Your Dog’s Name

Does your dog really know his/her name? or is it just another sound that comes out of you? Their name should have a specific meaning when they hear it. The tone in which their name is spoken is also important, even more so,  because they learn the different tones and meaning for each one.

Be consistent when using your tone and their name only when you need them to complete a specific task. Use a nickname for all other times. Nicknames are pet names-different than their real name, e.g. smooches, boober, treasure, little angel, puppy, my precious etc.

Only use their real name when:

1. You have more than one dog and you need to specify which one you’re speaking to.

2. Your dog is distracted; Use their name before giving other commands.

3. You want your dog to follow you or stop running and/or return to you.

It’s not just the dog’s name that people over-use, it’s many other words dogs become desensitized from. To help your dog understand what you’re saying, always follow up… Call your local -dog friendly- trainer to find out how.

Note: When I trained animal actors, we used other sounds like a kissy or click of the tongue sound when we needed them to look at us, before giving a command or tossing them treats. This also helped us avoid walking in front of the camera. I’ve made a video tutorial on how to get your dog to look at you, It was the first Howto video I ever put together.  CATCH TREATS

One-syllable words like Max, Bart, Huck get your dog’s attention easier but names with two (or 3) syllables also work. Here’s a partial list of names, all from dogs I’ve trained:
Axle, Ashly, Alvin, Auggie, Amigo, Annie, Barnzie, Bess, Bosco, Beaufort, Bear, Brandy, Bond, Buddy, Buster, Billy Boy, Ben, Benny, Buck, Bunker, Bristol, BuBu, Brandy, Brando, Bart, Boomer, Blue, Bruin, Cooper, Crackers, Cuervo, Creature, Chelsea, Chilli, Capernicus, Coco, Christy, Champ,Chandler, Chance, Chulo, Cassie, Cleo, Charlie, Clint, Clyde, Corky, Darling, D’artagnan, Dexter, Delila, Dallas, Dex, Dango, Dakota, Delta, Doushke, Duke, Duncan, Echo, Eddy, Elie, Elza, Emily, Friday, Freyja, Frado, Finn, George, Gretchen,Gamer, Gap, Gunner, GiGi, Gus, Ginger, Griff, Goa, Gretta, Harper, Harley, Hamish, Hank, Henry, Holly, Huck, Hunter, Indy, Isabell, Ice, Instant, Inks, Ivan, Indiana, Jasper, Jack, Jeb, Joe, JoJo, J.P., Kimba, Kyoto, Keiko, Kenji, Kumi, Kodiak, Kamalli, Lady, Lucky, Lily, Lucy, Lulu, Lolla, Magic, Maverick, Moxie, Murphy, Muffin, Mikey, Micky, Mojo, Mr. Wilson, Mack, Max, Maggie, Moose, Milan, Nina, Nikki, Nugget, Oliver, Ollie, Oreo, Otis, Oscar, Pal, Patches, Peanut, Penelope, Pepper, Piper, Price Pesa, Princess, Picabo, Phoenix, Petunia, Pesky, Rusty, Riley, Rocky, Rosy, Ruby, Rupert, Rufas, Roxy, Rowdy, Rorie, Saba, Shilo, Sasha, Snowy, Samba, Simon, Savanna, Schultz, Scout, Scooter, Smoosh, Schatzie, Shamis, Sandy, Sky, Sika, Snoopy, Star, Sunny, Sage, Scratch, Sniff, Stretch, Sophie, Tortilla, Teak, Thor, Tony, Teddy Tucker, Varmet, Vegas, Wanda, Wags, Winston, Wilson, Wendy, Zalman, Zach, Zoe, Zip