by Roan Kishpaugh

Created on: May 19, 2010

A dog’s name is personal, just like a human name. It is something they will have for their whole life. They will listen for it and identify with it and the humans around will too. Some dogs are given fairly common names such as “Spot” or “Shadow” while others may have very unusual names like “Saber” or “Hazana”.

There are two kinds of dog names, the register name and the call name.

The registered name is the name that the dog is known by on their pedigree and is their legal name on any registration papers with a formal dog registration club such as the American Kennel Club (AKC). The registered name usual contains the breeder’s kennel name and then a combination of the dog’s parents’ names. An example would be “Green Island’s Half a Moon”, daughter of “Green Island’s Halfway” and “Jackome’s Moonshine”.

The kind of name most people think of is a dog’s call name. This is literally the name you call the dog by. Using the previous example, “Green Island’s Half a Moon” may have a call name of “Moon” or even a totally unrelated name like “Fluffy”. Most pet dogs and mixed breeds that are not registered only have a call name.

When choosing a name, one may wait for the dog to “tell” them what their name is or they may actively look for one. By letting the dog tell it, one just waits to see what everyone ends up calling the dog without any conscious effort. Sometimes the dog’s name just appears in one’s head and you know in your heart that it is the right one. When actively choosing a name, one may do research, explore name choices with other people, name the dog after another recently known dog, or pick a name that comes from the dog’s ancestry. The name should be one that has a distinctive sound when yelled. “Moon” doesn’t sound like much but “Fluffy” would be distinctive from a distance because it has two syllables and two different vowels. This is also more unique to catch the attention of the dog.

One should also try to pick a name that is different from anyone else, human or dog, in the household. Having a dog named “Bailey” and a child named “Haley” could get very confusing.

Lastly, the name can relate to the dog in a physical sense as well. “Max”, “Fluffy”, and “Amber” are examples of this.

Whatever name is chosen for a dog, it is something that makes them personal and individual for life.

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