When training a dog to respond to its name, its important to remember that dogs don’t associate to their names the same way as humans do. As humans, we assign a word for everything and everyone to make it easier while speaking to or about a certain entity. However, dogs communicate a little differently. However, over the years, they have learnt to respond to certain words due to the associations we make for them and the reward or gratification that follows immediately after. The same logic applies to their names too. In this article I’m going to tell you how to teach a dog their name so they respond to it flawlessly every time you say it.
HOW TO TEACH A DOG THEIR NEW NAME
1. The Name game
This is a game you can play to introduce your dog to their new name. Let’s say you name your dog “Buddy.” Here’s how you play the game –
- Say “Buddy” in a happy tone and as soon as your dog looks at you, give him lots of praise and give him a piece of treat
- Wait till he gets distracted again or looks away from you. As soon as that happens, call his name again in the same happy tone and reward if he looks back at you.
- Do multiple repetitions of this throughout the day when your dog is hungry/ playful with different kind of treats or his meals
- Play the game in different rooms of the house to condition him to respond everywhere
2. Highly positive association
As mentioned above, dogs learn best through associations. So as pet parents, it’s only wise to make their name a matter of fun and high rewards for your dog.
Right since puppyhood or the time since your dog first steps into your home, start building an excellent association with your dog’s name. Make sure the name always follows a fun instant gratification.
It need not be treats and food all the time. It could be toys, attention, cuddles, belly rub, walks, playtime or basically anything your dog truly enjoys.
3. Practice and perfect at home first
This is a standard rule for anything new you’re trying to teach your dog. Training should always begin in an environment that your dog is familiar with. Cutting out additional distractions is the first step towards achieving focus.
Dogs, especially puppies, have a short attention span. Keeping training short and upbeat can help in retaining things better for your dog and
Try teaching your dog their new name with different things around the house. You can also play fun games like hide n seek to level up your name training. Let your dog find you as you hide. While he’s searching for you, call his name playfully to help him out. When he spots you, give him a high-value treat.
Through this game, not only have you reinforced his name with a super positive association, but also provided him with a little mental and physical stimulation while bonding with him.
At home, the environment has limited new things to distract your dog from training. This establishes better focus and sets the dog up for success.
4. Proof it outdoors
Once your dog becomes a pro at responding better in the house, it’s time to test this outdoors. Again, start with low distractions. Carry tiny pieces of high-value and low-value treats in your treat pouch. Take your pup out on a 6-10 ft leash.
While your dog is sniffing, call your dog’s name in a playful and clearly audible tone. If your dog disengages from whatever he is busy with in the first go, reward with a high-value treat. If it takes several repetitions to get his attention, reward with a low-value treat.
More the enthusiasm, better the reward. Train your way up and teach the dog their name in more distracting locations and environments.
It’s essential to proof cues and training commands in as many new environments as possible. This gives an excellent socialization opportunity to your pup while making sure you’re raising a calm and a responsive dog.
5. No negative associations
Even one negative association can reverse all the positive training done over several days/ weeks. That’s the thing about punishment. It may be an impulsive reaction but has long-term effects.
For eg, your dog could be playing in the backyard and ends up digging near one of your shrubs. You get super upset and yells his name. As soon as he comes running to you, you yell at him and scold him for his behavior. By doing so, you’ve created a scary association for your pup towards his name. A couple of such experiences is enough for your dog to start ignoring you when you call him.
Even while correcting your dog or saying “NO,” avoid taking his name. Just say the correction word. And if you really have to scold him, avoid calling him to you and doing so. If anything, walk up to him and do it WHILE he’s wreaking havoc. Not a couple of hours AFTER he has wreaked it. After the moment has passed, he’ll have no idea what you’re trying to say.
The “guilty dog” is a lie. I’m sorry to burst that bubble, but it’s a fact. Your dog is giving you that “guilty look” only because your tone and body language is stressing him out.
6. Avoid Unnecessary repetitions
“Buddy!!”… “Buddyyyyyy”… “Bud” …. “Bud bud”… “Buddy teddy” … “Buddyyyyyyyyyy” … yelling your dog’s new name out over and over again with different inflections might sound adorable to you. But it might just confuse your dog further. Especially repeating the name when your dog is super engaged with something else and has a high likelihood of ignoring you is a bad idea, as your dog will only learn that he does have an option to ignore you.
Sure, as your dog gets used to his name and has a better response rate, repeating the name for fun wouldn’t hurt as much.
TIPS TO SELECT A GOOD NAME FOR A PUPPY
Picking a cool, unique name that you won’t get sick of repeating over and over again in the near future is imperative. However, did you know, the way a name sounds also has a huge role to play in how responsive the pup will be towards it? Keep in mind the following tips while picking a name for your dog. It’ll just make your life really simple while teaching it to your dog-
- Names with vowels are far better. The sound of these names travel farther
- Avoid names with too many syllables
- Avoid names that are so long that you’d have to shrink them into a nickname. For eg, what’s the point of naming a dog Cleopatra, if you’re going to be calling her Cleo? And I get it, calling her Cleopatra everytime you want to communicate with her is going to be exhausting! But, confusing her with both names will make the training harder for both of you
- Don’t pick something that rhymes with a command or a word you often use. Eg, If you name your dog ‘Sid,’ he will keep getting confused everytime you ask him to Sit!
- Avoid rhyming it with other pets
- Try and stick with a name for better reinforcement. Sometimes, after naming your dog you might realize he isn’t responding to it pretty well. A couple of changes is fine. But, try and do it as early on as possible. Waiting for several weeks of failure to name responsiveness to change the name isn’t a very good idea
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR A DOG TO LEARN THEIR NAME
After choosing a suitable name, if practiced consistently, it’s possible for a dog to learn its name in a few days. Do short repetitions with high-value treats and you’ll realize it doesn’t really take a lot of time for puppies to form associations.
However, it may take several days for the dog to respond to his name if the name is constantly used during corrections, while yelling at the dog or if the outcome of name-calling is not very positive.
HOW TO TEACH A DOG TO COME TO THEIR NAME
As a trainer, I don’t recommend keeping the dog’s name and recall cue synonymous. A recall cue is not an optional command. It’s a life-saving cue that every dog MUST learn and respond to well.
We keep taking our dog’s name soooo many times throughout the day, that it is possible for our dogs to turn a deaf ear to it in real emergencies. Setting a dog up to respond to his name as a recall cue may work during puppyhood when the pup is excited about anything and everything we have to offer. But, as they start growing up, they learn to make choices between distractions and responding to the human. Whether we like it or not, distractions end up winning this battle so many times!!
FURTHER READS: HOW TO TRAIN A DOG FOR A FLAWLESS RECALL?
However, if you’re a super-hooman and have set your dog up to respond flawlessly to his name, by all means, use it as a recall cue. Although, it would help to keep the following things in mind –
- Make sure you’re not repeating the name over and over again while your dog is ignoring you
- When practicing outdoors, keep high value treats ready
- Practice on a long lead to provide freedom, at the same time ensure 100% success
- Don’t just call your dog to take him back home. As he comes back to you, give him something nice and let him go back again
HOW DO DOGS LEARN THEIR NAME
Apart from positive association, dogs also learn their name through classical conditioning. Eg, a dog named Buddy doesn’t actually know his name is Buddy. But, responds to it when it is being said.
The pet parents’ body language, tone of voice and volume are also important contributing factors in teaching a dog their name. If I always call my dog in a playful, happy tone, my dog will be more likely to respond to it everytime as the outcome is always desirable. But, if I take my dog’s name in a draggy or a boring tone or yell out his name angrily, the outcome of it in his head is not going to be so positive. This is detrimental to training.
IS IT OK TO RENAME A DOG
Absolutely. A dog can be and should be renamed in the following possible scenarios –
- The dog has been rescued from a brutal environment where he couldn’t establish a positive association with his name
- A rehomed pup with no prior training experience
- When the name is difficult for the dog to respond to
- Starting training and rehabilitation for a dog on a clean slate
- The name has probably been repeated so many times in vain that the dog has turned a deaf ear to it
- Any other scenario where the pup isn’t responding to the name very well
Name recognition isn’t something your dog will learn in a single day. Dog training, for that matter, is a WIP that needs to be reinforced regularly. Sometimes, even if it seems like your dog has learnt their name amazingly well, keep up the training while introducing more distractions and challenges. With patience, consistency, and positive reinforcements, your dog will respond to their name in no time!