I’m assuming you already named your puppy. If not check out the article I wrote about how I named my dogs: Lessons From Marley & Me Part 2 – Naming Your Dog. One of the most important things you can teach your dog is his name. It can save his life…literally. How you might ask? Well what if your dog was chasing a ball into the street? What if a car was coming? If your dog knows the meaning of his name he will respond and come to you when called even while in the middle of playing. Of course, as I mentioned in my last article, How To Handle Your Puppy’s First Night At Home, training your puppy will require consistency and patience.
Teaching The Puppy His Name
From the Guide Dogs of America Handbook:
Teaching your puppy its name is important.
- Use it every time you talk to him and with every command (except NO and STAY) .
- Never associate the dog’s name with something negative.
- Never scold the puppy after he comes to you, even if it has taken a while to respond.
- Please do not change the puppy’s name or call him by a nickname.
That’s it! Short and simple. However it is much easier said then done.
My Experiences With Stetson And Linus
A few pitfalls I can warn you about are:
Not using the puppy’s name with NO and STAY - This is difficult to do when you try to use their name with every other command. Try to be consistent. I still will occasionally use Linus and Stetson’s name with the NO or STAY command. Also, you might be wondering why can’t we use our puppy’s name with the STAY command? The main reason we don’t associate our dogs name with the STAY command is because the puppy’s name should be synonymous with the COME command. When I say my puppy’s name they should COME to me. That is quite the contradiction from STAY.
It is also very difficult to avoid using your dog’s name with something negative. My biggest problem is when Linus or Stetson does something wrong I’ll say their name in a very negative voice. Sometimes I catch myself…sometimes I don’t.
Scolding your puppy when he comes to you…another bad habit that can be difficult to break. Why wouldn’t you want to scold your puppy after he comes to your? Lets say he just chewed up your new shoes and you say “Stetson Come” He comes to you as you commanded (made the correct choice). Then you scold him! Do you think he’s going to come to you next time? No! You should praise him when he comes to you. The only time you should scold your puppy is when you catch him in the act of doing something wrong.
Not changing your name or calling your dog by a nickname is more of a Guide Dog thing, but is also good for a young puppy. It can be confusing for a young puppy if your calling him by several different names. I tried hard with Linus, but my sister, my roomate, and my ex-girlfriend each had a nickname for him. I constantly told them not to use nicknames. Here are a few they used: Linie, Linikins, Linoceros, and Puppy Chow. I’ve been very strict with Stetson and people are usually more understanding since he’s training to be a guide dog.
The Name Game
The first game we always play at our Guide Dog training class is the Name Game. How does it work?
- Take your dog to the park and keep him on leash (it works a little better if you have a longer leash maybe about 10 feet).
- Give him about 5 feet to wonder away.
- When he’s not looking call his name with an excited voice and make sure he comes to you (if he doesn’t come reel him in with his leash).
- When he gets to you give him tons of praise!
- Repeat the exercise over and over again until your puppy is consistently returning to you when you call his name.
***Whenever you’re trying to get your puppy’s attention you have to be the most exciting thing in the world…more exciting then the birds, smells, other dogs, joggers…you get the picture…
Try playing the Name Game with your puppy. Be consistent and patient. Stick to the rules outlined above and your puppy will soon be consistently coming to you when you say his name.
Have you played the Name Game before? Does your puppy know his name? Do you have any other suggestions for reinforcing a puppy’s name? Check out other articles on how to train a puppy.
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Thank you so very much for this info! We have 2 puppies that are so wild. I have been going crazy taking them for walks as they are so unruly and wild. Now I can practice with them one-on-one now that I know what I am to do. Thanks again!
@Lia, I hope training is going well with you and your two puppies. If you have any questions please let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Thanks, I recently have been using this technique on my new boxer puppy and he seems to start learning his name..
@Jesus, I’m glad to hear that your boxer puppy is starting to learn his name. Let me know if you have any other questions as I know puppies can be a handful.
Thanks so much for the tips!! My family is thinking of getting a puppy and I am trying to learn all I can so we can be the perfect family!
THANKS!
@Samantha, puppies are a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. I’m glad you’re putting in the time and effort to find out as much information as possible before getting a puppy.
A good book that I read before getting my first puppy was the Puppies For Dummies
(this is an affiliate link). There’s a lot of great information in there from how to choose a puppy to how to raise a puppy to how to train your puppy. If there was one book I’d recommend for a new puppy owner that would be the one.
If you have any questions please feel free to email me through the contact form.
when is the best time to teach a puppy his/her name i have 2 and they are 5 weeks old noether know their name yet.
@Hanna, we start teaching our puppies their names as soon as we get them home at about 7 weeks. If your puppies are 5 weeks old and you already have names picked out I would start working on their names immediately.
I just got 2 American Bulldog / hound mix puppies…they seem to learn very quick, and got the “come” command down….though its tough to teach them name…since I do it on the walks and I got no time to separate them and have a one-o-one session…I see what I’m doing wrong, I will try to find time and get them apart, thanx for the post.
@Serge, thanks for visiting our website. I’m glad you got something out of this post. I’m sure your two American Bulldog / hounds mix puppies will pick up on their names real soon.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Hey, I recently bought two Boston terrier puppies…how do I teach them their names since there is two…
Thanks!
@Katelyn, congratulations on your two new Boston Terrier puppies! Unfortunately, I’ve never tried raising two puppies at the same time I’m sure it’s a lot of work. I would try separating your two puppies and training them in one on one sessions.
thank you for this i have 2 pit bull puppy thums up :3
@EdjG thanks for visiting our website. I’m glad this article helped!
i just got a goldne retriever puppy 3 days back and he still doesnt know his name..he s 7 weeks old..i know it takes some time..but how long on average does it take for them to learn?
also, its getting really cold here (its 3 degrees outside) and i duno if its ok to take him for walks coz its cold (i am trying to housebreak him too which has been hard coz he hates walking at this point)…i have to give hi treats just for following me on the street..he s been out only 2 times though!!
@Rima, I wouldn’t worry too much about your golden retriever at this point. He’s still very young. Just make sure your consistent and make sure he always comes to you when you call his name. Also, you want to make sure you do not associate his name with anything negative. Use a happy tone, always make sure he comes over to you, and give him praise when he does come to you regardless of whether or not your upset with him.
When I first brought home Linus it rained for two weeks straight. I basically had to carry him outside to his potty spot and then carry him back into the house (he refused to walk outside in the rain). You many have to do something similar with your new puppy.
Thank you so much! Me and my family just got a pom puppy and he is having a hard time learning his name-Twix. He’s already 3 months old yesterday and i was afraid it was already to late. But he has been responding to this techniche. thanks again!
@Kayla, I’m glad Twix is responding to the techniques mentioned in the article. Thanks for taking the time and leaving us a comment!
hey there, great article, I just have one question though, we are about to buy a greater swiss mountain/st bernard mix dog and the owner said she named the puppy Anges. I can’t even imagine calling my dog that, is it okay if I chage her name?
@Amanda, thanks for visiting our website. You shouldn’t have a problem changing her name. When we were volunteering as fosters we’d always initially name the puppies until they were adopted. The adopted family would then change the name to a name of their liking. Good luck with your new dog!
I have a husky puppy and she is very reluctant to come to her name. I am trying the excited voice and saying her name, but it isn’t working the best. Should I try the leash? We live on a farm so she likes the roaming without the leash. Thanks
@Ann one very important point is you always want your puppy to come when you call her name. If you let her slide then she will have a much more difficult time learning. I would suggest using either a long line or flexi leash to make sure she comes to you when you’re working on her training.
Some very good advice! I think this is going to work. Well I’m getting my puppy tomorrow so I’ll favorite this website and get back to you in maybe 2 or 3 weeks on how its going! Thank you.
@Kenelm congratulations on your new puppy. I hope puppy training is going well for you. Best of luck!
This is very helpful. My boyfriend and I just go our puppy yesterday and finally decided on Broly (bro-lee). I am excited to work with him with this trick!
@Rebecca congratulations on your new puppy! Broly’s a great puppy name! Good luck with teaching him his name!
Hi,
I am not sure if my puppy knows his name, he reacts to it sometimes but when i want him to come he ignores me. He’s 4mths old now and seems very distracted, I know I have let him get a way with some bad behaviour but I don’t know how to get him back under control. He’s a jack russell terrior and can’t sit still or seem to concentrate when I try to do any training. He’s a bit of a terror now.
I just got a new puppy today. She is a Black lab, Chesapeake
Bay Retriever mix. How do I teach her, her name with also having a 4 year old daughter who repeats me when calling the puppy and also my other dog (who is a german sheperd) who barks? It seems to confuse the pup and she starts to run off and I have to get her and carry her back to the house. It’s starting to become overwelming. Any advice is greatly appriciated. Thank you
@Katie the main thing is you want your puppy to successfully come to you every time you call her name. If you call their name and they run off then they are just learning that they do not need to come to you when you call their name. The best way to make sure your puppy comes every time you call their name is to make sure you only call their name when you have them on a leash, long line, or flexi leash.
Hi I’m Savannah and we got a new golden retriever puppy ( he’s looks like Marley or the bugs on me puppy.) he acts very well with my younger cousins and his name is Jax( not my choice but I like it) I’m excited to try these techniques and I can’t wait to show them to my seven and four year old cousins!
@Savannah, congratulations on your new puppy. It sounds like he looks like my two yellow labs, Derby and Dublin when they were pups. Good luck with puppy training with Jax!