# At what age is it reasonably ok to change a dog's name? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2022, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254 "2022-02-10T23:36:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/21 "2022-02-11T02:59:42Z")
With the first treat. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/22 "2022-02-11T03:05:33Z")
I named Ted (he looked like a Nuget Bar, hence, ‘Ted Nuget’) when he was a puppy. He went away, and was called ‘Banjo’. He came back and is Ted-Dog forevermore. _Who the fuck was these people that didn’t want Ted-Dog???_ Anyway, glad he’s back home. Ted-Dog got himself a big ol’ kangaroo rat just the other day. Didn’t have my phone, so no pictures. Ted-Dog rocks! ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/23 "2022-02-11T03:10:12Z")
You could always adopt a cat instead. Doesn’t matter what you call 'em, they’ll not-come just as readily. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/24 "2022-02-11T04:02:09Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > And, considering that the people who name shelter animals name several a day, they used up “Luna” and “Apollo” long ago and now they’re naming the dogs “Beverly” and “Count Chocula.” Dog’s I’ve adopted from rescues usualy came with a theme. One was authors, where I adopted a dog named Agatha Christi. Great writer, terrible name for a dog, so I changed it to Squirrel. Another dog was from the “I love the 80’s litter” with names like Ferris Bueller, Stevie Nix, and Demi Moore. I changed Demi Moore to cricket. I also adopted a dog from a client who couldn’t take care of it anymore, changing the name from Otis to Mouse, he was around 2 at the time. None of them seemed to mind the name change. They go by the name that you call them for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/25 "2022-02-11T04:23:57Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Works for basketball fans, too. And even Pearl Jam fans who are knee-deep in their history of the band. But NONE of those names rhyme with “Cookie”. > [@Riemann](#): > > Do we know if a dog treats its name as a label associated with itself in quite the same way that a human does? My dogs know their names. It’s pretty stunning. If I have them next to each other - even if my brother’s dog is there too - they will wait their turn for food when I say “This is for Morgan… this is for Grady…This is for Goldie.” And these are spazzy dogs with no manners! It’s not just me they do it for, they will do it for anyone. There’s videos of even gooder dogs waiting in a big pack and coming one by one when their names are called. Like this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YBQ4rQJ0mkY/maxresdefault.jpg "Good Dogs Wait For Their Names To Be Called | The Dodo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBQ4rQJ0mkY) I agree with everyone who says the dog will learn its new name. And yes there’s a good chance the shelter dog has no idea of the name it was assigned. For many dogs, it’s just a way to tell them apart at the shelter. I got my second dog [Grady](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grady_Sizemore) because I had always wanted a boy dog to name Grady and one day he showed up in my email, already named Grady! It was fate! ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/26 "2022-02-11T10:35:05Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Dog’s I’ve adopted from rescues usualy came with a theme. One was authors, where I adopted a dog named Agatha Christi… (username checks out) Yeah, our last dog was named Taylor Swift. We went with Taylor. mmm ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/27 "2022-02-11T11:20:08Z")
A dog’s name means nothing to them except “stand by for possible food and attention.” They’ll learn any name very quickly if you follow it up with food, or petting, or play, or whatever makes them happy. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/28 "2022-02-11T13:15:58Z")
We adopted a 5 year old rescue dog, mostly golden retriever. His name was Storm. We changed it to Stormy due to the untoward association of his former name with white supremacy. I wanted to change his name to Slurm, but the Mrs. nixed that idea. She said that me renaming the rescue cat from Sandy to Wowbagger was quite enough. Complicating this, he came pretrained to sit to be leashed with the command: “Storm, front!” He still doesn’t respond to “Stormy, front!” or even just “Front”. So when we put a collar/leash on him, we still have to holler “Stormfront!” We only do this in private. I still call him Slurm when the Mrs. is not around. I’m afraid to tell her that he’ll sit to be leashed/collared if you yell “Slurmfront” at him. [![](https://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/15100000/1x13-Fry-The-Slurm-Factory-futurama-15110587-720-540.jpg) ](https://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/15100000/1x13-Fry-The-Slurm-Factory-futurama-15110587-720-540.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/29 "2022-02-11T13:44:00Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Suppose you adopt a beautiful one-year-old dog named Jenny. Problem: Jenny is your ex-wife’s name. > > Should you / would you leave it? Of course you should leave it. Why waste the opportunity to train Jenny to heel, beg, roll over, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/30 "2022-02-11T14:55:01Z")
However, it is _never_ acceptable to name a dog before you get them. Bring 'em home for 24, 48, 72 hrs using, “Dog”, “Pup” or “Pooch” for the first bit until they tell you their name via their personality. This is how I grew up with a kid who’s dog was named Pizza - the dog jumped up on the table & stole two slices his first or second night with them. We _had_ to give the vet/kennel a name before taking home; OBL was _soooo_ not the name that we picked out in advance & was subsequently renamed. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/31 "2022-02-11T15:01:53Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > However, it is _never_ acceptable to name a dog before you get them. Bring 'em home for 24, 48, 72 hrs using, “Dog”, “Pup” or “Pooch” for the first bit until they tell you their name via their personality. I dunno. I’ve always had the name in mind before I had them, sometimes before I even met them. I had decided that I wanted a dog named Squirrel before she was even born. Took me a couple months to find her though. Mouse was a client’s dog, so I actually did know him a bit before I named him, and all I had to go on for Cricket was a picture of her at 8 weeks old. I will say, avoid names that people will be embarrassed to say. I have some clients whose dogs were named by one spouse, and the other one refuses to use it. That can become confusing for them. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/32 "2022-02-11T16:30:14Z")
I’ve had dogs my entire adult life, and I’m trying to think of situations in which the dog’s name even really matters. My dogs pretty reliably attend to the sound and tone of my voice. A loud, “Hey!” will get their attention as well as calling their name. The name is - if anything - reinforcement and, I’m sure, a new name would be readily learned. But on the subject of dog names, yesterday I was walking my dog, and crossed into the street to give room to an approaching dog walker with a small terrier-type dog. His dog started to yap at my dog (not overly "butch - a 38# golden doodle), and the guy corrected his dog by its name - Trixie. Yeah, I guess I can kinda imagine a cute little dog being named Trixie - but given the near infinite alternatives, it sure sounded kinda silly to have a middle aged guy saying it in public. I also remember a woman in college who named her dog Bob, because she thought she would feel silly calling out usual dog names if the dog got away from her or something. But she apparently didn’t think it would sound silly if she appeared to be calling after a MAN who wad run away from her! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/33 "2022-02-11T16:42:08Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’ve had dogs my entire adult life, and I’m trying to think of situations in which the dog’s name even really matters. My dogs pretty reliably attend to the sound and tone of my voice. It’s useful if you have more than one dog, and want to address one dog at a time. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > she thought she would feel silly calling out usual dog names if the dog got away from her or something. One thing that I didn’t consider, was that my dog would go after squirrels. She never caught one, but sometimes she saw one in the front yard going to or from the car and would go dart out at it. I would then call out “Squirrel”, and I sometimes wonder if my neighbors thought I was encouraging her to go after them. (I renamed squirrels to land bats to avoid confusing her). ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/34 "2022-02-11T16:45:47Z")
My friend has a dog she named Stella because she always wanted to yell that in public. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/35 "2022-02-11T16:47:09Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > It’s useful if you have more than one dog, and want to address one dog at a time. I can see that. Other than a brief period of a couple of years, I’ve always been 1 dog at a time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/36 "2022-02-11T17:48:18Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > A dog will learn its new name at any age. Very true. I re-named my dog when I adopted her at two-and-half years old, but call her various nicknames in addition to her given name, and she responds to them all. My boyfriend moved in last year and started calling her baby girl, and now she turns to look at him whenever he says “Baby Girl.” This has led to some amusing situations because he also calls me Baby Girl sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/37 "2022-02-11T18:44:03Z")
When I was a little kid, my parents got a Great Pyrenees that had been found abandoned on the side of the highway. Obviously, no idea what his name had been, so we renamed him. My dad ended up calling him Farkle. (Full name: Farkle Barker). One day, sometime in the first year we owned him, my dad’s reading me a story, and doing all the voices. At one point, one of the goons in the story yells, “Boss!” and when my dad read that bit out loud, Farkle came running from the other side of the house. Which is how we learned his original name. We still kept calling him Farkle, because a) it’s an objectively better name, and b) we were pretty sure the guy who named him “Boss” was an epic level piece of shit who had been training Farkle for dog fights. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/38 "2022-02-11T19:50:02Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > When I’ve fostered dogs, too, I always saw the name as a gift you give them. A sign of a new life. Sure, maybe you were “Li’l Bit” But Li’l Bit was a dog who lived under a porch and ate out of the garbage and had infected ears and zillions of fleas. Now you’re “Cora,” a dog who gets to learn tricks and go for walks and have toys and sleep on a soft bed and who is loved and will be cherished for the rest of your life. > [@Miller](#): > > we were pretty sure the guy who named him “Boss” was an epic level piece of shit who had been training Farkle for dog fights. I wonder if there might be circumstances where if a dog is settled into a new (good) home and has learned a new name associated with the new home, hearing its old name - even if not spoken by the prior abusive owner - might be distressing. Did you dog act just the same when he responded to “Boss”? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/39 "2022-02-11T21:03:07Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I also remember a woman in college who named her dog Bob, because she thought she would feel silly calling out usual dog names if the dog got away from her or something. But she apparently didn’t think it would sound silly if she appeared to be calling after a MAN who wad run away from her! 😃 Was this before or after Bob the Dog appeared on Late Night with David Letterman? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8QphVvaBXTQ/hqdefault.jpg "Merrill Markoe "My Dog" Collection on Letterman, 1982-85") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QphVvaBXTQ) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254/40 "2022-02-11T21:03:41Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I also remember a woman in college who named her dog Bob… Long ago I came up with the idea of naming a dog Bob Barker. Another name I like: Askim. “What’s your dog’s name?” “Askim.” mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-is-it-reasonably-ok-to-change-a-dogs-name/959254.md?page=3)