Best Dog Names

When you think of your dog, does it make you happy, do you smile? Well you should, because you love and care for this critter more than anything, they're a part of the family and they belong. So, with that said, it makes sense to find the very best name for your dog. A distinctive name that you can associate "warmly" with and that makes your pet even that much more endearing.

When you name your dog you are adding to his or her personality and charm - or, unfortunately, detracting from it! It's similar to naming a child, in that you want a name that will promote their social well-being - you want them to fit in, while also being unique in their own right.

If you name your dog something that isn't fitting to them, or that has negative associations, you are setting them up for problems. People may avoid or think less of them, because of the name. I remember as a kid (a very long time ago), it seemed like every mean, junk yard dog, I encountered, was named "butch." To this day I avoid dogs named "butch." You may have had similar experiences.

A name like "killer" may lead to problems for example, if you have a pit-bull. Take your time and really think about your dog's breed, personality and temperament and you will most certainly come-up with a better name. Get lots of feedback from family and friends and lastly, imagine yourself calling your dog in a crowded park.

You have an adorable little Chihuahua chico or chica,, or possibly another small bandido needing a cool name. The best dog names for a small dog are very often Spanish, in my opinion. So to come up with some more great dog names, I did a little research and came up with the following.

Of course there are some standards like taco, or papi, but I wanted to go beyond the obvious choices. I also wanted to stick with one or two syllables, as this makes it easier for the dog to learn.

Some good Spanish dog names for males are: "Bruno," (meaning - a little black plum or plum tree); "Che" (from Argentinean expression meaning - hey!); "vato" ("man/guy"): "Ciro" (from name Cyrus); "Desi" (from Latin - longing or derire); "Fausto," (meaning from Latin - lucky); "Felix" (from Latin - successful); "Fidel" (from Latin - Faithful); {"Goyo" (from Greek - watchful, alert); "Hugo" (meaning -heart, mind, spirit); "Jorge" (from Greek - farmer); "Jose" (from Joseph); "Nacho" (from Ignacio -Latin - meaning fire); "Pablo" (from Paul - meaning, small, humble); "Paco" (from Francisco, Latin meaning "frenchman"); "Pancho" (also from Francisco).

Good Spanish female dog names include: "Alba" (meaning -'dawn"); "Ana" (from New Testament - mother of the Virgin Mary); "Berta" (from English/German, Bertha - meaning, bright, famous); "Charo" (from Rosario, meaning - rosary); "Concha" (from Conchita - meaning, seashell); "Chita" (also from Conchita); "Dalia" (from the flower "dahlia"); "Dora" (from Isidora, a 4th century saint); "Dulce" (meaning sweet or candy); "Inez" (from Latin, meaning chaste); "Lupe" (from Guadalupe, a Spanish place name and famous convent); "Paca" (shortened form of Francisca - latin, frenchman); "Pia" (from Latin, pius, dutiful); "Rosa" (from the flower -rose).

Bueno! I think that should get you started, thinking about the best fitting name for your dog or puppy in Spanish. This research was fun, and I hope to do even more with Spanish dog names in the future. Adios.

You've got a beautiful beach lovin' dog, or puppy who loves ridin' the waves. Or, perhaps you have a little "hodad" who just enjoys a good dig in the sand , or who loves basking in the warm sun. Can you picture this scene? If you can, than it's a surfer dog name for your little"kahuna."

This is a truly unique dog name that will set your best friend and companion apart from all the others. A distinctive name for sure! Imagine the attention your newly named dog will garner at the beach with one of these, while (s)he dodges the "heavies," "honkers," and "bamboras." Beginning with the surfer dudes and bros" These are all actual first names of male hall of fame surfers:

Skip, (hall of fame surfers first names)

Brock,

Corky,

Mikkio, mik-yo,

Cheyne,

Reno,

Ritchie,

Lance,

Buttons,

Wing,

Buzzy,

Robbie,

Owl,

And now some "bitchin" names for the "wahines," "dudettes" and "surf bunnies:"

Frieda, free-da, (name of hall of fame female surfer)

Bobbie, bob-ee (famous surfer)

Sunny, sun-ee (famous female surfer)

Gidget, (from 1959 movie, "Gidget "beach movie, with Sandra Dee)

Mamala, ma-malah, (polynesian demi-goddess of surfing, fearless and recognized as first female surfer)

Rochelle, ro-shell, (famous female surfer)

Faye, (Faye Baird Fraser, first woman to surf in San Diego)

Rell, (Rell Sunn , famous female surfer from the 70's)

Jericho. Jer-ico, - (Jericho Poppler, , famous female surfer from the 70's)

Roxy, (a line of designer surf wear for women)

Layne, lay-nee, (Layne Beachley, 2008 holder of 7 world titles)

Me-shell, (Me-Shell Mijangos founder of a surf camp for women)

Enjoy your puppy, the beach and an endless summer. As the saying goes, "life is a beach." Aloha!

gmarlett, Copyright 2008, all rights reserved.

(Photo, West Coast Surfer Dog Champion Zoey, Hangs 10, courtesy of Flickr)

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The Return of Redneck Dog Names. By gmarlett

Let's face it, there are far more red neck dogs in this country than snobby uptown show dogs! So, with that fact firmly established, the need for more solid country oriented, red neck dog names continues to grow. What to name that little darlin' that will stand-out as unique, cool and pure red neck, is what really matters here and I've come-up with some more "wicked good" ones.

First for the ladies: How about some of these down-to-earth red neck names?

Maddy, ma-dy, (English from Madeline)

Norma, nor-ma, (Latin for model)

Nyla. Ny-lah, (Greek for winner)

Pegg, peg, (variant of Peggy)

Peggy-Sue, peg-e-sue, (American, Sue meaning lily) - Ok, I know, it's 3 syllables, but it's classic!

Porsha, por-sha, (unknown, possibly related to the German auto -not)

Pristine, pris-teen, (pure, uncorrupted)

Raylene, ray-leen, (American, stubborn as a mule, at least the one I knew was)

Rhiann, ree-ann, (Welsh, a mythological nymph)

Roxxy, rock-zee, (Redneck, sweet, but slow)

Ruby, ru-bee (unknown, possibly a real gem)

Sandy, san-dee (Hindu, course)

I always try to stick with 1 or 2 syllable red neck dog names for the simple reason they are easier for a dog to learn. Unfortunately, this leaves out some country classics, such as, "Sammie Jo" and "Randa- Lynn," oh well.

For the country gentleman, another serving of country-fried, red neck dog names is up.

Otis, o-tis, (Son of Otto - whoever he was)

Pervis, pur-vis, (American, son-of-a-_)

Rolly, ral-ee, (English from Roland)

Ray, ray, (French, kingly)

Rebel, reb-ell, (to resist or defy authority as in Johnny Reb) How many dogs fit this name?

Robbie, rob-ee, (cute little boy, or charismatic gang leader, redneck)

Rocky, rock-ee, (American, from the rock, or just plain thick)

Roscoe, ross-co, (Old Norse, from the deer forest)

Roy, roi, (French, regal one)

Rufus, ru-fuss, (Latin, red haired one)

Sherman, sher-mon, (Old English for woodcutter)

Spencer, spen-sir, (Old English for keeper)

A naming Tip: When teaching your dog his/her new redneck dog name, make sure you associate the name with positive things, such as, food, treats, petting and praise. They will learn the name quicker and be set-up for further commands in the future such as, "Rufus" come!

Copyright 2008, all rights reserved, by gmarlett
(Picture courtesy of Reuben the coonhound, copyright 2008)

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The "Dackel" as it is known in Germany, is a super cool little dog, with a huge personality and a determined character. Known for its intelligence and feistiness, a unique and authentic German name for this dog is imperative. The Dachshund is currently the 7th most popular dog in the United States, according to the American Kennel Club, which increases the demand for unique and fitting German names.

Often times with dogs of German origin, the registered name of the dog will indicate the breeder and kennel, using the German word, "von"(from) (name of kennel) designation. For instance, Schotzie von Hamburg. Here the dog's name is Schotzie (meaning little treasure) von (from) the Hamburg Kennel/Breeder. "Von" is also used to designate a member of the nobility in German.

Okay, here are some authentic German names, which I feel would be a good fit for smaller dogs like the dachshund. I have tried to stick with one or two syllable names, as they are easier for the dog to learn.

Starting with male names:

* Adlar, (ad-lar), "eagle"

* Aksel or Axel, (axe-el), "father of peace"

* Alric, (all-rick), "rules all"

* Dieter, (deet-ter), "peoples ruler"

* Emil, (ai-mil), "industrious"

* Fritz, (freetz), "from Frederick"

* Gunther, (gun-ther), "warrior"

* Hansel, (han-sell), "God is gracious"

* Heinz, (hinz), "household ruler"

* Jaeger, (yai-ger), "hunter"

* Jurgen, (yur-gen), "farmer"

* Kaiser, (kai-ser), "emperor"

* Lothar, (low-thar), "renown warrior"

* Manfred, (man-fred), "man of peace"

Female names and their meanings:

* Ada, (a-da), "joyful"

* Alva, (al-vah), "army of elves"

* Ava, (a-fah), "a bird"

* Bluma, (blue-mah), " a flower"

* Clotilde, (clo-til-dah), "heroine"

* Della, (dell-ah), "bright noble"

* Edda, (ed-dah), ' vigorous"

* Etta, (et-tah), 'little one"

* Felda, (fell-dah), " from the field"

* Freida, (free-dah), "peace, joy"

* Gertrud, (gare-trude), "from the
protected farm"

* Gretchen, (grey-chen), "little pearl"

* Hedy, (hay-di), "strife"

* Heidi, (hi-di), "noble, kind"

I hope that this small group of names will be helpful in naming your dachshund. I am working on a part 2 for dachshunds, picking-up alphabetically where I left off, and also some good names for larger German dogs, such as rottweilers and shepherds.

Copyright 2008, All rights reserved
(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

Some Cute Techie Names for Dogs with Geekish Owners
By Greg Marlett

How about some cute techie names for your new puppy? These are some cool names for the 21st Century and reflect the digital age we live in. For the most part, I think they're unisex names, although some might lend themselves to one sex or the other. Some of these have been popular and have been around for a while, but will undoubtedly be unique in many neighborhoods.

I will skip the meanings for some of these, as they are pretty transparent: How about the following for starters?

*Widget* refers to an application which sits on top of a web site and offers interactive features

*Gizmo* Synonymous with gadget, small electrical or, mechanical device

*Two-oh (2.0) *note: this was actually used for a human baby in Michigan, instead of Jr.

*Google

*Yahoo

*Robo* Refers to robotics and robots

*Nano * Denotes one-billionth, as in nano-second

*Adobe *Adobe Systems Inc, company that specializes in high quality network publishing software

*Apache * A public domain web server, so called because it was "a patchy web server" comprised of a lot of "patches"

*BetaBugs * Problems and errors discovered during pre-release of commercial software

*Bauhaus * German school, of form follows function

*Bitflip* Refers to 180 degree personality change

*Cyber * Refers to the world of computers and the Internet

*Cisco * The Internet Networking Company

*Dilbert * Popular comic series

*Dot-com *(a dalmatian perhaps?)

*Dubya: *Techie referrence to George W. Bush

*Ebay *(great for a beagle)

There are literally hundreds more, including different combinations such as "Cyberpunk", "Cyberpork" etc.

Of course these names will not appeal to everyone, but then again, what names will.

To be continued.

My Dog Won't Stop Barking! - Click Here

Greg Marlett, Copyright 2008, All rights reserved.

In Part I of " Redneck Dog Names,"we barely scratched the surface of viable dog and puppy names. Remember, redneck dogs are "All American types," not fancy, but decidedly rough and tough. These dogs are well suited for the country life and are happiest when treeing a coon, or helping you bring in the livestock. They are more comfortable around farm tractors, than city traffic and they absolutely love Elvis and Garth Brooks. No hip-hop please!

Here are some great names for the country ladies:

*Earlene, er-lene, (English, from Earl, meaning leader)

*Faylene, fay-lene, (unknown origin)

*Hattie, hat-ti, (Redneck, push with foot??)

*Jaylyn, jay-lin (unknown)

*Jazlean, jaz-lean (unknown)

*Jozelle, jo-zelle, (unknown)

*Layla, lay-la, (Arabic, dark beauty)

*Lexus, lex-us, (from Alexa, American, meaning defender)

*Lynndie, lin-dee, (unknown)

*Misty, miss-tee, (American, meaning covered with mist/dew)

And for the country gentleman:

*Earl, url, (English, meaning leader)

*Elrod, el-rod, (Redneck, meaning asleep under a tree??)

*Floyd, floid, (English, meaning gray)

*Forrest, for-est, (English, meaning of the woods)

*Harley, har-lee, (English, meaning spacious meadow)

*Homer, ho-mer, (Greek, meaning promise)

*Jed, jed, (American, meaning friend of God)

*Junior, june-yer, (English, meaning the young child)

*Luther, lu-ther, (English, meaning People Army)

*Micah, my-ca, (Hebrew, meaning who is like God)

I hope that these have been helpful for you and I have particularly tried to stay with one and two syllable names, as these are the best and easiest for the dog to learn. Happy hunting and stay tuned for even more Redneck dog and puppy names as we work our way through the alphabet.

By Greg Marlett, Copyright 2008, All rights reserved.

Picture courtesy of my daughter's dog Reese

So you've just decided to adopt that irresistible, adorable little lab cross puppy at the animal shelter and now you need a fitting name. Not just any name, but a cute, cool and unique dog name. Well, there's nothing better or more of a fit than a good ole' redneck name for this working class canine. A solid name representing the bedrock of America. No over-pampered little darlings here.

Starting with some solid and popular male, redneck, dog names, how about some of these for starters: Billy-Bob (Bill-Bob for short), Bo (or Beau), Cletis, Wade, Elrod, Eustice, Buck, Buddy (or Bud), Coy, and Bodean?

For the females, some of the more popular redneck names include: Amaleen, Angel, Bambi, and Daisy. Some others according to our redneck sources would be: Baylee (perfect for the beagle mix), Betty-Lou, Bobby-Jo, Candi, Cherry, Clarice, Claudette, Claudine, Desiree and Dakota.

Although we've barely scraped the surface here, this list should help get you thinking about the perfect redneck name for your new puppy. Stay tuned for Redneck Dog Names Part II.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. No publication or duplication of this article without the expressed permission of the author.

So you just purchased an Italian Greyhound puppy, or something even more exotic like a Neapolitan Mastiff or a Volpino Italiano, and you need a decent designer name for this little head turner, something that will match with perfect style.

Supposing this is a little male, some authentic names such as Agosto (venerable), or Zanipolo (little gift of God) might fill the bill. Other distinctive male names could include, Carlo (free man), Alessandro (protector/helper), or perhaps Ciro (comes from Cyrus the Persian ruler), or Pancrazio (supreme ruler).

Not only are these names distinctive, but often times equally befitting, such as Zanebono (good one) or Claudio (lame one).

Some other great names for males would include: Angelo, Antonio, Dante, Dino, Emilio, Enzo, Enrico, Ermano, Fedele, Federico,Geronimo and Giacomo. Let's not leave out these beauties either: Uberto, Ugo, Taddeo and Santo.

Now as far as the petite female puppy goes, we have some equally chic female names, such as Aldabella (beautiful), or Bambalina (little girl). Other cool names include Venitia (mercy) and Zola (little ball of earth). As with the males, there are many such to chose from and some of my other favorites include: Amadora, Bianca, Trilby, Carmela, Esta, Felice, Jolanda, Lia, Phebe, Quorra, Rosseta and Vanni.

If you should happen to have both a male and female pup, how about naming them Fedele and Felice or Ugo and Vanni? Great names for great dogs go hand-in-hand. Some of these would also be perfect for the rescue you adopted from the shelter.

By greg marlett. Copyright 2008, all rights reserved. No publication or other use without the expressed permission of the author.

(picture of Italian Greyhound Puppies from Flickr)

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(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

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