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Selecting a name for your dog is supposed to be a happy and fun experience for the whole family to take part in. Everyone comes up with their own unique names and eventually one is selected. This is great for a mixed breed dog as well as pure-bred dogs, but when dealing with expensive pedigreed dogs many people go a step further with the naming process. A pedigreed dog name is often quite long and colorful. Some might even say it is a bit snobbish!
If you have purchased the dog for show competitions the pedigreed dog name you decide on has to be very unique and catch the attention of the judges. This is the name you will register with the American Kennel Club, and should your dog go on to be a grand champion at AKC events the price for breeding your dog sky rockets. This is another good reason for the pedigreed dog being named something other than the common, mundane dog names we all have heard.
These are not dogs from a local shelter or the average dog breeder. They are bred from previous AKC Champions and come from very exclusive breeders and kennels. It is normal for the first part of the dog’s name to contain the name of the kennel where you purchased the puppy.
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cyberhowl
says:I have to agree with all that you say, except to what is said about influencing the judges.
An AKC judge does NOT go by the dog’s name; in fact, they are not even allowed to see the judging program (where the dogs are listed, along with info about each dog) prior to stepping into the ring to judge those dogs which are entered. They do not, until that very moment, know which dogs will be present and which dogs are not there. That is also why the exhibitors wear armbands with numbers on them, to try and keep the identity of the dog anonymous, as the judge is SUPPOSED to give the awards to the best representation of the breed that is before him / her on that day.
That said, there are magazines upon magazines that are sent to every AKC judge that DO show various dogs, with their kennel names, breeder names, etc. etc. Maybe the judge can look at a dog in the ring, and link it back to an ad in one of these magazines that he/she looked at 3 weeks ago, maybe not. I have seen various professional handlers take a dog in the ring – even a dog that has never been in a ring before – and win, simply based on the fact that a “pro” was on the end of the lead. I have seen a dog win, numerous times, because that dog was worthy of winning (and probably was usually a winner in most shows), but not because of the name attached to it. I have seen kennels that use strong bloodlines that produce certain “looks” in the breed, and if that “look” is what the judge happens to like, you may see more of that kennel’s dogs winning, but more because of the overall look or style of the bloodline, but not necessarily because of the name. When I was showing a certain dog I owned, I had a judge approach me and ask if it was from “XYZ” kennel (it was). But that was based on the look, had nothing to do with the name, which the judge did not know prior.
If you want a dog that will win in the ring, don’t go solely by name. The “big names” in the dog show world have made their mark by what they produce CONSISTENTLY. You don’t win big in the game if your dogs are all over the board, quality-wise. Yes, when you get to that level, the name behind the dog does stand for something, it usually indicates a quality dog – and THAT’S what the judges see when they walk into the ring – the QUALITY of the dog, not the name on a piece of paper.
L Ruggieri
says:My girls name is Puppy Smith Ranch’s Tima. She is not shown but she is a most wonderful black Labrador Retriever. 🙂 I have never heard the name Tima used before or since.
Mary E Adams
says:My favorite name is that of a Standard Poodle in last year’s Westminister Dog Show – “Driving Miss Daisy Crazy”. I had a golden retriever once whose sire was shown. His name was Sherman but his showname was “Shonuf’ Sherman”.