Changing a dog's name
 

I am planning to collect a 5 yr old yorkie boy tomorrow (eeeek!) and plan to change his name. I was presuming I could train him to recognise his new name with lots of consistent treat training.

Has anyone had experience with changing names?

Some people i am sure will disagree with this but i don't dogs much care
what their name is, lol.
I am sure it wont hurt to change his name...
Congrats on your new baby

No treat training is needed. Just start calling him by his new name, and he will learn within a week that this is what he is now called. I agree, dogs don't really care very much. My rescue dogs always have their names changed, and they always learn very quickly.

I forgot to say congratulations on your new baby. Don't forget to post pictures for us!

No worries. I got my little one at 7 yrs old. I changed her name and within weeks she was answering to it but then again she will answer to anything if she thinks food is involved:p

Congrats on the new baby

I have changed lots of dogs' and cats' names...either just call them by whatever name you want them to answer to, or, if you know their old name...which a lot of the time I did not, call them by new+old, then switch it up finally dropping the old altogether. I did this with a female mix who was named "Spade" which I thought was horrible for such a loving little girl...but then again, THEY had finally just put the starving little thing out on the street after neighbors threatened to turn them for cruelty. She couldn't even hold down food or water when I first got her, poor thing...but that all changed quickly enough and I found her a wonderful home with 2 lovely boys...she loved little boys...disliked little girls! I changed her name to Samantha, Sammy, for short...just started calling her Sammy Spade, then dropped the Spade and went to Sammy Samantha, etc. It only took about a week, even in her horrid condition, until she'd answer to Sammy or Samantha.

I have seen an occasional animal who will not answer to a new name (because he doesn't like it, I guess...lol)...one was a kitten I named "Pepper"...a Humane Society foster I adopted. He absolutely refused to answer to it! Perplexed, I 'had a discussion' with him in which I started asking what name he might like if he disliked Pepper so much, and went through a bunch of names...while he ignored me. lol When I got to "Smokey" his head spun round and he looked square at me, so now my "puppy cat" is named "Smokey" and he comes to it, sits to it, heels to it...lol Ya just never know, I guess!

Congrats on your new baby...!

They don't mind. I call Miss Mini: Miss Mini K., Mini Min, where's my dog?, mommas girl; princess, she answers to all of them!!!:)

I call Miss Mia: MiaMia and now poopyface (based on a new habit)...sadly she answers to both...:eek:

I had a dog that we rescued years ago that was a senior, she came with the name Wibbles, we called her Wibbles and/or Nellie Bell...she answered to both.

I don't think dogs care. Georgie has sooooo many different names and he answers to all of them:)

Congrats on your new yorkie...names don't matter when they have lots of love and care.

seeing on the consesus i may change telula's name...its to confusing with my daughter and lula just doesnt fit her! thanks for this Im looking up names now.

Thank you everyone! Glad to know it will be fine! When/if I get him tomorrow, I will post lots of new pics!

Changing the name should be fine. I know with the ones I have adopted and the situtations they came from they really didn't have a name so the Foster Mom named them, now I did keep those names as I really liked them.
Now my Allie that I adopted she was an owner turn in to the Rescue Group. Her name was Alex and she did know that name, I how ever didn't like it so much cause it sounded like a boy's name to me. So I started calling her Allie, and she adjusted to it really well. I know people who change the names that is similar sounding to the name they are used to and it works really well.

Congratulations on your new addition! I changed Teddy's name and he took to it instantly. :)