Did you change your rescue dogs name?

[hillyhilly]

How confusing would it be for a dog to get used to a new name? Did you choose a similar sounding one of it was different?

We have always just changed the name slightly. With all our pets, all rescue.So Molly can be Polly etc.

We've had Leo three months this week, in many ways we'd like to change his name- he's an ahem, unique dog in the pugly sense- but it would add to the confusion I think. He was almost nine months when he came to us. He had been with a family before being surrendered to the rescue, though, so part of his security.

I wouldn't do it, at least without asking the rescue, myself. Some animals may have been through several names by the time they reach you- we have a cat who'd been through six fosters with different names at most.

Yes, because Samson is a name that, when applied to a spaniel, says 'I wanted something a bit more butch than this fluffy thing'

Ten minutes and a couple of slices of naice ham and he had his new moniker nailed.

Thinking about it though

One rescue near us wouldn't rehome if you wanted a name change.

We quite liked a dog called Cupcake but our four boys totally refused to call a dog that over our park in what is a fairly tough area.

Hence we have Leo instead, which is lovely for Leo, but that rule meant Cupcake lost out, hopefully only short term.

So I revise my opinion to- I wouldn't do it as standard, but if it's not a huge change, they're not particularly receptive to the name anyway, or the name is just awful- go for it.

We changed ours, we had her from the rescue centre where they had given her a NUMBER!!

My rescue was a dumped ex racer with no known name. I named her she got used to it

No. Our rescue had been taken back 3 or 4 times before we got her and we felt it wouldn't have been fair to change her name yet again. As it is we quite like the one she came with

we were our rescue girl's fifth home and she was only 18 months Changed her name she was happy as larry and responding to it but the end of the first day as every time she did she got a hotdog.

Dogs arn't stupid but they have no human values, I am amazed a rescue is refusing to re-home to name changing owners, shows the most enormous lack of understanding of the fundamentals of canine nature.

No, we kept our rescue dogs name but only because between the 5 of us we couldn't agree on a new one - the name is not one I would have chosen but it suits him and other people often say 'nice name for a dog'

Bumbledog was called Bubbles at the rescue kennels. I really couldnt cope with that. I kept thinking about MJ's monkey!
Our lovely ice cream man suggested the name Bumble and as he is black and tan it suits him perfectly!
Ironically i hadnt had him very long when he was stung by either a wasp or a bee and was rushed to the vets with a swollen face!!

Yes we did. But to something similar sounding. So think from something like 'Jim' to 'Tim'.

His original name was crap.

Our gorgeous black lab from Dogs Trust was named Barney, love it so didn't even consider renaming him. Mark though...What a laugh!!

I've had 3 rescue dogs and changed all three of their names with no problem.

When I picked up my first, an old couple were there collecting a staffie. The RSPCA lady said, straight-faced, "And will be keeping the name Spliff?"

Changed some and left others over the years.. We had Missy she's now Luna, Zion to Harley, Chico morphed slowly into Cheekynana but stayed officially Chico, Penny turned to Lady (never answered to penny in her full life anyway). If they respond well to their name recall wise it's best to stick to a similar name sound and train them with the new name, calling them to fuss them more with it etc so they learn that sound and avoid nicknames till they know their name.
Some pet names are ridiculous and if you don't want to be out the back shouting it change it.
Right enough some of mine have mad names that I love Peanut being one of them

2kids2dogsnosense - yes, potatoes are our theme! The kids are trying to talk us into a fourth dog and want to call it Piper as in Maris Piper!
DS chose Spud (our first) and as he has severe speech disorders it was important that he could say the name clearly....they chose the other names together.

I had a dog from a breeder - dog was 2 and they'd kept her to breed from, then sold her on. She had a stupid name as the breeder had run out of names, and so let the grandkids pick the name. Height of Pokemon craze - first time round - they named dog after a Pokemon. I stuck with the name, because I assumed it would be easier for her. And to be fair, it did suit her!

A long time later I was chatting to the breeder and she asked me what the dog's name now was. I said I'd never changed it. She said we should have! Couldn't believe we'd kept it.

This latest pooch came from rescue as a pup. Rescue named them temporary names, just to make life easier but we changed it immediately. She'd only been there a week, was only 9 weeks old when we got her, so she probably had no idea she even had a name anyway!

It's cruel to name change.......seriously!....I have two rescues and their names came with them and have stayed with them...it's confusing for the dog to have a new home let alone anything else.....think of the dog..please...

Forever - that's rubbish.

I kept my cat's cattery name. But his previous owner had called him something different for the first almost year of his life. He doesn't mind at all.

Yes - she was originally called Spot........(not a Dalmatian)