What's In A Name?

Pets often end up with very unusual names or are renamed for a variety of reasons. For example, our neighbors tasked their very young son to name their pet poultry. We now live next door to a chicken who goes by the label of Cheddar Cheese and another called Bwoody Hen. Some dogs are presumed to be temporary fosters and not much thought is given to an interim appellation. Little Guy, sometimes called Dude, was fostered in our home for 14+ years before moving on to his forever home. Some dogs are given names you hope they do not live up to- think Bruiser, Dozer, Cujo, Bolt, Bandit and Tank. Panzer was a career change service dog whose name we quickly changed to Panther. It still sounded a lot like Panzer but now with the hint of a lisp. Searching for new names after adopting hundreds of shelter animals can be very challenging for staff. But adopting out a strapping tabby Tom cat as Mr Pretty Eyes is pretty feeble. To paraphrase our then very young daughter, “We can do better dan dat, Daddy.” He was quickly christened Matisse by her mother, who very well could do better. One of these shelter adoptees with a reminted name was adopted by an affable, garrulous Irish fellow. This very sweet shelter dog, whose original name was lost in her unknown past, was now called Bella.

Very likely, Bella never had a good relationship with any of her previous hominids. She was shy but blossomed into a well adjusted and beloved pet in this turn of good fortune. She, like most dogs, was resilient. Her new human worked very diligently with her on basic behaviors. He was especially proud of how smartly she acknowledged her new name. She would whip her head up at the sound of her name in anticipation of a smile, soft praise and the possibility of a treat. She began her first training class in this fashion. As the class progressed, Bella’s human was extolling to a fellow classmate how well Bella was responding to her training, especially how quickly she looked up at her name. And Bella’s person continued to laud her efforts- Bella this, Bella that and Bella something else. (Did I mention he was garrulous?). Bella, for her part, whirled her head eagerly at hearing her name. She did so again and again. But then her response slowed and she finally stopped responding. Her person continued singing her praises to his training neighbor, unaware of Bella. He had managed to unteach her steady response to her name at the same time he was bragging about how well she was responding.  

Now, I must allow, that on several occasions, I have heard my name and not responded. I was able to quickly discern by the tone of voice and the use of my full name, Michael, that my virtues were not about to be exalted. I quietly headed in the opposite direction. Dogs are very clever creatures and can quickly figure these things out. Bella did not respond because she was not reinforced. I was avoiding a perceived punishment. A dog who is in constant trouble may imagine his real name ito be !!???&&###!!. It cannot be pleasant to hear your name constantly as a prelude to punishment.     

So what is in a name? 1. Attention. Earth to Bluto! Responding to its name is one of the first behaviors to teach any dog. Attention is the prelude to the Recall/ Coming When Called. Most dogs are not going to be sitting pretty, with adoring eyes fixed on you, when you want to call them to you. They will likely have their noses buried deeply in something objectionable to humans. If they do not respond to their name, they are most likely not going to come when called. 2). Connection. A dog that responds to his name promptly in a distracting environment shows a strong connection to his person. This connection is part of the bond developed over time as a dog and his companion train and share experiences. A dog who checks in at hearing her name and remains tuned in to the Attention Channel, is a well connected dog. The team is in the game together. 3). Relationship. How a dog perceives his name is a measure of the quality of the relationship. The tone of voice an owner uses is telling, as words are not always meaningful. And yes, we are talking about feelings. An exercise we used to do with human assistance dog trainees was to have them use a happy tone of voice to tell their dog it was a terrible, cursed, vile, worthless creature. Once, a major donor appeared, unannounced, at the door to the training room to see a class full of dogs happily wagging their tails while being called a “dirty, rotten, scummy dog.” We had some “splainin” to do. The flip side of this exercise, an antagonistic voice combined with happy words resulted in  lowered tails and pinned ears. Dogs are not dissemblers.        

Bella was soon back to an enthusiastic reply to her name as her person resumed feedback. She continued to be a most gentle and sweet companion. Cheddar and Bwoody often free range the neighbors’ yard, occasionally being shooed from the garden. These chickens, like dogs, don’t seem at all concerned with their names. And it is generally easy enough to transition a dog to a new name.  But what if our neighbors rescued a dog and left it up to their son to name her? What if they had adopted Bella?

 Bella, by any other name would be just as sweet.