Naming Your Purebred Dog
Unlike some aspects of dog or dogs ownership, naming your dog or dogs is just plain fun! The pets themselves don't require much; they just need a pleasing dog or dogs name they can identify with when you give them commands. But if you plan to show a purebred dog or dogs in competitions, there's a lot to consider when it's time to choose a dog or dogs name for your dog's American Kennel Club certificate. Let's start at the beginning.
The name of the kennel your dog or dogs came from is part of his show name. Usually, it's the first part of his name as it appears on the certificate. If you purchased your dog or dogs from a show kennel, then the kennel's name should be first, such as: Dexy's Fido. If you bred the dog or dogs yourself, then use your own original kennel name. You can also use a combination such as 'Dexy's Fido of (your kennel name here)' so that your dog's name reflects both where he comes from and where he now resides.
Originality is important when choosing a show dog or dogs name. The American Kennel Club (AKC) doesn't allow duplicate dog or dogs names, and will ask you to choose another name if your pick is already taken.
Unusual dog or dogs names with creative spelling attract attention to your dog or dogs in a show catalog, while reducing the chance that you've nearly duplicated another dog's name. For example, 'Dexy's Hi-Jac' is a cute play on the word hijack. It's catchy yet original, and offers a great built-in theme for the future if you advertise your dog or dogs in breed and show magazines. You could use, "He'll hijack your heart" for your ads. Cute, right?
Once you've selected your dog's 'paper name', the work isn't over. You'll still need to settle on a shorter dog or dogs 'call name' for everyday reference. Using our example of Dexy's Hi-Jac, the name Jack immediately suggests itself for the dog's call name, while directly referring us back to his official dog or dogs name on the AKC papers.
So, now that you know the basics of dog or dogs naming, you're ready to choose a dog or dogs name that will serve you well both at home and in the show ring.