Find A Unique Name For Your Puppy

Why not name your dog after one or more of the following:

• a physical characteristic
• a personality trait ("Barkley" for a dog that barks a lot or "Prancer" for a dog that jumps elegantly)
• the meaning of a particular name ("Kendi" means "loved one")
• a name similar to, but not exactly that of a former dog ("Cody" instead of "Kodiak")
• a name that symbolizes your favorite car, sport, or hobby ("Bentley", "Ali", or "Harley")
• a misspelling or a form of some other word ("Kody" instead of "Kodiak" or "Enjoie" instead of "Enjoy")

Dog Names USA maintains a directory of 6,000 dog names -- including some interesting categories to help you "think outside the box" (like "good sports names", "unusual car names", "names from movies & TV", "drink-related names", etc.

Similarly, BabyCenter offers some creative naming suggestions, such as adding an apostrophe to your pet's name, naming them after a food (like Gwyneth Paltrow did!) or a superstar (like Joaquin, Kanye), and many other creative categories.

Where To Find Unique Pet Names

When all else fails, and nothing particularly unique or creative is coming to your mind with regard to a name for your dog... feel free to use these online pet naming tools to help you pick a name:

Petrix has a directory of 2,000 dog names -- while the list is small, it's got some of the more unique names.

Doggie Deliveries has another great directory of fun dog names -- for both male and female dogs alike.

The Pet Professor maintains a complete list of dog names from A to Z.

See Fido has a pet name generator that gives some tips for picking a name, plus lots of unique choices (scroll to very bottom).

Pet Names is the place to find virtually every possible name ever given to a pet, as submitted by pet owners themselves.

Bella Online features a list of dog names from A to Z -- many are quite creative.

...And Dog Makes Three!

Due to the fact that pet names are often derived from baby names, you may find the following baby naming tools helpful.

These could be used to help you select the right name for your dog:

• Check out these unique Baby Name Tools that can also be used to help you find names for your pet.
• BabyCenter's Baby Name Finder helps you find names by first letter, last letter, or number of syllables as well.
• At Think Baby Names, you can narrow your search for Baby Names by several different criteria: popularity, names in the news, stats based on name meanings, Christian names, uncommon ones, and famous baby names -- among others. (The Swahili names are really cool!)

Parents are choosing such common nouns, mythological characters and concepts as Destiny, Chance, Jupiter and Freedom -- all of which could pass for pet monikers. -- Pamela Redmond Satran, author of "Cool Names for Babies"

What Names Mean

Don't overlook what different names mean. If you know the true meaning behind a name, you might be inclined to choose it for your dog. (The best way to find dog name meanings is to explore baby name meanings.)

This Baby Name Dictionary helps you find the "meaning" and "origin" of both common and unusual names.

How Do You Spell Your Dog's Name?

Of course, after you decide on a name, you then need to determine the spelling of your dog's name.

Just as I prefer different and unusual names rather than common, everyday names for my dogs... The same is true with the way I choose to spell my dog's names. Names that most people would think to start with a "C", I would instead start with a "K" (..."Kody", as opposed to "Cody").

Giving Your Dog A Nickname

And finally, when choosing the perfect name for your dog, you will want to consider all the possible nicknames and abbreviated names that this dog would likely be called if he had a particular name.

For example, one of my dogs was named "Jersey", but we always called him "Jerz" -- a great name in and of itself. Not only did it sound cool, but it was also quick & easy to blurt out whenever you needed to get his attention immediately.

On the other hand, a name like "Abercrombie" "Atlantis" might be harder to shorten into a meaningful nickname.

All in all, your dog's name should evoke happiness and pleasant feelings when you say it and when other people hear it. It should also reflect qualities and traits that you ultimately hope your pet will possess.

Now, how do you get your dog to recognize his name when you call him? Try this.