Why You Should Let Your Dog Choose Their Own Name—And How to Do It

A friend of mine recently adopted a dog from her local shelter. The dog was brought in from Los Angeles during the fires, and the people at the shelter named him Mr. Forsythe, which, if you ask me, is a fabulous dog name. Shelters often give animals strange names to get the attention of prospective adopters, and in this case, it definitely worked. My friend loves the name Mr. Forsythe. Unfortunately, her pup does not appear to share her enthusiasm. He doesn’t really respond when she uses it, anyway.

This could be because he had another name before he made his way into the shelter system. Or it could simply be that he doesn’t like it. In either case, my friend is loath to change it because she says she doesn’t want to confuse him. But I’m not so sure. If your dog isn’t responding to their name, why not change it?

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“I think it’s a great idea,” says dog behavior expert and celebrity dog trainer Jessica Jacobson of Dapper Dog Training in New York City. “Why stick with a name your dog doesn’t like? It’s just going to make getting their attention and training them that much harder.” 

How to let your dog pick their own name

First, you want to come up with a list of names you find acceptable. “Choose names you want to say out loud,” Jacobson says. “Names you wouldn’t mind yelling in public.” After all, if you’re at the park and you have to get your dog’s attention or if they run away and you have to go looking for them, you might not want to shout “Snuggles” or “Kisses” or “Satan” at the top of your lungs. Or maybe you would. I don’t know. You do you. I’m not here to yuck your yum.

That said, Jacobson does advise that you avoid names that sound like cues the dog might learn over the course of their training — “Flip,” for instance, sounds like “Sit,” especially to a dog, while “May” sounds like “Stay” and “Rover,” honestly, sounds a lot like “Roll over.” Can your dog learn the difference between “Rover” and “ Roll over?” Probably, but why make training any harder or more confusing than it needs to be?

Jacobson also advises staying away from naming them after foods, like “Chicken,” because you are likely to say it within earshot of your dog even when not actually referring to them and that could make them less likely to respond to it when you are. Also, if your dog is food-motivated, as many are, the word “chicken” might be too stimulating and mention of that high-value treat may make it harder for them to focus during training. 

Once you’ve made your list, try saying the names to your dog and see which ones they respond to. Do this when the dog is resting, perhaps when they are turned away from you, not really paying attention, or particularly concerned about what you’re doing. Then go through your list and try each name a few times. If your dog is unmoved by what you call them, cross it off the list. If they get up and leave the room, really cross that option off the list, and then give them a break and pick up the name game again a little later. 

You want to try to find a name that makes your dog perk up and take notice. Ideally, it should be one that makes them actually turn around and look at you or even approach you when they hear it. 

What about nicknames?

Of course, just because you name your dog one thing doesn’t mean that’s the only thing you’ll call them. Nicknames are one of the ways we express affection for our pets. And sometimes, we end up using those nicknames even more than their real names, especially if their real ones are too long, or we don’t really like saying them. I mean, I had a cat called Yoshi that I called “Bunny” at least half the time just because I preferred that. I also called him “Bunny Whistle,” “Bun Bun,” “Yooshi,” and “Little Conductor.” And my other cat, Pumpkin, was just as likely to be called “Pumpy” or “Pumpers” as he was Pumpkin.

Then again, I didn’t choose either of those cats’ names. That’s what they were called at the shelter. Maybe if I had come up with their names, I would have been less likely to rely so heavily on random replacements. And who knows — maybe if I just called them Yoshi and Pumpkin consistently, they would have been more responsive to those words. I’ll have to try that next time I adopt and get back to you. 

“In terms of responsiveness, I don’t think it helps to have too many nicknames,” Jacobson says. After all, if you have a million different names for your dog; they might not realize when you are actually talking to them or need their attention. “That said,” she adds, “I do think dogs are capable of learning these names and determining your mood based on which name you use.” 

The danger there is that you don’t want to get to a place where you only use your dog’s full government name when you are upset with them or ask them to do something they don’t want to do. If your dog starts to associate their own name with negative experiences or outcomes, they will likely become less responsive to it overall.

And the whole point of letting them choose their own name in the first place is that you want them to be more responsive to it, not less. You want your dog to hear you call for them and come running. So, make it easy for them and make sure you’re shouting out a moniker that has their paw-stamp of approval.