How to Name Your Hunting Dog
Creative, tough-sounding, or classic, when it comes to naming your hunting dog, the choices are endless. I would argue that more thought goes into picking a name for your hunting companion than choosing the breed. The task can seem daunting, but here are some things to help you choose the best name for your dog.
Looking for Inspiration
Hunting dog names are as varied as their owners and draw from a variety of inspirations. A popular choice is to look at a list of baby names and pick one as you would name your child. This can be a good route to take, but there are some things you need to consider.
When you look at the top 10 baby names, you will find several that overlap with the top dog names of any given year. Comparing the top hunting dog names to the top 10 trending names of 2022 the overlaps are.
- Finn
- Ivy
- Willow
- Sage
- Theodore
- Arya
- Aspen
The downside of using baby names, especially popular ones, is that you could run into a situation where one of your human hunting companions has the same name as your canine. That could cause quite the confusion. Also, some of the names just aren’t fitting for dogs. I can’t see naming a dog Khadijah.
If you are not going to name your dog a human name then you have to think a little outside the box. It might be good to choose a name that you don’t mind shouting over and over. Most of your common American hunting dog names won’t be on the list of baby names, but I guarantee that you have heard of them. Names like Remington, Arrow, Buck, Hammer, Trigger, Gunnar, and Spike aren’t likely to turn up on baby name lists. It seems like most names that you think of for dogs actually have a few things in common. They are either named after firearm brands, parts of firearms, hunting terms, or hunting gear. Let’s take a look at some of those categories.Â
Firearm Brand Dog Names
- Remington
- Ruger
- Benelli
- Browning
- Marlin
- Sig
- Winchester
- Purdey (for or UK friends)
Firearm Parts Dog Names
- Bolt
- Trigger
- Striker
- Baffle
- Hammer
Hunting Terms and Gear Dog Names
- Buck
- Gauge
- Ranger
- Scout
- Hunter
- Skeet
These are just some ideas to help you along the path to naming your dog. Keep in mind that the name should be short and easy for your dog to recognize. You want to avoid names that create confusion for your dog when it is used in regular conversation or in common use. Example: Don’t name your dog Duck or he might have a hard time waterfowl hunting.
When we picked up our Small Munsterlander puppy, the breeder had named all the puppies the same letter based on how many litters the breeder has had. In this instance, our litter was the V litter and the dog we picked was named Vito. I was just fine with the name, however, the wife and kids had other thoughts. They decided the dog would be called Ender which means “extremely rare.” This is fitting for such an uncommon name in the states. Also, it happens to be a character from the popular Orson Scott Card book “Ender’s Game” (or if you are younger, you might think of the Ender dragon from Minecraft).
No matter what you name your dog, have fun and be creative. After all, how many labs named Rocky do we need in this world?
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.