# He may be frou-frou, but he's a BOY dog! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581 "2012-05-21T03:20:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/1 "2012-05-21T03:20:46Z")
So I planned on coming home from the adoption event today with one new foster, but just fell for this little cuddly fluffy cutie pie. He looks like a havanese to me, but is listed as a bichon/shih tzu. Point being, he’s a little fluffy thing with a pretty tail and some pretty hair on his face (he had terrible skin problems when he came in, so his body is shaven.) But everyone thinks he’s a her. I’m just now coming around to calling him “him”. I think tomorrow, I may get him a spiky collar. And I’m considering having him completely shaven, too. We had a Havenese totally shaven (including her face) and she was the cutest thing ever. And his haircut on his head is kind of funny and uneven. Anyway, what else can I do to make him look super-manly? I’m even willing to put him in stupid outfits if it will help. Maybe a headband across his forehead like Rambo? (which, by the way, might be a good name for him. He needs an masculine name because he’s such a sweete-pie Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/2 "2012-05-21T03:30:47Z")
How can we possibly suggest names WITHOUT PICTURES? _glares at OP_ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/3 "2012-05-21T03:43:43Z")
Mix fake blood capsules in with his kibble so he has that “blood of my enemies drips from my mouth” dynamic going on. Call him Butch, Blade, Killer or Steve. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/4 "2012-05-21T03:48:32Z")
give him some tats and teach him to bark like a sailor. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/5 "2012-05-21T04:00:09Z")
Leather jacket is required. And, personally, I refuse to continue with this charade without pictures. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/6 "2012-05-21T04:15:43Z")
train him to hump people’s legs on command. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/7 "2012-05-21T04:40:59Z")
It’s obvious what to call him, **SurrenderDorothy,** and you’ll thank me. Or more likely, not. What else but Toto? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/8 "2012-05-21T05:48:53Z")
I feel your pain. My Bichon, Martini, is so fucking cute that it breaks your heart. He looks effeminate enough on a normal day, but after a trip to the groomer? Fuggedaboutit! All you can do is make sure you have a “boys color” collar and harness on him, and keep his hair short enough that his massive unit is on proud display. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/9 "2012-05-21T13:40:51Z")
Since you think he’s a Havanese, why not pick a name from this [list of famous Cubans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cuban_Americans)? Or you could go with Ernest. Hemingway spent a lot of time around Havana, and he was about as far from frou-frou as you can get. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/10 "2012-05-21T13:54:36Z")
I like the name Hemingway, actually. Gives a certain air of respectability and rugged manliness under a civilized tweed jacket. A Hemingway can fetch your slippers or tie a marlinspike hitch knot. Y’know, if he had thumbs. But yes, a little black studded or thick brown leather collar is probably your best visual cue for a Y chromosome. Maybe a blue blanket or mat in his crate. Even a blue sheet of paper with his info tacked next to the cage will give an unconscious “boy” signal to viewers. And half of them will still assume he’s a girl no matter what you do, so don’t expend a whole lot of energy here. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/11 "2012-05-21T14:48:47Z")
You could go the other way, embrace the frou-frou. My sister’s poodle mix is a fluffy little guy who wears a rhinestone collar. Anybody questioning whether he’s a boy never saw him attempting to hump my mom’s labrador every chance he got. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/12 "2012-05-21T15:01:54Z")
My dad lives next door to a female Rottweiler that he insists on calling “he” because her voice is so deep when she barks. Madness! Release these dogs from the patriarchal tyranny of rigidly defined gender roles, and let them be free to be themselves! ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/13 "2012-05-21T16:58:37Z")
My dog is always assumed to be female even though his fur is so short you can see clearly that he is not. Even after I tell them HIS name, they still call him “she”. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/14 "2012-05-21T17:56:49Z")
Dog gender doesn’t matter unless he isn’t going to be neutered. If he is, then call him a girl and dress him up in pink. Nobody will know the difference, unless he turns into a leg-humper. If you’re using him as a breeding stud, uh… spiky collar and maybe a little baseball cap. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/15 "2012-05-22T00:59:48Z")
Oh, come on! You’ve got to name him [Poo Poo](http://poochcafe.com/?page_id=16)! You just gotta! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/16 "2012-05-22T01:51:04Z")
I’ve never done this before but.. > [@Jenaroph](#): > > embrace the frou-frou Band name. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/17 "2012-05-22T04:07:13Z")
So a few pictures (which I did not include before because he’s a bit of a sorry sight- I fell in love with his personality, shall we say). [here he is looking rather annoyed with his companion](http://i48.tinypic.com/inr1q9.jpg) [here he is chillin’ like a villain](http://i45.tinypic.com/souzhz.jpg) and for good measure, [here is his buddy with his favorite toy](http://i49.tinypic.com/xenyv6.jpg) [and his other buddy who, so far, wants little to do with him.](http://i50.tinypic.com/2ebzxj7.jpg) All fosters and the two boys are brand-new from yesterday. P.S. name ideas so far include Rambo, Igor, Killer, Blade, and Thor… but I keep calling him Muffin. ---
**Author:** ![florez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@florez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/florez)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/18 "2012-05-22T05:09:32Z")
How adorable, and he looks Havanese to me. I have one Havanese and one Bolognese, and the fur on these breeds can be beautiful, but alot of work. Tangles can set in close to the skin, and cause trouble, if they are not caught soon and combed out or cut. The hair grows long and sheds very little, but it snarls up fast and gets worse, so they have to be groomed frequently. Otherwise they are a joy, very loving and sweet, lots of personality and fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/19 "2012-05-23T19:47:03Z")
Mohawk! And piercings? He’s really cute - er, handsome. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581/20 "2012-05-23T22:49:19Z")
I think he needs a tweed vest and a driving cap, personally. That said, ever think about how weird it is that we’re concerned about what sort of genitalia pet animals have? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-may-be-frou-frou-but-hes-a-boy-dog/622581.md?page=2)