Naming your dog
You’ll want to choose a good name for your dog – one that you will be happy to call across a busy park! Here’s some ideas to help inspire you.
A survey of dog owners in the UK identified the most popular dog names in 2018.* It seems that the current trend is for dogs to be given human names – or maybe it could be argued that children are being given dog names! With cute puppy names from children’s TV like Charlie, Lola and Milo making it into the top 10 it would suggest that younger family members are being tasked with choosing a name for their family dog.
Here’s what the survey found to be the top dog names:
Female dog names
- Poppy
- Bella
- Molly
- Daisy
- Lola
- Ruby
- Millie
- Rosie
- Tilly
- Coco
Male dog names
- Alfie
- Charlie
- Oscar
- Max
- Bailey
- Archie
- Teddy
- Buddy
- Barney
- Milo
Things to consider when naming your puppy
- Names with two syllables are, apparently, better than one – e.g Rosie rather than Rose and Charlie rather than Charles for dogs.
- You’ll want to choose a name that your puppy will respond to – if you’re considering an unusual puppy name make sure you’ll be happy shouting it across a busy park!
- It may be wise to choose a unique puppy name. If you choose a popular name, you won’t be the only person calling for Poppy or Alfie – so opting for something more obscure may be a better option.
- Don’t rush into choosing a name – you may want to wait a day or two to see how your puppy’s personality develops.
- If you’re going to involve the whole family in choosing a name, be prepared for compromise. Your puppy could end up with more middle names than a member of the royal family!
How to teach your puppy their name
- Say your puppy’s name in a positive and friendly voice
- When they look at or come to you reward and praise them
- Repeat these steps…your puppy will soon learn to associate their name with praise and reward.
*John Lewis Pet Insurance, 2018