offensive, or was the same name as one of my other dogs, I don't think I could change it. I've never changed a name in any of the older animals we got, except our husky, Cheeko -- his name was Raja, and my mom hated it (it is a female sounding name) and she loved the name Cheeko. I didn't have a say, and I didn't care, I was 10.

I think about names even when I have nothing to name lol..

[SWHouston]

I agonize... but it's tolerable.

Some dogs are more sensitive to certain letters of the alphabet.
I've done this with Puppies mostly.

Just run through the Alphabet, saying the letter, and an additional sound the letter is/can be associated with. Like...

A, Am, Ahh, All
B, Bee, Boo, Baa
P, Pee, Paa, Poo
and so on.

Look for a response. Ears perking, cocking it's head, anything which it reacts to. Speak them slowly, repeat them, and see how it reacts.
Give that a try. Then you may have a starting "letter" (s), then you can expand on that start.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

[Husky_mom]

add me to the list.. agonize..

some I come with a name very soon.. some others take weeks, months and even years.. lol

[cloverfdx]

Names are very important to me as well. Unfortunately i gave in and let others pretty much name my dog's and i am not very fond of their names, well not fond of Elvis' name anyway. Tinny came with her name and i just could not decide on a new name for her lol.

I like all 3 cats names, the older girl Yumi and the youngsters Andy and Montana (Montie, Montie Moo, Moo Goo lol).

[Alysser]

We named Sassy after a cat in my favorite movie "Homeward Bound". I loved the name from the start because, well let's be honest, a five year old loves everything about a new puppy. But WOW did it fit her and her personality It was beyond perfect for her. I didn't agonize over that name.

I guess it depends, because before I got Mikey I thought we were getting a puppy so I picked out names I've always wanted. But when we got Mikey, he knew his name. I don't like people names for dogs, and personally I wouldn't have picked it, but I wouldn't change it now.

I never liked the names the shelter has picked out for dogs. Never, and if I ever adopt a dog I will probably change it. I plan on adopting ex-racers when I actually move out, which will hopefully be in another 2 years or so, so I would probably re-name them something or have a nickname.

[Casper]

Names aren't as important to me as they used to be. Well, of course I don't want anything vulgar or just downright mindless, but if they came with a name I just learn to like it after a while. I almost tried to change Sala's name, but now I can't think of her as anything other than just that -- "Sala". I also used to be obsessive over naming every animal in the house, but right now I have three hermit crabs and a handful of fish that don't have names. They don't seem to mind.


Then again, these days I don't have to name animals like I used to. The only "kid" we got this year (aside from the hermits) was Adelaide. My mum and her friend kept insisting we name her Jersey... then Holstein. I kinda didn't want my baby to be named after a cow.