#96. Can I Change My New Pet’s Name?

The simple answer is yes, you can change a pet’s name. Now depending on how long they had the name it could take longer for the pet to answer to the new name. I fostered for 20+ years & honestly I would say there probably was under 15 pets out of close to 175+ that I didn’t change the pet’s name. Most of the pets we took in were from animal shelters & many were strays & were named what was next on the list. Owner surrenders to the rescue or shelters were the first to get name changes, you probably are asking why? Well it was because I didn’t know what that name represented to that pet, were there negative things done while using that name or would it remind them of hard times. I wanted them to have a fresh start with a new name, sometimes the new name stayed with them when adopted, but many times it was changed again & they quickly learned the new name.

When changing a name you need to give them time to learn it, always keep it positive & upbeat. Names with 2 or more syllables & ending in an ‘e’ or ‘y’ sound (like puppy, kitty) usually get a pets attention & they sound friendly. I have used names with one syllable, but probably not as often after I saw the reaction difference. I found a good way to teach a dog their name was to use a clicker, as long as the sound doesn’t scare the dog. A clicker is a small handheld device that makes a small click when you press it. They are sold in most pet stores for under $6.00 & easy to use. You first teach the dog that when they hear the click a treat appears. Have your dog or cat in the room with you & some yummy tiny treats for the pet. Click & toss a treat towards the pet. Allow the pet time to get it & eat it. Do this several times, then click & wait a second & toss the treat, Do this till the pet looks at you when it hears the click. Now when the pet is looking down say the new name you have chosen for your pet & click then reward. Practice this & soon your pet will look at you each time it hears its name. Once your pet consistently looks at you when you say the name, you can eliminate the treats, but always good to reinforce the behavior you want from time to time. We repeat what we get rewarded for & so do animals.

If your family all like different names than you can let the pet choose for you. You can take the top 5-10 names & write them out & go outside (if a dog)& let the dog smell around & when paying attention to you, take turns saying the names & watch for a reaction from the dog. Once you’re down to 3 names that get some response, have each family member say those names & see which name gets the most positive response. The dog in the photo right above was my 1st dog (as an adult on my own), he came into the rescue as Scout, was changed to Champ (was a Vet school practice dog & abused under the 2nd name), when he came to me & had to change it as I knew he had a rough start under those names & he was only 9 months old. I went out to my fenced yard & called out a bunch of names, the only name that got any response was Sam. My dog growing up was Sam & I thought my family would laugh at me, so I kept trying but no other name would get a response, so he became Sam. His story is blog posts #80, 81 & 82.

Most of us have nicknames for our love ones & they answer to them, even some names from when we were little, they may annoy us, but they are still endearing to us. Pets can learn new names. My dog Ace was Bud when I brought him in as a foster (after Air Bud, but no athletic bone or desire in his body). My dog Sydney was Sadie (abused under that name -admitted so not assuming or guessing). My current dogs had other names, Hunter was Yoder (for 4-5 weeks prior to me adopting him, no idea before that, he was a stray). Echo was originally Maxwell, then Zeppelin, but he didn’t know either. Two of my Cockatiels didn’t have names at the shelter & I named them. Lazarus was Larry Bird & I didn’t like it. Sassy I got as a baby & I named him & Ringo was Big Mama then Big Mac(when found out male) for about a year till I adopted him. All my pets know their current names.

I hope you’re enjoying my blog & learning some things & I’d love to hear what you have learned or are enjoying reading about. It helps me to decide what to write about in future posts. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com. Please help me to get the word out about my blog which you can do a few ways, click the “like” button at the bottom of my posts, share my blog link on your social media sites or email it to friends & family. Subscribe so you won’t miss published posts (won’t get spam, just a notice when I publish a new post). Thanks to all my current subscribers , I appreciate you. Also visiting my site often helps get my blog seen by more people. My goal is share my 20 years of fostering pets experiences & a lifetime as a pet lover to help pet caregivers be the best pet caregivers they can be. Thanks for visiting & please come back soon . Thank you, Debbie