What’s in a name? Cujo vs Fluffy?

Meet Sasha & Emma aka “White Dog” & “Brown Dog” as their owners kiddingly refer to them. These two are doing well with their obedience training and are just lovely to work with. I found it amusing that their owners refer to them by color from time to time. Very clever.

Many of us call our dog’s by nicknames and from time to time those names might even have a bit of pointed meaning to them. Case in point when I recently caught my pup chewing up my sunglasses and appropriately referred to her as “Little Turd” for the remainder of the day.

When you are thinking about naming your new pup, you should consider that it will be a word you are repeating A LOT in the next 10 plus years. “Cassiopeia, come” might not roll off the tongue easily after a few times hollering it at the dog park. So make sure it is something easy to say and more importantly easy for the dog to notice and pay attention to. Names that rhyme with other members of the family are not a wise choice. And the same rule applies for names that sound similar to obedience commands that you will be teaching the dog. “Trey” and “stay” might cause some confusion when you are teaching the difference between coming when called and remaining stationary in one spot.

A simple Google search revealed several sites that offer thousands of ideas on naming the dog. However, I think it is wise to consider the implication of what the word means. You might be surprised how much the name tends to be reflected in the personality as time goes on. I named my newest pup, Diva, because she pitched a fit for the entire 3 hour drive home when I picked her up near Green Bay, WI. And she has come to really fill the persona. She certainly is learning how to work it for a crowd. It takes her only moments to get someone to rub her belly. What a prima donna!

Don’t forget the old standby, Fido, which means Faithful in Latin, perhaps it truly is the best choice for the companion we all have come to know and love

So now I’m curious, how did you choose your dog’s name?