Asking the dog to pay attention by calling her name is one of the most used cues in everyday life with our canine companions. It makes teaching easier, even by accident. Most dogs will eventually understand their names even without special training because it is repeated and reinforced so often. Call your dog when it’s time for dinner or a walk, and she’ll quickly learn that her name means it’s time to check if something good is happening. Additionally, you can greatly speed up the process by learning how to teach your dog her name.
Do dogs know their names?
As young children, people learn through repetition (saying the name over and over) and reinforcement (providing feedback when the baby responds) that their names refer to them as individuals. In a broader sense, the same is true of how dogs learn their names. However, what their names mean is probably quite different.
For humans, a name is part of our identity, providing a range of sounds that relate to a particular person. Just imagine what it would be like to try to navigate human society without a name. Although the communication barrier prevents us from asking, observations of dog behavior suggest that dogs respond to names more than any other learned cue.
As best we can tell, dogs identify individuals (both humans and dogs) primarily by smell, sight, and sound. Even if a dog never learns its people’s names—although many do—the smell of a familiar person or the sound of a familiar voice will set its tail wagging. A dog first knows and remembers individuals by these characteristics and only learns a word for that person, such as a name, if it benefits them. Therefore, if you want her to respond to such a word, you will have to learn it.
How to teach a dog her name
Before you start teaching your dog her name, choose the right name to use to get your dog’s attention (see the sidebar below about nicknames). From there:
- Grab some treats that your dog really likes and find a quiet place with as few distractions as possible.
- With your dog standing or sitting close to you, say her name in an upbeat, excited voice.
- When the dog looks at you, give her a treat. You can also use rewards such as toys, praise or petting.
- Repeat 10-15 times.
- Practice several times a day until she starts looking at you as soon as you say her name.
Once your dog reliably responds to her name when she is near you, you can begin to increase the distance between you. From a distance of 5 feet, repeat the above steps. Once she’s reliably looking at you from 5 feet, move to 10 feet and so on. Remember, this is not a ‘staycation’. It’s okay, even preferable, if she moves toward you when you say her name.
Once your dog regularly looks at you when you say her name from anywhere in a quiet room without distraction, you can move to a slightly busier location and start the process again. You’ll want to start with her closest to you and add distance when you’re sure she’s still responding well.
Once high-traffic locations aren’t a problem, you can start adding distractions like throwing a toy right before you say her name or another person enters the room. If he starts to lose focus at any point in the process, take a step back and practice closer and with fewer distractions for a few days before trying again.
Common mistakes to avoid
There are a few mistakes that are easy to make, but are best avoided if you want your dog to quickly learn and respond to her name. This includes:
- Saying the dog’s name in anger or frustration: It is extremely tempting to use the dog’s name when she has done something naughty. However, if she starts to associate her name with discomfort—even if it’s just that you’re upset—she’s much more likely to either ignore it or walk away when she hears it, instead of turning her attention to you.
- Saying the dog’s name repeatedly without reinforcement: Especially in the early stages of a dog learning her name, it is important to provide positive reinforcement whenever she hears her name and responds. If he doesn’t, he can turn it into just another word he hears that doesn’t mean anything special.
- Using Nicknames or Name Variations: Although nicknames are not a bad thing, they can be confusing for a dog. For example, if you start teaching your new dog to pay attention when you say “Harriet” but also call him “Harry” and “Princess” expecting him to respond in the same way, it will take more time to teach him that all those sounds mean something that you want her attention. You are essentially asking her to learn multiple cues for one behavior at the same time, which will likely slow down the learning process.
Changing the name
Many dogs come to their new homes after they have already been given names. Rescues and shelters regularly name the dogs entrusted to them, and many breeders name their puppies. When the time comes for a dog to be moved to a forever home, her new family will often want to change the name she came with. I have been asked more than once if it is a pain for the dog.
In my experience, it’s perfectly fine to change a dog’s name. Even if she knows and responds to the old one, think of it as asking her to learn a new sign. The trick is to learn the new name with joy and love to associate it with great things.
What about nicknames?
All my dogs have nicknames. It just seems to happen. They come into the family, the name is decided, and the next thing I know the dog is called several things that may or may not have anything to do with the original name. So how do I avoid confusing my dogs?
It’s actually quite simple. Nicknames are for downtime. Every dog has a name that is used when I want their attention. That’s what I call them during training, meals and any other time I need them to look at me. I treat that name as a cue to be used only when I want a certain behavior and am willing to reinforce it.
In contrast, nicknames are optional. I usually use them during play, talking to dogs (which happens a lot) or while talking about dogs with other people. My dogs tended to get the idea eventually, but I don’t expect or need a response to the nickname and I don’t actively support it. In short, don’t hold back on nicknames, but be sure to decide in advance what you want your dog’s “real” name to be!
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