Naming Your Dog
Things to think about when choosing names for dogs!

Choosing your dogs name will be one of the first things that you will do when you bring your dog home. Here are some tips that can help make the naming process successful:

• Select a short name. It is easier on your dog (and ultimately you) if the dog name that you select is one or two syllables. think hard about it when considering three or four syllable names. They will be harder for your dog to recognize and harder for you to use when calling your dog. The number one dog name for many years now has been Max - an easy name to say and remember.

• Draw inspiration from what you love. Do you love books, movies, art surfing, music, the circus? Whatever it is, think about naming your new dog after your favorite book or movie character, or perhaps something involved with your favorite sport or hobby. We have a good friend who has named her two Golden Retrievers Gable and Bogart after her two favorite leading men of cinema history, and we named one of our dogs Guinevere after the queen of Camelot.

We have lots of name suggestions in our lists that will get your wheels turning. Get started by looking through some of these, and then think about other categories to look into that reflect your personal style or interests. It is fun to work with a theme when naming your dog!

Does your dog have a black coat? Take a look at our Black Dog Names page for some other great themed name ideas. Do you love the land "down under" or have an Australian Shepherd or a Dingo mix? You'll be sure to want to check out our Australian Dog Names for another fun theme to consider when naming your dog.

Click on these buttons for some great dog name ideas:

• Dogs learn quickly. Don't worry about changing your dog's name if they had a name from a previous owner or while they were in foster care. If you have adopted a dog and want to select your own name for him or her, don't be concerned about making the switch! In less than a week, your dog will have their new name down pat.
• Seems that "people names" are still all the rage. My sister's name is Roxie, and I have met more dogs named Roxie than I care to tell her about! Check out the new list of top dog names for 2008, just released in January 2009, and you'll see the names of all your friends are now their dogs name too!