What should I name my puppy?
Wry Cooter is still available.
What should I name my puppy?
Wry Cooter is still available.
I have a cat named Small. She was the runt of her litter. I am seriously entertaining the thought of calling the dog Big.
also Ben did you omit my links on purpose or by accident?
Sweetums is good for a seriously large muppety dog.
I'd absolutely name it Tinkerbell, regardless of gender, but my bff has a dog named Tinkerbell already.
"yet another of the things told of Finn was that he wept only twice in all his life, and once was for the death of Bran, his favourite hound, and once was for the death of Osca."
Peaseblossom, Moth, or Mustardseed?
Name it "Tiny". The quotation marks are part of the name.
Would I have to do air quotes every time I said its name?
(it is going to need a name-sign eventually)
I'm at Dick's looking at a machine called the glove steamer.
Also the name needs to be something that I can call, and that will not be frequently shouted in other contexts. I learned that lesson by having a dog named What.
I intended the post to have links to a puppy and a grownup for everyone to exclaim over.
Call it Sirius. Then when people say "that is one serious dog" it will look at them quizzically and you can say, "Sirius, be serious!"
Yahoo Serious is still...no, wait, never mind.
Maybe if I call it "Doctor", over time I can fool myself into having a more positive attitude about medical doctors.
That seems like it might backfire though
I don't think you guys understood the lesson in 14
Deci
Centi
Milli
Micro
Nano
Pico
Femto
Atto
I don't know about the avoiding common words/names: when you call a dog's (or cat's) name, isn't it the tone of voice in which you call it that resonates? The sing-songy voice?
(I've had cats named "Boy" and the current one is named "Monkey" which I suppose is not a common thing you hear people shouting out, but calling them is only workable when called in That Voice/Tone.)
Anyway, I'd call the dog what seems appropriate to his/her personality, and your relationship, once you've gotten acquainted.
"Kitty."
I win. Everyone go home. All power to Flippanter.
What came every time a kid yelled "Mom" and my mom yelled back "what?" (or vice versa). It was funny but I'd rather not have it happen again.
Also to call him to come in from the back yard or park or whatever we had to yell WHAT" and explaining it all the time was a nuisance.
I have two other questions up there that are being sadly neglected. Tips and tricks!
My mom wants to train a dog to grovel on command (hind legs standing, front legs stretched out) but I think she can use one of my brothers' dog for that
I also don't have a strong opinion about male v female. One brother says absolutely get a female for sure, males get all weird and aggro around other dogs. (his dog is a female, the other two are males). But it's hard to take that too seriously because I know lots of counterexamples. What do you guys think about that?
Oooh, mastiff. I love mastiffs. There's a Cane Corso in my building that is my current favorite dog.
Groveling should be easy, because they do that naturally (it's an invitation to play).
Dogbreath's only real trick was 'Find the biscuit", which was also pretty easy to train. If you've got the dog trained to sit and stay, you put a biscuit on the floor where that can see it, and then tell the dog to go find it. Ramp up the difficulty gradually, and you can get the dog searching a room pretty effectively, which looks fairly impressive.
maybe I'll name it Dogbreath for real
Eventually I'm aspiring to move up to tricks like "come sit by me if someone knocks on the door" and "go find Barb" and, after the essentials are covered, "bring me a beer"
Every dog we ever had would search the floor for food just out of habit.
Sure, but rummage through couch cushions? Check behind potted plants?
The brother's dog staying here right now has recognized* that I am sick, so he's spending all his time by bed even though he's terrified of my cat (who is on the bed). It's very endearing.
*smelled, I assume
the beginning of 43 is pretty rough. I have 3 brothers, each brother has a dog, one of the dogs is in Montana while the brother is in Mongolia.
If I ever have a dog (which I won't) I will name it Count Dogula.
My childhood cat had other names, but his title was the Count DelMonte, known as "Peaches" to close friends.
My grandfather had a dog named Peaches. He was named after a referee my grandfather liked or didn't like.
One of my best When I Was a Kid stories is about What, and how he got his name.
Awwww. That dog is going to be an adorable puppy and such a great enormous dog. Balance dogs are neat, I hope he or she has good instincts for it. (I have no dog owning experience. The boyfriend's family preferred female dogs for personality/trainability.)
My favorite trick is hard to teach: getting them to do the full-body water removing shake on the command of "shake." I find it endlessly amusing. The most useful command I've seen (on the best trained dog ever) was "mush" which meant "go about 15 feet away and stay there, sitting or lying down, until I motion that you can return."
My sister's dog does "Back Up" which is when he is lying down by the door ready to go out, he is blocking the door, so he scoots backwards a few feet without standing up. (her rule is the dogs lie down at the door if they want to go out)
That's more of a name for a vet shop, I guess. And "Nelson" would be a good name for a dog walker. Expect everyone to do their dooty.
5: accidentally. Considerate correspondents write out the relevant HTML!
55 an actual puppy in the sense of I have paid a lady in California a deposit, but not an actual puppy in the sense that it exists.
Somewhere in California, there's a dog who won't get it up for less than $1,000 paid in advance.
My wife has two heelers and she went with Jack for the bigger male and Truffles for the little female. This is them with their ridiculous backpacks on a neighborhood hike.
No, no. They don't look completely absurd at all.
With both kids now officially out of high school I figure a couple dogs is a much cheaper option than my wife wanting another kid.
Cheaper, but kids look better with backpacks.
Of course, the time before you can toilet train them is so much shorter for dogs.
Doggy Mcdogface
Don't ever tease it or teach it to play rough.
69: No rough play is a rough sell with the herding breeds who AFAICt have a default setting of "let's bite each other's faces for fun".
I think flippanter won. kitty it is.
50 is pretty great and suggests at least eight other names. Messily, wouldn't you like to shout "I don't care!" or "Why?" at the park?
Well, no. And also I don't want the dog to run to people who say that. (Hopefully the dog will eventually be trained well enough that that is not a problem)
My local dog got really upset when I was in my room all day and didn't come down for dinner. He spent 30-40 minutes running downstairs to the kitchen, barking, coming back to my room, sitting in the doorway and barking out. Just like Lassie! Except I wasn't in a well.
I haven't taught my dog any party tricks but when my indoor cat got out through a loose screen he was able to track him down for me.
Also because over the past 30 years my family has had:
-a dog named Rabbit
-a cat named Mouse
-a lizard named Turtle
When I hear "kitty," I think of Cartman.
Maybe one of those Salish names that doesn't have any vowels, and has that q to the w power letter.
Or you could go with more vowels. The internet says that the Blackfoot word for fox is máóhkataatoyi
Nobody is using "Gawker" these days.
Good god that animal is enormous.
82: My company named a product after the "Native American" word for "raccoon." Needless to say my eyes never really satisfactorily unrolled.
We are also getting a puppy in a few weeks when everyone repatriates.
If you're looking for things that are fun to yell, you could go with Stella.
18: Whoa, I had completely forgotten about the existence of Yahoo Serious. I had to google the name to figure out why it sounded familiar.
"I know those words but that sign makes no sense."
My parents nearly completely exhausted the letters of the Greek alphabet for cat (plus one dog) names. Plus a stray that they simply call Grey Boy. They've now acquired a Charlie from a cat rescue so are thinking of moving over to the NATO phonetic alphabet if they get any more cats. Currently have Eta, Alpha, Phi, Epsilon, Upsilon, Grey Boy and Charlie. Think that's all.
Our dog is called Dylan. After Thomas, not Bob. We could probably teach him more things than we have. This week whilst watching him hunt for his ball amongst rockpools my son said it would be good if he understood left and right - I guess sheepdogs learn similar commands, so those would be useful.
I once knew a delightful mastiff called Babe (her Sunday name was Baby). Her party trick was for her owner to toss her a bag of crisps (potato chips), which she would catch in mid air, swallow the crisps and spit out the empty bag, apparently in a single move.
Sounds dangerous, the dog could have aspirated the bag. Impressive trick though.
92 Gotta train a dachshund to do that to a can of Pringles.
91 Sled dogs learn different commands for right and left turns.
If I had a large dog, which I never will, I would call it Theoderic the Animal, but nobody I know IRL would get the joke.
Wuff! Because that way you can teach your dog to say its own name.
Also when you call it you will sound like an crazy person that thinks they are a dog.
Some people I knew thought it wise to call their cat God, either because it thought it was, or because it was the opposite of a D-O-G (the story varied). But after a few weeks of going out at bed time and yelling "God! God! Where are you, you stupid little bastard!?" it got old, and they called it Cat instead.
Re: tricks, this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqmW9mvwxeI) makes me feel inadequate and inspired. This one (dancing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GPC-XvPV4o) makes me laugh. I love how happy her dog looks.
I think the male/female dog thing is bunk and just people projecting their stereotypes. There's so much variation in temperament among dogs that knowing a dog is male or female doesn't really give you any more information. Also if you get a puppy, it'll be too late because what ever you get you'll love.
Friends of friends had a dog named Monkey which was great. I'm naming things after 'ancient people whose names start with H-E' (Hector and Hera) but that might be a little restricted (I can think of two more so it might be okay). I will gift you my name for a big dog - Pippy Longstocking. Also Chiquita Banana.
Puppy Longstocking for when it's small. And Pepe Longstocking if it turns out to be a Chihuahua.
I don't think a chihuahua would be a very good balance dog
They're so low to the ground that they have perfect balance.
Beast that size, all you have to do is strap yourself to the saddle, you'll balance just fine.
A beast the size of 16.2 that is. With a beast the size of a chihuahua the saddle will be resting on the ground, so you'll still be good.
Come to think of it, while perfectly balanced, my sister's chihuahua shakes pretty much continually. That's not good.
You wouldn't feel it through the saddle.
101: after a few weeks of going out at bed time and yelling "God! God! Where are you, you stupid little bastard!?" it got old, and they called it Cat instead.
I like this story. While "you stupid little bastard" was never my style (don't get me started about the way our neighbors speak to/yell at their dogs), it never worked around here to call the cat eventually called Boy by his original name, Blackheart. Calling out "Blackheart! Blackheart! Bedtime!" just sounded ... altogether unappetizing, not to mention inappropriate to his spirit. No wonder the cat never responded until we changed it to Boy (short for "BoyCat", meant to sound sort of like Blackheart for the transition period). Really, he chose his own name in that regard.
I see that upthread Messily asked for responses to the second part of her query: the tips and tricks.
I'm not a dog person, and I figure your brother the dog trainer knows more than anyone, but one of the best essays I've ever read about this is Vicki Hearne's "How to Say 'Fetch'".
That's the third of a series of essays in a book-length treatment of a wider philosophical topic, so take with a grain of salt the phil-style references. The down and dirty stuff about what goes on in forms of communication, here in training a dog, are important, it seemed and seems to me as I reread it. (I later taught this book in a Phil course on animal language and intelligence. The kids love it.)
Recommended. Though I understand if it's too much.
Thanks!
We had a neighbor when I was growing up with a dog named Butkis. That's a little too much for me.
Let's take this thread to 9 Billion Names of Dog, and then, without any fuss, we can watch the stars winking out.
This little dance (sound/silliness warning): https://twitter.com/darth/status/789294647436640256
What should I name my puppy? What crucial aspects of dog ownership have I forgotten about?
Your puppy should have a name of only one or two syllables, and the first syllable should begin with a hard consonant. Seriously, it's easier for both you and the dog to bestow a name that can be uttered quickly and sharply.
Will your puppy be house-trained by the time he or she comes to live with you? Having house-trained a couple of young puppies, I can attest that it takes time, patience, and a sense of humour (though, on the other hand, it's easier than toilet-training a small child!).
it's easier than toilet-training a small child!
That's only because locking children in small cages while they're sleeping is frowned upon as a training method. Although I guess that's what a crib is.
We're likely naming our puppy after the city where we spent the last year, although I don't know how the city's residents would feel about that.
I have a great plan for the FB reveal.
119: oh, maybe.
120:Yeah, house-trained and some basic training (sit, come,no biting, and a bunch of noise/sensitivity training). The breeder has a facebook group where she posts tons of videos and I followed the last litter- she starts training them at like 5 days and they're in amazing shape by 8 weeks.
If I did a long name, I'd use a shorter nickname for real life. No one should refrain from suggesting long ridiiculous names on this basis.
Suggestions from my household include Horsey, Secretariat, Doglet, and Dollop. Also available is the name that was runner-up for our current cat: Little Flower Sweetie Pie.
I can't have a cat because I don't want to catch depression from it and because I would have trouble not naming it "Kitler."
I can't have a cat because my dog would strenuously object; and I prefer dogs to cats, and always have, and probably always will.
Like, whenever I take one of those "Are You a Cat Person or a Dog Person?" tests, I come up as the mother of a timber wolf, or something.
121: Selah went through a long stretch of using "crib" and "crate" interchangeably and I was always a little worried we'd end up with an abuse/neglect allegation because of it. She adores the dog, lets the cats in her bed now, but has never ever slept in a crate.
There are a couple of names from Carl Sandburg stories that are frontrunners. Miney Mo, Peter Potato Blossom Wishes, Henry Hagglyhoagly. (also a good source for band names)
I think I'm going to use "get in your box" for crate training. Or maybe "back in the box!"
The more I think about it, the more I like togolosh's Count Dogula. It's suitably grand and, if you need to yell for him across the nieghborhood, you can just yell "Count".
Miney Mo, Peter Potato Blossom Wishes, Henry Hagglyhoagly.
Either "Miney" or "Mo" would be great. And maybe "Tater" as a shorthand for "Peter Potato Blossom Wishes"? Or perhaps "Pete" or "Petey"? "Henry" also good, but "Hagglyhoagly" perhaps does a disservice to the canine abilities of your puppy. He or she desperately wants to please, to fit in, but you know, a dog is a dog, and why make things more difficult for the little guy or the little gal?
My English teacher in 6th grade claimed that a popular name for dogs in Central America was "Sandino". I haven't confirmed that.
Yes. Among the things in my head become not inchoate.
Bulldogs should always be named "Rex"
My 7th-grade English teacher told us we were barbarians because we didn't know how to pronounce "err" properly. He was a defrocked priest who drove a taxi-cab by night, and he had a lovely German Shepherd. Father, er Mister, Redmond, and he married my sister's Social Studies teacher.
what was the German Shepherd's name?
123: I don't want to be cruel, but I'm beginning to feel that the key to getting good names out of your family is for you (them) (her) to provide a very, very long list of suggestions. Eventually a few will be winners.
I love you so much and your daughter has many other skills!
I thought dogs weren't allowed to marry Social Studies teachers back then.
I love you so much and your daughter has many other skills!
xoxoxox!
I should note also that for a very long time the only names she ever came up with for any beloved toy or creature, ever, at all, would be [what it's called] + y. Let's name this rabbit... Rabbity! Let's call the fox... Foxy! This is my pillow... Pillowy!
Fortunately, as you say, she has many other fine qualities.
Back when I was adorable enough to get away with this kind of shit, I named our family dog "Polly" after the protagonist in a book I loved about a girl who got a puppy for Christmas.
When I was that adorable, Gerald Ford was president.
Predictably I named our rabbit after one of those in Watership Down except I gave our female rabbit the name of a male character.
what was the German Shepherd's name?
Cannot recall. But Father, er Mister, Redmond's first name was Frank (so: Francis). He was sort of messed-up, but he had a lot of great stories. He used to sometimes recite verse in Latin, and call us barbarians because we did not understand (all Jude-the-Obscure-like), but he was a good egg, and a great teacher to kids who were deemed "spec ed" and not on the fast track to wealth and glory and etc. He took those kids seriously, and gave unpaid time and effort to help place them on the right track. He was my own second cousin twice removed.
144: If it's good enough for Pee-Wee Herman...
And YES to Rutabaga Story names. Ah, to live in the Village of Cream Puffs!
144: We had a cat I named Soft followed by a guinea pig I named Fluffy. Thank goodness I won't ever need to name humans.
My family gives humans the same six or seven names. It works really well, except at family reunions.
We had a hamster named Wally, because rhyming. He died and mom made me bury him. I used the box that checks come in.
My family gives humans the same six or seven names.
My family probably gives humans the same six or seven names. It's all in the nicknames, though. Some of us sound like puppies, or something.
For a while, my grandma had dogs named Jenny and Bessie, there were cousins called Jessie and Lexy, and me and my sister were Ceci and Jocie. No one every called any of us the correct name the first time- they would just run through the list until they hit the name that felt right.
Someplace on the Internet (Jenny Lawson? Dinosaur Comics), I came across "Bob Barker" as a suggested dog name, which I think quite clever. You could also go with "Charles Barkley," I suppose. For dogs this size, though, I would be tempted by a famous horse name like Secretariat or Hoof Hearted.
A woman at the river has a giant white-ish pink pitbull named Pig. It suits the dog well because there's a second when you double-check.
Don't name your dog Stella. I know three dogs named Stella and it isn't that fun to shout.
There's a blue mastiff puppy at the park these days and I wish I could cuddle it all the times.
I actually dislike dogs a lot but German Shepherds are so beautiful I just want to stare at them. Like people must think I'm a dog rustler sometimes.
Don't knock it until you try shouting Stella while ripping off your t-shirt.
Like people must think I'm a dog rustler sometimes.
You probably don't want to know what they are actually thinking.
OTOH there's this old man with an absurd dirty-looking puffball lapdog which sits behind the sidewalk cafe chair which he occupies nearly every day as I walk past to work and good God but one of these days I will lack the willpower not to kick the thing like a rugby conversion.
Horse name - Shergar. Or Red Rum.
When we were naming our dog, we landed on a dog name website which suggested (amongst other less memorable options) Nostril and Melonhead.
Maybe not so good as names, but could you train it to drop (or similar) when asked "Please Gimme" or "Gimme the Ax"?
For a while, I thought it was funny to teach little kids to say "red rum." But then I matured, plus hardly anybody gets it these days.
I love 166.3.
But, looking up other names I found this Rootabaga Stories worksheet (pdf) which is just depressing.
166.3 and 168.2 are both correct.
161: That's my cousin's name because my aunt insisted on talking to the child every night in utero and my uncle countered you might as well be hollering into the night and would start every fetal conversation that way. It stuck.
If it was a boy, they could have used Stanley.
Also the puppy is going to come from a ranch between Sacramento and San Francisco, so there COULD be a puppy-meet-up in the works.
8: My grandad had a mad collie named Finn.
You could train the dog in a language no one else speaks, like Esperanto.
175. It would just go and live with George Soros.
Movie plot: Climactic battle, bad guy with attack dog is about to kill the hero by commanding his dog, which no one else can control because they don't know the language he's using. Then George Soros appears and saves the day.
Don't attack dogs respond only to commands in German? Was the Boys from Brazil a lie? Certainly are enough Hitler clone types around now.
They respond to copy editing comments. That's why people say "(Sic) 'em".
I just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying the word 'gargalossal.'
