Having a difficult time finding a good dog name for that new puppy? The name you choose says a lot about you and your personality as well as what you expect from your dog. Naming your German Shepard "Killer" says a lot about what type of dog you want it to be. People will often judge your dog by its name, reacting kindly to Cupcake or Lady but poorly to Stinky or Brute. Here are some creative ideas to help you choose just the right name:

A Doberman/lab puppy had the biggest brown eyes that stared at you, studying your every move. The new owner commented, "You have eyes just like a hawk," and Hawkeye had his name. A dog with large pointing ears might be Radar or Spock. When one new owner saw the brown circle in the middle of her new basset hounds forehead, she could have named her Spot, but Penny came to mind.

Where did your dog's breed originate from? Germany? France? Unusual names are often a descriptive word in another language such as Shotsie (German for sweetheart) or Fido (Latin for faithful.) Or take a name out of history such as Winston for a Cocker Spaniel with a British Heritage. The Shih Tzu,  Lhasa Apso, Chow Chow,  and Pekingese are of Chinese descent and often sport names such as Ling, Chin, and Cia.

One couple owns 2 Standard Poodle, Charlie and Henry. Max could be Maxine or Maxwell. If your dog is more of a person to you, give it a human name such as Fred.

Big Red was a famous book about an Irish Setter but color names can be creative, too. Amber and Crimson are great names for reddish colored dogs as is Buff and Brandy for Goldens. Onyx and Othello are fun names instead of the traditional Blacky. A Bichon Frise owner said her puppy looked like a big snowball, but her daughter said that name was too common. The dog's name is Blizzard.
Make sure you know what its adult color will be before giving a puppy a name based on color: Creamy or buff colored puppies are often white as adults. Silver poodles are born black and don't turn silver for several months. 

Is your collie king of the house? Royal names such as King and Prince are great male dog names where Princess and Queenie have always been popular female dog names as well as Duke and Duchess. We wanted to have a royal name for our rescued Doberman who looked so very regal but they are from Germany, so was named him Baron.

Cartoons and movies often have an impact when children name their dog's. In the 1960s it was Lassie. In the 1980's Gizmo was the rage after the release of the Gremlins. The Lion King spawned a large number of Simbas.

Two syllable names are easy for dogs to hear and the sounds EEEEE and AAAA are easier than AHHHHH and UHHHHH.  If you need your dog's attention quickly, Baby is going to hear it's name easier than Bubba.

If you share your life with more than one dog, make sure their names all sound different. and avoid names that sound like commands. You may have a difficult time teaching Ray to stay or Flit to sit.