Gus from Accounting and Other Interesting Dog Names

 

By Ida Williams

 

 

With over 12 years of assisting the dog training program with paperwork and administration, I have seen some unique and fun dog names. 

 

Occasionally, I will ask the owner how they came to name their dog.  Some say it was in memory of a past canine companion. Some say their kids named their dogs, mostly the dogs named after foods.  Most say it was because their puppy looked like the name.

 

I pulled a query on the last couple of years of dog training applications and then grouped the names into different categories.  Maybe these will help you when searching for your next pup’s name.

 

Funny Names

 

Gus From Accounting has to be my favorite name.  I would tell my husband when leaving for work, “I will be working with Gus From Accounting today.”

 

Not so funny names but still make me laugh:  Mercy and Echo.  I imagine the owners standing in their backyards yelling “Mercy” or “Echo” and their neighbors wondering “What in the world?”

 

One owner wrote, “Are there any dog names that are banned?”  Her children had named their dogs Lightning Bug and Thunder Farts.

People Names

 Once I had a dog named Lady.  I was managing a western-themed amusement park at that time, and she would go to work with me.  I would call “Lady” or say “Lady, put that down” and every woman within earshot would answer me.  I thought about changing her name to Dusty because she was always dirty.  But she already knew her name, so I changed it to Ladybird.  Later I added a dog named Cowboy, and a cat named Sidewinder to the pack.  Do you sense a theme here?

 

The top people names that owners name their dogs are Bonnie, Boris, Benny, Charlie, Dexter, Ella, Elliot, Elsa, Emma, Enzo, Grace, Gus, Jack, Mabel, Mia, Oliver, Oscar, Otis, Otto, Rosie, Sally, Sam, Sasha, Theo, Tilly, Toby, Walter, Winslow, and Winston.

 

Spelled Differently but the Same Name

 Maisey, Maisie, Maisy.  Nikko, Niko, Nico.  Nikki, Niki, Nickie.  Zoe, Zoey.

 

Multiple Dogs, the Same Household

 

I find the names of dogs that attend the training program together, from the same household, interesting.  There is a bit of “Yin and Yang,” which would be good names for two dogs.  Opposite but complementary dog names.

 

Hofbrau and Fizzgig.  Hemp and Gently.  Nash and Knox.  Yogi and Bear.  Jaxx and Jameson.  Violet and Vesper.  Maus and Mojo.  Cookie and Cocoa.

 

Dogs Named After Foods

 

Who would name their dog after food?  Come to find out, it is mostly children who do this.  Notice I said “mostly,” not all.  The names are definitely original.

 

Pickles, Nacho, Biscuit, Blackberry (maybe this was after a phone), Bon Bon, Guinness (not named by a child), Pecan, Peanut, PB (Peanut Butter), Pretzel-Kiki, Zucchini, and the above-mentioned Cookie and Cocoa.

 

Recently, Brooke, one of the trainers, adopted a puppy named Potato.  I can’t decide if the name was given by a child or because as a puppy she looks a little like a potato.

 

A Dog with Two Names

 

Some owners name their dogs two name-names.  While I am familiar with registered names (I have two horses with registered names.  Moon Over the Bay is my Tabiano Paint.  I call him Duncan Blue because he has blue eyes.  Arabian Nights is my retired thoroughbred broodmare. I call her Reba because she is fancy), the majority of the two name-names are not what is on the dog’s pedigree, and the second name is not the owner’s last name.

 

Murphy Brown, Bo Zanzibar, Diesel von Steuben, Drika von Wildendorf, Ernest Beuford, Ernest Hemingway, Keke Bear, Paddy O’Malley, Rocco Romeo, Luna-Lucia, Thomas Ford, Tim Riggins, Willie Nelson, Ellie Bean, and Darius Rivergrove’s King of Persia.

 

How Do You Say That Name?

 

Some names of the dogs in training require that I spell them phonetically so the trainers don’t confuse the dogs when they speak to them.  I type the pronunciation in parentheses next to the dog’s name in the pet’s profile.

 

Isla (Eye-La), Reyvn (Raven, like the bird), Zanya (sounds like lasagna), Leila (Lee-La), Agata (like Agatha without the h), Lole (sounds like Low-Lay), Delphine (Del-fean, like bean), and Pliny (like Minnie).

 

Other Sources of Names

 

Some owners use names from mythology like Thor, Zeus, Hercules, and Titus.  Some name them after cities or states:  Dakota, Dallas, Denver.  And some name them for the color of their fur:  Blue, Yellow, Red, and Redwood.

 

The Top Ten Names of Dogs Going Through Training

 

#10 Bailey

#9 Lucy

#8 Bella

#7 Buddy

#6 Finn

#5 Max

#4 Rosie

#3 Daisy

#2 Charlie

#1 Luna

 

Honorable mentions include Bowie, Benny, Duke, Huck, Hudson, Jax, Nala, Poppy, Rocky, Sasha, and Stella.

 

My next dog will be named Fido.

For more photos of dogs that have complete New Skete Dog Training visit our Facebook page.