Preparing to name a Puppy!

This am awaiting to hear from the NSD more about dates for when the next littler of puppies will be coming into the world!

In the meantime, here is some info they share with me for considering naming the canine:

"National Service Dogs: Puppy Naming Tips

 KEEP the name to one or two syllables. Shorter names are easier to say and when paired with a command, make for faster communication with your sponsored puppy.

 MAKE sure the name does not sound too close to any commands that will be used because this will confuse the puppy. For example, “Tess” can sound like “Yes” and “Kit” sounds like “Sit.”

 AVOID names that are too close to common human names as it may prove confusing in certain situations. Also, avoid names that have negative connotations. Think of what it would feel like to run through a public space shouting your sponsored dog’s name. If you would be embarrassed, you shouldn’t choose that name.

 PLEASE pick a male and female name, or gender neutral name. Many times we are asking for name selections before we know the gender (disregard if this does not apply). Please submit a few name options to NSD as we may have a Service Dog in development with the same name or another sponsor in the same litter could pick the same name.

The Service Dog and Dog Naming

We name our puppies at 5-6 weeks of age. The Assistant Director of Canine Development has the honor of bestowing the names given by our community sponsors. All the puppies in a litter are given a name that starts with the same letter. The litters are named alphabetically. We begin with ‘A’ then each puppy in the next litter gets a name that begins with ‘B’, and all the way through to the ‘Z’ litter, then we start over again. Sometimes, we will come up with a unique theme for special times of the year (such as Canada Day, Remembrance Day), special people (such as Famous Artists, Influential Women, etc.) and the harder letters to find names for, such as ‘X’ and ‘Q’. Lastly, as a member of our Breeding Cooperative (ABC) we receive puppies from all over North America and our ABC puppies do not have a theme and the sponsor has more liberty with choosing a name outside of one of our regular themes.

You will be naming a male or female lab/golden retriever puppy from our ‘next available’ litter from our Breeding Program or Breeding Cooperative. Please consider picking a few names for consideration before submitting to NSD for approval, in case we already have a puppy in development with the same name. . –Thank you for your support!!"

So - please fire your thought regarding names to info@houndsandjackals.ca and we'll prep for hopefully sometime in the new year.  I am told each puppy will get a webpage as well via sponsorship, so you can the puppy's progress!