10 tips to help you choose the perfect name for your new pet

Pets Articles | January 18, 2010

Rufus, Pickles, Bailey or Max?

Choosing pet names is a lot of fun but with so many options, it can also be a challenge! The most important thing to remember is to pick a name that you like and that also suits your pet’s appearance and personality. With this in mind, we’ve put together 10 pet naming tips to help inspire you and keep you on the right track:

1) Make sure you know your pet’s gender. This may sound like a very obvious tip, but I’ve known many pet owners who, a few weeks, months or even years down the line, have suddenly realized that their ‘Jack’ is actually a ‘Jill’!

2) Keep it simple. One or two syllable names are easiest to call out and for your pet to understand. If you really want a long name like Sergeant Pepper Paws, make sure it can be shortened to something like “Serge” or “Pepper” for everyday use, and that you like the shortened form.

3) Avoid names that sound like commands. For example, the name “Fletch” sounds very much like “Fetch”, which may confuse your pet (of course this tip is only relevant to pets that will actually obey you, such as dogs).

4) Don’t choose a name that you will be embarrassed to call out in public. I named one of my first childhood pets, a calico cat, “Chocolate Fart Bum”. It was immediately changed to “Chocky” when my mother took her for her first visit to the vet!

5) Let your imagination run wild. Pet names can be witty, famous, regal, related to your hobbies…whatever it is that appeals to you. A friend of mine is a golf fanatic so he named his cats Putter and Birdie.

6) Let your pet’s appearance inspire you. When you first get a new pet, it may take you a while to get to know its true personality, and as it grows, its behavior may change. Your pet’s appearance, on the other hand, is much more likely to stay constant. Examples of naming pets according to their appearance include Noodle for a Dachshund and Oreo for a black and white cat.

7)Use your pet’s breed for inspiration. For example, choose a French name for your Bichon Frise, a Scottish name for your Scottish Fold or an African name your Rhodesian Ridgeback.

8) Consult pet naming books and websites for ideas. These resources will provide you with hundreds if not thousands of options ranging from the most popular pet names to the more exotic.

9)Let your pet guide you. Create a shortlist of names that you like and then try calling them out to your pet. Its response just might help you pick the perfect one!

10) Be respectful – don’t pick names that will demean your pet.

If you use these pet naming guidelines, chances are you won’t go wrong. And if you do…don’t worry

, you won’t be the first person in history to change their pet’s name. I should know!

Further resources:

http://petnamesplace.com

http://dognamesplace.com

http://catnamesplace.com

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maria Birch is a writer, television producer and a contributor to www.petnamesplace.com, a website with hundreds of the very best pet names for pets of all kinds.