Naming Your Pet

Getting a new pet leads to many decisions: what to feed, where the pet will sleep and, of course, what its name will be. People are often reluctant to change a pet’s name, thinking that doing so will be too confusing for the dog or cat. We recommend giving a new name to your new pet, however. The dog or cat could have a negative association with its old name (if his name was used as punishment or screamed at him) or no association at all (if he was never taught to pay attention). Also, a new name is a symbol of the pet’s new life in a new home.

Changing a name is simple. When your pet is nearby, say his new name and then give a treat. Do this five or six times. Shortly after, when your pet isn’t looking at you, say his name. If he looks at you, praise and give a couple treats. If he doesn’t, repeat the name-and-treat scenario a few more times. Eventually your pet will know to look to you when he hears his name.

Or, you can combine her new name and old name to ease the transition (this works best if the dog is responding to her name). For example, if your dog’s name was Autumn and you want to change it to Zelda, call her AutumnZelda for a few days. Then, try just calling her Zelda and see if she responds. If so, be sure to praise her!