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Hello, I am new here, first forum ever... so what do we think of dog names? do you plan their name before you get your dog or when it is home with you? What are you guys dogs names?
Dog names ?
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Do you mean a registered name or a call name?
Usually, a dog from a good breeder will carry the breeder's kennel name as part of its registered name, and the breeder will either follow an alphabetical naming order or else have a theme to connect all the puppy's names in a litter.
As far as call names, they can either tie into the registered name or be something completely different.
For non-registered dogs, pretty much anything goes. I find that eventually, I open my mouth and the right name comes out.
Usually, a dog from a good breeder will carry the breeder's kennel name as part of its registered name, and the breeder will either follow an alphabetical naming order or else have a theme to connect all the puppy's names in a litter.
As far as call names, they can either tie into the registered name or be something completely different.
For non-registered dogs, pretty much anything goes. I find that eventually, I open my mouth and the right name comes out.
Hi.. Ive mostly had rescues, sometimes they come with a name and sometimes not..
When we got our Bouvier des flanders X St Bernard pup we knew there was only one name to suit and called him Max ie maximum he was at the max for everything food bowls collars etc etc.. He was the only surviour of his litter the result of careless breeding between two giant breeds.
Oscar our BC had no name and the rescue had been calling him Astor which I didnt like so Oscar sounded similar but I liked it much better..
Benny was a regestered Beagle from a champion breeder but he was sold to totally the wrong family and he cringed whenever they said his name, so being that he was a little brother for Oscar we named him Benny(Benjamin)..
Then came our orphan, who was beaten and left in a field to die... We called him Remi because he was all alone in the world (until we bought him home)
After Benny and the others passed we decided we wanted to chose a pup for us. One without a past and without trauma so along came Murphy named after the place my husband was born.
Two years later we adopted George he was loved by his owners but a forced house sale meant they couldnt keep him but he responded well to his name and we liked it so it stayed.. Together they sound a bit like the old british comedy George and Mildred...
When we got our Bouvier des flanders X St Bernard pup we knew there was only one name to suit and called him Max ie maximum he was at the max for everything food bowls collars etc etc.. He was the only surviour of his litter the result of careless breeding between two giant breeds.
Oscar our BC had no name and the rescue had been calling him Astor which I didnt like so Oscar sounded similar but I liked it much better..
Benny was a regestered Beagle from a champion breeder but he was sold to totally the wrong family and he cringed whenever they said his name, so being that he was a little brother for Oscar we named him Benny(Benjamin)..
Then came our orphan, who was beaten and left in a field to die... We called him Remi because he was all alone in the world (until we bought him home)
After Benny and the others passed we decided we wanted to chose a pup for us. One without a past and without trauma so along came Murphy named after the place my husband was born.
Two years later we adopted George he was loved by his owners but a forced house sale meant they couldnt keep him but he responded well to his name and we liked it so it stayed.. Together they sound a bit like the old british comedy George and Mildred...
With rescue dogs I've adopted I left them with the name they came with. Yes, a dog will adjust to a new name, but it doesn't seem he should have to. With puppies from breeders, the registered name was, as LeoRose said, somewhat dictated by the breeder.
For instance, my last girl came from a litter the breeder wanted to have chess-related names. I know nothing about chess, so I went to a book store and looked through the index of a chess book. I guess in chess there are a bunch of named gambits (moves or maybe patterns of moves?) that have the name of the person who first used them. I found one called the Schara gambit and liked it. So she was Wildhaven's [breeder's kennel name] Schara Gambit, and I liked it enough to call her Schara.
With the girls I have now, again the registered name was partially the breeder's choice. One breeder wanted a name which seems kind of ordinary to me, but I didn't have a better idea at the time and went along. But I chose an unrelated call name I like - Teagan. I want a name different enough the odds of running into another dog with the same name in training class and elsewhere are low, and I also have to try it out a bit. So I call the puppy by a certain name for a day or two and see if it seems to fit. At that point the puppy has no clue the word is her name, so I can try several, and except for Schara have always ended up trying two or three.
My other current girl was from a Halloween (my least favorite holiday) litter. So her registered name is Barenhaus [kennel name again] All Hallows Eve. I thought I could call her Eve, but nope, it just didn't fit. She's Story.
For instance, my last girl came from a litter the breeder wanted to have chess-related names. I know nothing about chess, so I went to a book store and looked through the index of a chess book. I guess in chess there are a bunch of named gambits (moves or maybe patterns of moves?) that have the name of the person who first used them. I found one called the Schara gambit and liked it. So she was Wildhaven's [breeder's kennel name] Schara Gambit, and I liked it enough to call her Schara.
With the girls I have now, again the registered name was partially the breeder's choice. One breeder wanted a name which seems kind of ordinary to me, but I didn't have a better idea at the time and went along. But I chose an unrelated call name I like - Teagan. I want a name different enough the odds of running into another dog with the same name in training class and elsewhere are low, and I also have to try it out a bit. So I call the puppy by a certain name for a day or two and see if it seems to fit. At that point the puppy has no clue the word is her name, so I can try several, and except for Schara have always ended up trying two or three.
My other current girl was from a Halloween (my least favorite holiday) litter. So her registered name is Barenhaus [kennel name again] All Hallows Eve. I thought I could call her Eve, but nope, it just didn't fit. She's Story.
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Delay naming the dog.
Give yourself and the dog a chance to reveal his/her personality. You don't need to have a name immediately. Allow a little time to learn the dog.
I had my pup for 3 weeks before a name became fitting. These first weeks i just called him "Goa" (pronounced Go). This is Mandarin for dog. He was 12 weeks old when I got him. In the 3 weeks, his personality was emerging and he was beginning to bond with me. He was constantly in my shadow. His coloring also made him very difficult to see at night.
A coworker made a comment about the pup. He said,"Your dog is like a shadow." I asked, "Why?" "He disappears at night and is always beside you." My dog's name was discovered. I named him Shadow. Four years later, he still is very hard to see at night and remains within my shadow.
Give yourself and the dog a chance to reveal his/her personality. You don't need to have a name immediately. Allow a little time to learn the dog.
I had my pup for 3 weeks before a name became fitting. These first weeks i just called him "Goa" (pronounced Go). This is Mandarin for dog. He was 12 weeks old when I got him. In the 3 weeks, his personality was emerging and he was beginning to bond with me. He was constantly in my shadow. His coloring also made him very difficult to see at night.
A coworker made a comment about the pup. He said,"Your dog is like a shadow." I asked, "Why?" "He disappears at night and is always beside you." My dog's name was discovered. I named him Shadow. Four years later, he still is very hard to see at night and remains within my shadow.
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I've only named two of the eight dogs I've had. One was a registered beagle who arrived at five months with the call name Huckleberry. Never a fan of Hanna Barbara cartoons and I had already decided on Charlie after reading John Steinbeck's book Travels With Charlie.
The other was a stray Irish setter so I had no idea what her name was. She became a shop dog at a SCUBA shop where I worked. We had age-group swim classes and I let the younger swimming students name her. She became Brandy. I later found out she had been Shiloh but, at about nine years of age, she had no trouble adapting to the new name.
Neither name was terribly original, but they suited the dogs. And me.
The other six dogs came with names and I had no compelling reason to change them.
The other was a stray Irish setter so I had no idea what her name was. She became a shop dog at a SCUBA shop where I worked. We had age-group swim classes and I let the younger swimming students name her. She became Brandy. I later found out she had been Shiloh but, at about nine years of age, she had no trouble adapting to the new name.
Neither name was terribly original, but they suited the dogs. And me.
The other six dogs came with names and I had no compelling reason to change them.
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Wow I actually did not know that about the kennel names and being registered that is cool to know. I was at first going for the non-registered dog but never would have known that if you didn't mention it thank you.
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These stories are pretty awesome thank you guys for sharing your thoughts and stories on names for dogs, totally cool seeing others prospectives
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That is so amazing for all of you to share, I have never been on a forum and did not expect so many replies over the couple of days. Thank you so much for the chat back and for your stories to be shared too, wow forums are pretty cool and informative
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Just because a dog isn't formally registered doesn't mean they can't have a "fancy" name. The dogs in my signature are (were) not registered, but have either an AKC Purebred Alternative Listing number or Canine Partners Listing with their "fancy" names. In a way, PAL and CPL names are even more fun to do than registered names, because you aren't limited to a breeder's options. Ilka was named for where I found her, as was Leo. Lily is named after a song.
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