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Advice Needed (changing An Adult/adoptee Dogs Name)


Kazhak
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ok so I need some advice & maybe a pep talk at the same time,

back story, I'm soon to become a proud owner of an adult dog, well he's a bit over 3 yrs old, he comes with a pet name that I am not super keen on. I mean it kinda makes me cringe.

would it seem or be cruel if I changed his name to something I could say without thinking of something not so pretty, I really don't want his name to affect the way I feel about him.. he's really a very beautiful boy.

are his previous owners likely to feel offended that I don't like his pet name?? I love his show name, its lovely but a bit too long to be yelling out the back door :)

any advice or other peoples experiences in changing a dogs name would be appreciated :)

Edited by Kazhak
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If possible think of a name with a similar sound so he doesn't get confused. I know someone who got one of there puppies back as an adult and decided to show him. They hated the pet name "Spotty" that he had been called by the former owners so changed it to "Scotty".

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If possible think of a name with a similar sound so he doesn't get confused. I know someone who got one of there puppies back as an adult and decided to show him. They hated the pet name "Spotty" that he had been called by the former owners so changed it to "Scotty".

thats a good idea & I've tried to find something similar sounding that I like but haven't come across anything that I could live with..

maybe I'm being a bit too picky but I want his name to be nice.

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I have had lots of foster dogs most of them their name was unknown so they all got a new name and most of them started to respond to their new name within a week. I wouldnt worry to much he will adjust to a new name in no time

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Most dogs that leave a pound will have a name change.

It is only a word association to a dog.

Just say the word, when he looks reward him. By about 3 days Krusty will be history and the new name will be his name

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My Millie was called Lily when I got her at approx 2 years old. She took to her new name immediately, but it helped that they were so similar. I think it's ok that you change his name, even if it's something completely different, it may just take longer for him to understand it's his name is all :)

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We gave our grey a new name the day she came home - she didn't seem to respond to the name she came with - my hubby and I were talking whilst she ambled around the yard and I suggested a couple of possible names and she seemed to answer to one of them immediately so Katie she became.

Goodluck finding a name that both you and your dog like.

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thanx everyone.. I was considering what happened to dogs that were adopted from the pound..

now to just find something else that suits & is easy to say & sounds nice.. ggrrr its worse than trying to name a child :)

I really appreciate all your input, it has given some relief :)

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We gave our grey a new name the day she came home - she didn't seem to respond to the name she came with - my hubby and I were talking whilst she ambled around the yard and I suggested a couple of possible names and she seemed to answer to one of them immediately so Katie she became.

Goodluck finding a name that both you and your dog like.

Yep same Mags.My two greys both had a name change.Flash(who is now Stan)and Skye(who is now Maddie).Neither of mine responded to their old names either but I can say their names now only once and they look straight at me.

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Definitely change the name if you want to. Choose a name you love. I don't even think it has to sound like the old name.... your dog will soon learn it, after all, to them it is just a familiar word that they respond to. I've read that some farmers regularly change their sheepdogs names, especially if their response to current name is not as enthusiastic as it once was (I will have to try to find the website I read this on when researching this topic).

Personally, I gave my dog a new name. I don't know what his original name was (he was in the pound) though the foster carer's children named him 'Cookie'. I decided on giving him a new name to signify a new beginning (still use the name 'Cookie' as a nickname for him). He was responding to his new name within a week.

Edited by Oceangirl
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I will keep the name they come with if it suits them, but otherwise will wait for them to display the personality trait that makes a name fit them - that usually appears within a few days as you get to know them.

If they do respond to their old names, I like to keep the vowel sounds but that's about all - I don't go for rhymes or anything. For instance, my Cheddar arrived with the name "Teddy" which he was accustomed to but which didn't really capture his personality. His new name came because of his big cheesy grin!

So with a name like Krusty (the clown from the Simpsons??) I would just keep the "ugh" sound and end up with Trucker or Honey or Bucket or Crumpet....you see how it goes?

Half the time, even if you do keep their old names they can end up with several nicknames as well that don't sound anything alike but they answer to them all anyway!

Slightly OT, but on the farm working dogs changing their names my grandfather had a succession of male kelpies for droving and yard work. Each one had the SAME name - Laddie. When he retired a dog and was training up a new one, they were "Old Laddie" and "Young Laddie". This applied to about seven different dogs! He said it saved confusion?????? :laugh:

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I changed the name of the 5yo rescue dog I adopted. Her name was Shade and I dropped the D so she is now Shae. Not very different and it made no difference to her. I liked the name Shade and it's from her pedigree name but I wanted her to have a whole new start with us.

Our young boy Isaak gets called "Piggy" or "Pig" and he responds to those names just as easily as he does to Isaak.

If I had a dog named Krusty, I'd be changing the name too.........no matter how old the dog was!

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I Googled 'words that rhyme with crusty' and got--->

busti, busty, dusty, gusty, justy, lusty, musty, rusty, trusty

soooo...lets not go with that idea :laugh:

and for a laugh... French Words for crusty---> croustillant, hargneux

German Words for crusty---> myrrisch

Spanish Words for crusty--->costroso, crujiente

I like Costroso :o

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