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Best Dog Names – How to Pick the Best Name for Your Dog

by shibashake 162 Comments

Congratulations on getting a new dog!

Now comes the fun part of picking the best name, for your new furry best friend.

Names are important.

When I chat with the people around my neighborhood, one of the first things that they ask, is the name of my dog. My Siberian Husky, Shania, is the main focus of attention and crowd-pleaser, so most people in our daily travels know her name but not mine.

Names are used during introductions, and they color what others think of our dog. A dog named Killer, will invite a very different type of reaction, than a dog named SweetiePie.

Therefore, take your time in naming your dog. Observe his energy level, most loved activities, and wait until his true personality comes through. When it does, you will know what is the right name for him.

Best Dog Names - How to Pick the Best Name for Your Dog
Best Dog Names – How to Pick the Best Name for Your Dog

Where Do the Best Dog Names Come From?

Siberian Husky puppy boy doing a Sit (5 weeks).
Where Do the Best Dog Names Come From?

When looking for dog names, there are several places to get good ideas –

  • Fictional characters – We can find some great names from our favorite movies, books, or games. Pick the best fictional hero or villain, depending on the personality and/or look of our dog.
  • Famous people – Another interesting set of names are from famous and inspirational people, or historical figures. We can pick rulers such as Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, or Napoleon Bonaparte. We can pick innovators such as Edison or daVinci. We can pick poets, writers, musicians, movie stars, or sports heroes.
  • Country of dog breed – Different dog breeds emerge from different locations. We can select a favorite name or word from our dog’s country of origin.
  • Stars and heavenly bodies – Finally, a great source of dog names come from stars and other heavenly bodies. For example, if our dog loves to hunt, we may name him Rigel, which is the brightest star in The Hunter constellation.
Husky puppy doing a flying leap-attack on adult Husky (playing).
Make sure your dog’s name matches his personality, energy level, most loved activities, and his good looks.

Popular Dog Names

To help you on your way, here are the most popular 5 male and female dog names. There are a variety of lists, but these names appear at the top of almost all of them.

Most popular male dog names –

  1. Max
  2. Buddy
  3. Jake
  4. Charlie
  5. Bailey

Most popular female dog names –

  1. Bella
  2. Daisy
  3. Molly
  4. Lucy
  5. Maggie
Three dogs playing in the backyard. Husky puppy in the middle, Shiba play bitting from top, adult Husky play bitting from bottom.
My three silly dogs – Sephy (top), Lara, Shania (bottom)

How to Pick the Best Dog Name

Husky Puppy biting on a stick while getting a tummy-tub.
How to Pick the Best Dog Name

Other things to keep in mind while looking for the best dog name –

1. Short and simple.

Pick a short and simple name that is easy to say. Likely, you will spend a lot of time with your furry best friend in the coming years. You will be saying his name a lot, in a variety of situations. Sometimes, you may even need to get his attention quickly, before he runs off after birds and squirrels.

If we look at show dogs, they usually have 2 names – a show name and an every-day name. The show name is long, unique, and indicates pedigree. The every-day name is much shorter, and easy to say.

If we want to pick a longer name for our dog, find one that still sounds cool, and is easy to say when it is shortened.

2. Try to pick a name with 2 syllables.

According to the experts, it is best to pick a dog name with 2 syllables.

Most dog training commands are only one syllable, e.g. Sit, Stand, Down, Shake, Come. In this way, a dog can easily differentiate between his name and a command.

In addition, consider picking a name that starts with a hard/stop consonant. Dogs recognize hard consonants more easily. Therefore, we can grab our dog’s attention faster with a name that starts with a stop consonant.

Husky puppy biting on a stick on the grass.
Siberian Husky puppy Lara. Easy to say and 2 syllables!
Smiling and winking Shiba Inu lying down on the living room carpet.
Pick a name that is unique.

Dog Collar desensitization with Shiba Inu.
While communicating with a dog, consistency is key.

3. Pick a name that is unique.

Try to pick a dog name that is unique and not similar to the names of family members, close relatives, or close friends. If our dog has a name that is identical, or similar to somebody else in the family, he may get confused and think that we are calling him, when the common name is used.

If a dog keeps getting ignored when he thinks his name is being called, he will no longer respond to that name.

4. Name choosing should be a fun family affair.

It is best, when the whole family gets involved in choosing the name of our family dog. In this way, everyone feels invested in the dog, and will be more willing to accept him into the pack.

In addition, this ensures that everyone will consistently call the dog by his chosen name. Consistency is very important when communicating with our dog. If we are not consistent with how we use his name, there will be confusion as to what we mean, and what we want. It is the same way with people and language. When I say ‘dog’, you understand what I am referring to, because we all use it consistently to mean the same thing.

5. Use the primary dog name in a positive context.

Only use our dog’s primary name in a positive context. In this way, he will learn to associate his name with rewards and positive outcomes.

Some people use their dog’s name while scolding or punishing him. If a dog consistently gets punished when his name is called, he will start to associate ‘his name’ with something negative. Once this occurs, he may run away or hide when he hears his name, in anticipation of the coming punishment.

If we want to use names in both a positive and negative context, then it is important to establish both a good dog name and a bad dog name.

The good dog name (primary name), should only be associated with rewards and positive experiences.

Shiba Inu sitting next to, and being affectionate with man. Man rubbing dog's chest.
Use the primary dog name in a positive context only.

Best Dog Names

Do not be in too much of a hurry to name your dog. Spend some time bonding with him, and wait until you start seeing all the different aspects of his personality –

  • His good side,
  • His goofy side,
  • His quirks,
  • His fears,
  • His motivations,
  • His most loved activities, and
  • His most hated activities.

Once we observe all this and start to understand our new furry friend, the best dog name will also become clear to us.

Three dogs hanging-out, playing, and nibling each other in the living room.
My best dogs – Shania (left), puppy Lara, and Sephy (right)

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Comments

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  1. Mica says

    June 5, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    Help me name my pomeranian its a boy its brown grat a bit gold .

    Reply
  2. Jheun says

    May 29, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    Have 1 puppy (shepherd and bulldog) left from a litter. She is more shepherd appearance of a golden brown w black masking. Her mother that was two ( black German shepherd) years old became suddenly ill and devastatingly passed away last night. We will keep the puppy now, but she was never named or taken out of the litter. She shared and outdoor kennel with her mother so she is being left behind and probably somewhat experiencing the loss and trauma of a sick mother. Her mom’s name was Jordan. I need some help with an inspiring name befitting to this baby under these circumstances. Thank you. Jennifer

    Reply
    • shibashake says

      June 1, 2014 at 4:36 pm

      I really like the name Nia. It means radiance/brightness or purpose.

    • Anonymous says

      July 15, 2014 at 8:18 am

      Jordi….

  3. New Shiba says

    March 5, 2014 at 9:18 pm

    Hello!

    I’ve been a fan of your blog for quite some time now. I feel like everything you post is incredibly helpful and will one day be useful if not already! I’m getting a Shiba Inu in less than 2 months! I’m incredibly excited as I am a huge dog lover, and haven’t had a dog in years!! While I’ve had a German Shepherd, Pomeranian, and Akita before, it’s been almost 10 years…so reading your blog has been getting me excited to meet my future pup!

    I’m trying to prepare for his/her arrival, though, and have been looking around for the best items to get. While this may be different from dog to dog, I’d love to hear your suggestions as to what you think the most essential items I should get are, what brand, and what you have. I’m looking for:
    – crate
    – play pen
    – bed
    – chew toys
    – food and water dispensers
    – collar
    – leash
    – anything else?

    If you have an email address that you’re willing to share, I’d love to correspond further with you!

    Reply
    • shibashake says

      March 6, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Congratulations on your upcoming Shiba puppy!

      Toys.
      Here are some toys that I get for my dogs –
      http://shibashake.com/dog/best-dog-toys
      http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-and-siberian-dog-toys

      Food and water dispensers.
      I get the well-reviewed stainless steel ones. I stay away from plastic because bacteria have a higher likelihood to breed in plastic water containers.

      Collar and leash.
      I used a harness for my Shiba when I first got him. Using a harness prevented Sephy from choking himself when he pulls too hard. I switched to using a collar after I leash trained him.
      http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-leash-training-equipment

      Bed
      Sephy does best with elevated outdoor beds. We have a couple outside and one inside. He treats soft beds like chew toys and he digs on his beds, so anything that is furry doesn’t work well with him.
      http://shibashake.com/dog/finding-the-best-dog-bed

      Crate and Play Pen
      I have a couple of open wire-frame crates for my Sibes. Sephy seems to prefer the more enclosed plastic crates though, so we have a couple of those too. The plastic crates are useful for transport.

      Here is more on puppy supplies-
      http://shibashake.com/dog/new-puppy-supplies-what-a-puppy-needs

  4. Emma says

    March 4, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    Im getting a siberian husky pup next friday (14th march) I’ve got the name Nala in my head for her. It seems like it would suit her. Just wondered what people thought on the name ..

    Reply
    • shibashake says

      March 5, 2014 at 12:20 pm

      Congratulations on your upcoming puppy!

      I think that Nala is a wonderful name. She is one of my favorite characters in Lion King. I later found out that the word means “beloved”, which is so appropriate for our best friend. 😀

  5. Jane mckinnon says

    February 16, 2014 at 5:36 am

    I have two shibas my boy is called syris and my baby girl is carla I am getting a new baby boy and I am looking for a Japanese name for him.

    Reply
    • shibashake says

      February 16, 2014 at 10:34 pm

      A bunch of ideas here-
      http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/5163

      I am a big fan of anime, so I would probably go with a favorite anime character. 😀

  6. Iris Almond says

    February 15, 2014 at 11:47 pm

    We got our female Dachshund and she was already named Pippin. Our next Dachshund came with the name Freckles. Pippin’s son, Sammy, was named by me. He was the smallest in his litter, but the oldest, so I named him after Sampson, a very strong man in the Bible. He has grown into his name nicely, and is a very strong little Dachshund.

    Reply
  7. Ken says

    February 15, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    Were going to have a new 5 month old black and white male Brittany spaniel/Australian shepherd mix tomorrow and I can’t quite figure out what to name him. Any thoughts?
    Ken

    Reply
    • shibashake says

      February 16, 2014 at 10:22 pm

      I always liked the name Bandit for a black and white.

      I also like Caleb and Stark.

      Big hugs to your puppy!

  8. brian says

    January 29, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    Frankie is n nice name for a small dog….

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      August 8, 2014 at 12:28 pm

      Can I have ideas for my English bull terrier red and white idk what to call him

  9. Neha yonzon says

    December 20, 2013 at 3:44 pm

    I have a white coloured puppy with black fur on her face.suggest a name for her

    Reply
    • Len says

      January 5, 2014 at 12:17 pm

      I just got a precious little shiba inu boy and I’m hitting a blank on names! I was thinking something two syllable. He’s a black shiba with white markings and is a total wild love bug! Any suggestions?

    • shibashake says

      January 6, 2014 at 1:23 pm

      I have always liked the name Loki for a male Shiba. 😀

  10. Evie says

    December 8, 2013 at 1:28 am

    My Collpie ( Kelpie x Collie ) is called Flash because he runs like the the superhero The Flash!

    Reply
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