Keep or change name?

[Mom-ninja.]

Thanks for all the votes. We decided on his name. :)

[Chris in VA]

I think it's close enough, with the long e sound, that he will probably get it pretty quickly.

 

But I like Levi better, so I'm not sure how to vote! LOL-- :leaving:

[AlmiraGulch]

I think you have enough to deal with with having this new dog you have to train.  I'd leave it as-is, just to make your life easier.

[unsinkable]

Change it if you don't like it.

 

(I don't like either name, so no advice there...)

[BrookValley.]

Neither. Name him Reginald and call him Reggie for short. I can totally picture a big chocolate lab as a Reggie...

 

Aren't I so helpful? :laugh:

 

ETA: I voted keep Levi. I just think it would be easier.

[Night Elf]

For me, it would depend on how I got him. If it was someone I knew who would see the dog, I'd leave the name. If it was a group, like an adoption group, I'd change it to something I like. My pets all got used to their names fairly quickly. I don't see why you can't change it and still teach good behaviors. Saying 'down', 'sit', 'stay', don't affect how the dog knows his name, does it?

[Haiku]

Keep Levi.

[Ellie]

Change his name.

 

He's just a dog. He'll adjust. :001_smile:

[RoughCollie]

Just start calling him by his new name in addition to his old one.  Every dog I've ever had comes to multiple names.  Aidan answers to Hog Dog, Dog, Baby, and Little Guy, for example.  Then phase out his old name gradually.  You won't have to do any "name training" at all.  BUT when you are training him, you can save the best treats for the new name.

 

Granted, when I first call Aidan by his latest nickname, I'm usually doing something with him that he thinks is fun and talking to him affectionately or playfully.  Still, it's not training.  It just comes naturally in the course of life with Hog Dog.  He associates these nicknames with All Good Things.

 

People who rescue dogs change their names all the time.  First, the rescue gives the dog a new name if they don't know the old one.  Then the new owner changes the dog's name.

[Pawz4me]

Ummm . . . whatever you/your DH/your kids decide?

 

On the list of difficult things to do, getting a dog used to a different name doesn't come anywhere close to making the list.  It's really very, very easy.

 

Personally, I'm partial to pet names that end in the long "i" sound.  It seems to make calling them easier. So I'd stick with Levi.

[Hikin' Mama]

I got a dog at 8 months old and changed his name. He had been with another family so he was used to being called the other name frequently. I say change his name. We had no problem with it here.

[Mom-ninja.]

I've changed dogs names before so I know it's easy to do.

 

Other considerations:

 

For me, it would depend on how I got him. If it was someone I knew who would see the dog, I'd leave the name.

 

We got him from our neighbors' friends. So our neighbor calls him Levi. I'd have to tell them we changed the name.

 

Also one of our cats name is Leroy. That's my main reason for wanting to change the name. I don't want to find myself stumbling over Levi and Leroy. I did that all the time when I had a Clive and a Kyle in the house. Of course, I'm always messing up my kids names so there's that. :lol:

[shanvan]

Keep Levi (b/c I like it and the dog is already used to it) but call him whatever you want whenever you want.  We have all kinds of nicknames for our pets.  My Dd's dog seems to get the most.  Moopsy, Pin-head (b/c of how he looks after grooming), mudgey-wudgey, Milo (probably really confuses people since his name is Miles), Mi-Mi.  You get the idea.  Whole different list for the cat and Ds's dog.  Then we have the deragatory nicknames and that's a whole different list.... 

[Mom-ninja.]

Ummm . . . whatever you/your DH/your kids decide?

 

On the list of difficult things to do, getting a dog used to a different name doesn't come anywhere close to making the list.  It's really very, very easy.

 

Personally, I'm partial to pet names that end in the long "i" sound.  It seems to make calling them easier. So I'd stick with Levi.

 

Dh says to leave it but doesn't really care.

 

Ds 1 says Jeeves

Ds 2 says Levi

Ds 3 says Doggie

 

So there's no majority vote.

[Pawz4me]

Dh says to leave it but doesn't really care.

 

Ds 1 says Jeeves

Ds 2 says Levi

Ds 3 says Doggie

 

So there's no majority vote.

 

Then . .  all of the above!  :D

 

Seriously, dogs (and cats) get used to lots of different nicknames.  Most of them are pretty smart and quickly learn that a variety of names = them.  All four of my pets (two dogs, two cats) respond to several different names.  I'd officially make his name "Levi Jeeves Doggie" and also expect to add another name or two as you get to know him better.

[Mom-ninja.]

Keep Levi (b/c I like it and the dog is already used to it) but call him whatever you want whenever you want.  We have all kinds of nicknames for our pets.  My Dd's dog seems to get the most.  Moopsy, Pin-head (b/c of how he looks after grooming), mudgey-wudgey, Milo (probably really confuses people since his name is Miles), Mi-Mi.  You get the idea.  Whole different list for the cat and Ds's dog.  Then we have the deragatory nicknames and that's a whole different list.... 

 

So I'm not the only one who calls nicknames like "naughty bean" ? :lol:

[Night Elf]

Dh says to leave it but doesn't really care.

 

Ds 1 says Jeeves

Ds 2 says Levi

Ds 3 says Doggie

 

So there's no majority vote.

 

Who is most responsble for the pet's care? If that's you, then you get to choose. :)

[Mom-ninja.]

You know. Good point. Who says I have to choose. My kids insist on a full name for pets so we can just tack on Jeeves in some way.

 

Our cats are Sargent Chester Chesterson and Leroy Buster Brown.

 

Levi Jeeves doesn't quite ring well together though. I find myself calling him Jeevie-Jeevie. :lol:

[shanvan]

So I'm not the only one who calls nicknames like "naughty bean" ? :lol:

No!  And just when I think the names are complete, someone starts using a new one.  

[elegantlion]

change it, don't all pets have 40 different names anyway? A lab will learn. Then you need another dog and name it Bertie. 

 

 

[Word Nerd]

change it, don't all pets have 40 different names anyway? A lab will learn. Then you need another dog and name it Bertie. 

 

And another named Gussie Fink-Nottle. Actually, that might be a good name for a goose.

 

[Mom-ninja.]

change it, don't all pets have 40 different names anyway? A lab will learn. Then you need another dog and name it Bertie. 

Actually, I was just telling my ds that Jeeves is not the best name for a lab. Jeeves is so the opposite of a lab. Bertie is totally a lab character though. Clumsy, goofy, mildly confused, happy go lucky all the time, and always looking for fun.

[Mom-ninja.]

I've got it!  Levi Bertram Fink-Nottle

[Χά�ων]

We got a dog a couple of years ago who came with the name of one our other dogs. We changed it and there was never an issue with name confusion. The dog was 10 months old at the time.

[Truscifi]

I voted Levi just because I like that name better for a lab. I really think you should call him whatever you like though. We changed our dog's name when she came to live with us. She adjusted just fine.

[Truscifi]

Also, we do a full name plus nicknames. She answers to all of them. :laugh:

[North Coast School]

I think I read somewhere that dogs respond better to 2-syllable names that end in an "ee" sound.  Names like Maggie, Benji, Bobby, Ronnie..

 

How about Bertie?  It fits better for a dopey lab than Jeeves.

 

ETA: I voted to change it because I think re-homed dogs should almost always get a new name in their new life.

[Pamela H in Texas]

dogs change names *very* easily.  I would change it if you want to.

 

However, it would be better to have a two syllable name. 

[Guest submarines]

This might be silly, but I think it is more respectful to the dog to keep his name, even if will probably adjust to the new one easily. ETA: especially if you like the name and don't find it offensive. If his name was Stinky, I'd change.

 

Some also say it is bad luck. :tongue_smilie:  My friend's cat is Max and his son is Max as well. Max the cat came into the family after Max the child was born.