Before you bring your new Boxer puppy home, you need to have a name already picked out for him. Why? In the long run it will make training your dog easier. The sooner he associates his name with himself, the faster he will learn to respond to you and follow through with your commands.
Choosing a name for your Boxer puppy can be a lot of fun, but it can prove to be quite the task if you haven’t given any thought to the matter, or you and your family are having a hard time agreeing on a name you like.
If you find naming your Boxer is proving to be more difficult than you thought, the following are some suggestions to help you narrow down your decisions until you settle on the perfect name.
Keep the name simple – Choose a name that has no more than three syllables. You don’t want to give your Boxer puppy a complicated name you find hard to say. A long name will quickly become tiresome to say and will slow down the training process. After all, a dog’s attention span has its limitations, and puppies virtually have no attention span at all.
A good idea is to stick to names with one or two syllables such as “Max” or “Buddy”.
The name should not rhyme with negative words – One of the most common words your dog will hear from you is “No”. Your Boxer puppy will learn to associate this word with discipline for bad behavior. The last thing you want is your Boxer to associate his name with bad behavior by mistaking the sound of his name with “No”. Therefore, stay clear of names such as “Joe”, “Flow” or “Moe”.
Choose a name you like – Your Boxer will be a member of your family for many years. Therefore, make sure you give him a name you’re prepared to commit to. Consider names of heroes, historical figures, or book or movie characters you really like. You can also think about your favorite interests, such as a favorite flower, car model, mythical creature, etc.
Seek the opinion of your family and friends – Run your name suggestions by others and see what they think. They may have some suggestions of their own that you never considered and may like more.
The name you choose should be personal to your Boxer – When you choose a name for your Boxer puppy, use it as much as possible. Many owners make the mistake of only using the dog’s name when they are disciplining the dog or giving him a command. Don’t forget to use your dog’s name when you are pleased with him or paying him special loving attention. Don’t only shower your dog with pet names when you are lavishing him affection.
Naming your Boxer puppy is just as important as naming a newborn child. You need to give the name plenty of thought, you need to like it, and you should feel proud to give the name to your Boxer.
