How morally right is it to change a dog's name after having them for 6 months?

[Shakou]

Just to start off, I wanted to say that I have NEVER changed a pet's name after owning it for some time. If any name changes are to be done, it's done when we first get them.

Marlin's name has never stuck with me well at all. The name sounds far to similar to the name of an uncle who's responsible for the death of my old dog, and who I no longer speak with. When we first adopted Marlin, I was considering changing his name, but given how well he knew his name that he had for 6 years, I decided to bare through it and figured I'd come to accept it as my love and relationship with him grew. I've come to greatly love this dog very,very much and our relationship, while still growing, is very strong. I still hate his name and cringe every time I say it.

Earliar today, Marlin lost his name tag while out running and we have to go get another made, and well, I wonder if this is a sign. What do you guys think? Is it to late to change his name?

 

[CaliTerp07]

It's never too late. If it means that much to you, change it.

 

[Toller_08]

Personally, I don't feel a name is much more to a dog than a command/cue of recognition. If you don't like his name, then I think you can definitely go ahead and call him something else.

I don't know if I could, but not because of anything to do with the dog. Just because after I've been calling a dog something for a while, I'd have a hard time calling it anything else. But, my dogs names are also names I like that do fit them, so maybe it'd be different if I was in your situation.

 

[Panzerotti]

Go ahead and change it for sure. Dogs are so adaptable, honestly he won't care.

My dogs both have a long list of nicknames that they respond to and I'm always adding more, lol.

 

[Fran101]

I agree with Toller, to us, our names are something personal.. our brains really do put together the whole "THIS WORD REPRESENTS ME" kind of thing..which is why I think we cringe when it comes to changing dogs names.

to dogs, their names IMO are little more than a cue. A cue that means "come over here" or "look over here" or "TREAT?!" or "WALK??!" or "Food lady is talking to me" or "Food lady wants me for something"

Think of how many rescue dogs/shelter dogs have new names after YEARS. Honestly, I doubt it bothers them at all.
Romeo wasn't Romeo until he turned 2 lol I changed his name from the start.. didn't bother him in the least once he got used to "ROMEO"=ME

So yea.. don't like it? change it. Your dog, after learning this new cue, will probably hardly care lol

Now.. as for how hard it is to train YOURSELF to use this new name..that's a whole nother story lol

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Shambles was Clove until we officially declared him ours.. so about 8 months? He grew up from a puppy with that name and had no issue changing it. Inside of a handful of hot dogs and an afternoon he was responding to Shambles.

 

[Panzerotti]

Personally, I don't feel a name is much more to a dog than a command/cue of recognition.

That's a great way of putting it. It's like changing any command. For example, I taught Pan her positions in English, then changed to French, then back to English. She didn't care, it just took a few days of adjustment.

 

[SarahHound]

No problem with that at all, he's your dog

 

[release the hounds]

Most people have 10 different nicknames for their pets anyway

 

[ACooper]

Most people have 10 different nicknames for their pets anyway

that's on the low end, and sometimes contingent on behavior! LOL

I agree........change it!

 

[Shakou]

Shambles was Clove until we officially declared him ours..

This is a very good way of looking at it.

 

[lizzybeth727]

I work with a lot of dogs from shelters. Most of the time we don't know their previous owners' names for them, but occasionally we do. When we adopt the dog we almost always change their names.

Sometimes after using their new names for a few months, we call them by their old names just to see what they do. We did this with one dog - he hadn't heard his old name in probably 3 or 4 months - and when we called him his old name he cowered and ran away.

So yeah, dogs don't care if you change their names, and sometimes it's better.

 

[Shakou]

Yeah, I think we're going to change it. Anyone have any creative name ideas?

 

[Shakou]

We've decided on a new name. Marlin's new name is Ma'ii (Ma-ee) which is Navajo (the local native american tribe here in northern AZ) for "coyote". I know a lot of people on here and in general consider Coyotes to be huge pests, especially those of you who are ranchers or live in rural areas. I've had my fair share of run ins with them myself, but the fact is, I've always greatly respected them, more so then any other wild animal. I chose the name for him because of this and his wild dog routes. I was warned by my husband that here in the south west the name has a sort of negative vibe to it and is associated with tricksters and masters of deception and manipulation. That's my dog in a nut shell!

So Ma'ii it is