Name That Pup! Why Names Matter More Than You Think

What’s in a name?

We spend a lot of time naming our puppy.  Whether it be a name that reminds you of a happy place, or a name you think is cool, or a sport you love, etc., you spent considerable time coming up with the perfect name for your dog!

Your dog honestly doesn’t care what you call him - he doesn’t speak English, or for that matter, human.  He hears sounds and syllables, and sometimes those sounds and syllables have meanings.  But his name is important, whatever that name may be, and it is well worth the effort to teach your dog what his name is….. effectively.

A dog who knows his name will respond to his name.  He will respond to his name if a squirrel or cat is running in his path, if he’s currently rummaging through the garbage, if he’s running loose down the road, or if he’s sitting across the room.  Imagine your dog has run out your front door and is running happily down the road - you are yelling a set of human sounds he hasn’t learned, expecting him to stop and come back and he’s “ignoring you”.  In that scenario, you can be fairly certain he has not learned his name to that level of distraction.

So, let’s teach your new dog/puppy his name!  This applies to a new puppy, or a new rescue dog as well.

The Name Game:

Start with some yummy treats.  Say your dog’s name and give them a treat.  Say your dog’s name again, and give them a treat.  Now we’re talking!  You have your dog’s attention now!  Now say your dog’s name and when they orient towards you by turning their head, or meeting your eyes, mark that behavior with a “YES”, “GOOD” or my particular favorite, a clicker.  Then follow that with a treat.  This is a fun and easy game.

Follow with short training sessions often of NAME, mark and reward.  As they get better, start changing the inflection in your voice so their name has meaning regardless of the emotion behind the sound.  Always, mark and reward.  The Name game is a great way to start all training sessions.  You can give them a challenge by holding a treat straight out from your side (they’ll naturally look at the treat) say their name, and mark and reward when they give up looking at the treat and turn to you.

While training your dog to know their name, be sure you aren’t saying their name over and over and over again without any consequence (a treat!) for responding.  While in training, keep that word, that sound, that well thought out special name, special.  All your further training will be enhanced by your dog truly knowing their name!

Gentle Touch Pet Training, Training dogs on the Central Coast with Positive Reinforcement since 1999