"A Rose by any other name..."

So what does it matter what name you give your dog. He or she will still be a dog, and you'll still love and care for him or her, right?

Well, you're almost right. We at Pet Guardian Angels of America (PGAA)™ think there are some things you should bear in mind when thinking of names for your pup...so, here they are:

• Your pup will learn to respond to the "sound" of its name. They won't actually know what their name means, but they will take their cue from how you say it (their name). Dogs have difficulty "learning" names that are more than two (2) syllables long (that's why all the basic obedience/training commands are short -- usually only two syllables (or sounds) long).
• Don't name your pup with words that sound like or rhyme with words that sound like or rhyme with words that you will use in training.
• Dogs won't know that the word you've named them is "funny", but they will "sense" the attitude with which you speak that name. So please don't "make fun" of your dog with its name.
• Did you know that the most frequently used names for dogs are King, Duke, Prince, Princess, Queenie, followed by those names that reflect color; Blackie, Spot, Goldie? See if you can be more original than that.
• If your pup is a pure-breed, you may have to decide on two names -- one that you register with the AKC, CKC, etc., and one that you use all the time. The latter is your pup's "Call Name". For example, the registered name of one of our Goldens is Mademoiselle du Luc, not a name she understands. She moves to "Maddie".

  Some call names bear little relationship to the registered name, while others are taken (as Maddie's) from one of the words in the registered name.