What Not to Name Your Dog

It appears odd that there might be a list of the worst dog names, out there since it’s almost difficult for me to picture any name not being charming in some way. However, there are some names that spill into the classification of being unsuitable, or perhaps offending.

Besides this, there is in fact a science behind how what you call your dog effects your relationship with them, often not in a great way.

So, if you have even the smallest suspicion that your name choice is a little too strange, you might wish to look into a list of the worst dog names.

According to The Wildest, there are names that can trigger emotions in owners — good and bad— and effect how they see their dog’s habits. For example, if you call your dog “Baby,” you are most likely to excuse their bad habits, which might cause major issues down the roadway.

How we describe our dogs not just impacts how we see them however how others do also. For example, your German Shepherd could be the nicest on the block, however with a name like “Danger,” or “Killer,” it would be harder to see them that way. It might make your neighbors more hesitant around your dog, or worse, be taken out of context when you are calling them. If you were at a park and someone yelled “Killer,” a nice dog is probably not the first thing you think they are referring to, per The Wildest.

Some of these may seem obvious, however you never know. Names like “Al Coholic,” “Adolf,” curse words, or really anything you wouldn’t want to say in public because of how it might affect people is not a good name for your dog, or generally anything, per Bark & Co.

This category is more of a warning. If you name your dog “Buck,” there is a chance people will believe you are yelling something else. So, take careful consideration when you are choosing names that rhyme with other words, per Pet Helpful.

This is a much less serious category, but still arguably important. Names that lack any sort of creativity, or even thought for that matter, just don’t translate well in the dog-lover community. For example, naming your dog “Brown” because they are brown, or “Dog” just because they are a dog. Yes, there is nothing wrong with this, but you might get some looks at the dog park when you let “Brown” or “Dog” off the leash, per Pet Helpful.

If you just came here for a list of what not to do, some apparent no-gos would be names like: Help, Fire, Thief, Bomb, or any emergency terminology, per The Wildest.

Need more examples? In 2021, Reddit user u/Lia_Julee asked “Vets of Reddit, What was the worst pet call you have ever experienced in your job?” Among the worst actions were names like: Sexy, Meat Stack, Dump Truck, and Dave.

If it’s far too late and your puppy is already christened with their not-so-good name, there is constantly the label path.