One of the first big decisions you will have to make with your Labrador Retriever puppy is what to name it. A name should always be one that is going to be one that is easy for you to say and easy for the puppy to recognize.

It is best not to name your new puppy with a similar name of someone else in the household. This can lead to a lot of confusion for the puppy as it will not know who you are calling and will increase the time for it to recognize its name greatly.

Another tip is to pick one name to call the Lab and stick with it. We all love cute nicknames but this can also lead to a Lab that does not learn its name. By calling the puppy a different nickname each time you call it, it does not ever develop a strong bond with its name and will never know if you are calling for it.

Many owners often prefer to choose a name with personal meaning. Maybe it is a name in memory of a friend, one of their favorite names or possibly a favorite celebrity. This often works well as it is a name you really like so it will be easier not to veer off and call the puppy by nicknames.

If you are planning on showing your Lab or competing in other sporting events it is always a good idea to choose a very strong name on the pedigree. The pedigree name is then often shortened into a nickname and this is how the dog is called.

A final approach to naming involves choosing a name with a meaning you feel strongly resembles your pup. This is my favorite approach as I feel it helps develop a deeper bond than going with a trendy name. For instance, if you have always dreamed of owning a Lab you could name it Ashling, which at its Latin root means a vision or a dream…

No matter how you go about choosing to name your Labrador puppy, just rember to be consistant and in no time it will be in your lap giving kisses before you can even finish calling it.

Additional Resources
Dog Names with Latin Roots

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