I recently got a dog in to train up and adopt out. He’s the dog of an old client whose living situation was making it essentially impossible to keep him, and for their love of him they reached out to me to see if I’d be able to continue his training, polish up his skills, and take my time finding him the best home possible.
One question that comes up in these situations is a matter of renaming a dog with a well-established call name. Clients often wonder if they can rename their new rescue dog, or if they can pick a new name for their dog after deciding upon disliking the one they initially chose.
While I don’t particularly plan on renaming the train-and-adopt dog while he’s training with me, I can imagine that his future family may consider the idea when he finally goes home. This can lead to a lot of questions and confusion around how dogs understand their name, and what goes into renaming a dog.
Do Dogs Really Know Their Names?
The way dogs interpret human language is a little simpler than we usually make it out to be. Dogs recognize sounds, and associate them with meaning based on the training we give them (even if this training is unintentional).
A dog learning their name is very similar.
When we assign a name to a dog, we instantly start using it when things are happening around them. We use it while praising and petting them, when recalling them, when feeding them, or when a command or prompt is about to follow. Very quickly, dogs will learn to associate their “name” with things happening that involve them.
In many ways, a dog’s name is an individualized attention command, rather than a part of the dog’s identity.
I don’t really believe that dogs have the same depth of identity the way that humans do, but they do know when a sound means something for them. That is the relationship dogs have with their names; a conditioned word that means something is happening that affects them.
Can I Rename My Adopted Dog?
Knowing this, we can actually understand how to move forward when we want to rename a new dog.
You can absolutely rename an adopted dog or rescue dog when you initially bring them home, usually without much issue. Conditioning the rescue dog’s new name will take consistency and a little time, especially if they were used to a previous call name from an old home or if they were at the rescue or shelter for a particularly long time.
I’ve found that most dogs, when put in a new environment, will start to learn their new name within a couple weeks if not even shorter, as long as the old name is strictly abandoned or phased out with training, and the right conditioning is done to the adopted dog’s new call name.
This process usually scales to the amount of time and conditioning the dog has spent with their old name. If your new rescue dog is a stray or a puppy, then this will likely be a breeze. Renaming an adopted senior dog may take longer due to the years and sheer number of repetitions spend recognizing the name, and in some ways may not entirely be worth the effort.
Can I Give My Own Dog a New Name?
While less common, I’ve found that some owners will tire of a name they gave their dog years ago. Some name their dogs after characters in series they’ve outgrown, or the dog’s existing name was chosen by an ex-partner in a relationship that ended poorly. Regardless of the reasons, you will find owners who suddenly find themselves wishing they could pick out a new name for their long-term existing pet.
If you have a dog at home that has had one name in the context of your home, it may take a little more time and dedication to rename them, but it can be done. Similarly to how the process was detailed above with adopting different dogs, the amount of time the dog has had the name and responded to it will greatly effect how long it takes and how much work will be needed to rename a dog that you’ve had by another name previously.
Remember that renaming a dog is very similar to changing the cue word for a command. It will take consistency and most of all dedicated training to help alleviate as much confusion in the dog as possible. That said, renaming a dog can in fact be done, even when it is a dog you’ve had for a while.
Is it a good idea to rename a dog?
Deciding whether or not it is a good idea to give a dog a new name is pretty contextual and subjective. It depends a lot on how long the dog has had the existing name, the age of the dog, and how important it is to you, the owner, that your dog’s name be changed.
For example, a dog that is fourteen years old may not be worth going through a name change, because it may take them more time from the many years they’ve used their old name and still yet result in only a year or so of getting to use the new name because of their very advanced age.
A dog that you got at one year old and is now two years old is going to be comparatively easier, and have a higher “payoff” for going through the renaming training process, as they simply have more years ahead of them to use the new name.
And, of course, the importance of the name change to you is always a contributing factor. If the old name is something that makes you cringe each time you have to say it, it may be worth it regardless to go ahead and do the work to change the name to something you can stand.
This is very much a personal decision, not a scientific one. Weigh out the pros and cons and the many factors, and then decide if the amount of work is worth the payoff to you.
Is it cruel to rename a dog?
It is not cruel to rename a dog, but there are measures you should take to minimize confusion. We are essentially teaching the dog a new marker or cue for an existing command, so we need to take the proper measures to make sure we are communicating that properly.
It would be cruel, on the other hand, to suddenly change a dog’s name cold-turkey and give them corrections for not immediately responding to the new name, because it will take some time for them to genuinely understand the change.
I also think it would be reckless to change a dog’s name multiple times. So, if you are looking to rename your dog, consider until you are sure what the new name should be, and resolve that it should be your dog’s final name. Changing your dog’s name several times is bound to cause unnecessary confusion for your pet.
That said, changing your dog’s name once and taking appropriate measures to alleviate confusion and guide them is never in-and-of-itself cruel. It’s a realistic and attainable training goal that will simply take some time and consistency.
How to Rename a Dog
My method for renaming a dog consists of a few steps, detailed below.
Condition the new name in training sessions
Two or three times per day, set aside five or so minutes and work on focus training with the new name in a low-distraction environment. In these training sessions, we are simply working on reinforcing attention to the new name by using the name and delivering rewards.
Say your dog’s new name in a low distraction environment and immediately feed a treat or some of their daily food. It’s likely that your dog will start looking at you for the next treat, and this is fine. After a couple sessions, move on to expecting eye contact when you say the name, and reward for that.
While training new behaviors or doing other training sessions, you can also mix these drills in by prompting with the name and rewarding for eye contact.
Phase out the old name
When using your dog’s name in normal life, you can start using the old name less and start implementing the new. Some dogs will respond well to a temporary use of “[NewName] [OldName]” before going in to the new name alone.
Think of this like a nickname at first. The dog may learn the new name quickly, but recognize both for some time. When your dog responds to the new name even in high-distraction environments, you are ready to start fully retiring their old name.
Expect confusion and exercise patience
I advise you not to give punishments to your dog for not responding to their name or correct for non-compliance until you are so, so, so sure that your dog fully understands their name in many levels of distraction.
Like any new command, your dog is learning something new when you rename them, so give them time to really get it. Expect good days and bad days, and expect it to take a little bit of time. Stick to the process, and do what you can to alleviate confusion.
When in doubt, you can always get hands-on help from a professional to guide you through the renaming process, like our Virtual Training lessons.
And remember that this is a largely reward-based process, because we are teaching a new behavior. Rewards will be your best friend during this process, and help your dog learn their new name and new expectations so much faster than just swapping out the names and hoping for the best.
