Great Tips on How to Name Your Puppy Or Dog

As if choosing a puppy was not hard enough, you now have the task of naming your new puppy. Since you can literally name your puppy anything, there are multitudes of websites on the net to help you decide exactly that. I was surprised to see the number of web sites dedicated to either female or male puppy names.

I've checked out several dog web sites and found that the most popular name for a female dog is Maggie. For male dogs the number one choice was Max. Personally, I would only use such lists as these to remove naming options from my own personal list. I would not want my dog to be the 122nd Max, or the 350th Maggie. I want my dogs name to be unique.

Additionally, I did find some very interesting tips on choosing a name for any kind of pet. Here are a few tips:  Pick a name that the pet can easily recognize. Typically pets will respond better to one or two syllable names than to really long drawn out ones. Choose a name that is both easy to call out and one that you are happy calling out. Calling out "Jack" or "Cody" in the park may be far less embarrassing than calling out "Death Breath".

For dogs or puppies it is best to avoid names that sound like the standard commands of No, Stay, Sit, Come, Down or Fetch. For example "Joe" is probably too close to "No". It can be difficult for dogs to tell the difference between similar sounding words. If you are thinking of choosing a longer name for your dog keep in mind the shortened version too. A longer name will inevitably be shortened, but it may ruin the effect that you were originally looking for when you first decided on the name.

The dogs breed heritage can also provide some useful inspiration. For example, Oriental names (Siamese and Burmese) , German names or words (Shepherds, Dachshunds and Schnauzers), French names (Poodle), Scottish terms (Terriers), or Irish words (Wolfhounds and Setters). The Human Name and Foreign Name categories may easily assist you here too.

Waiting a few days before you actually choose the name to study your pets behavior can actually help you pick the best name too. The Personality, Affectionate and Appearance categories may also assist you here. One other thing, it is very important that you pick a name that will grow with the pet. For example "Kitten" may be less appropriate for a full grown male cat.

When seeking the perfect name for your pooch or other pet, just remember to relax and do not be afraid to be original or adventurous. US psychologist and names expert Dr Cleveland Kent states that; "The name doesn't directly affect the dog's personality, but it does reflect the kind of dog the owner wanted."