My name is Margo; it’s the name I have chosen and feel comfortable with I adopted it when I left school and went out into the big wide world, a time when I was beginning to control my life and make my own choices, largely a happy time so no bad vibes associated with it.
I was actually called Margaret by my parents and lived with the name until I was 18. Although I was fortunate in having a happy childhood with parents who were fair and kind (though there were no doubt times when I thought differently) there were, inevitably times when I did what I shouldn’t. On those occasions I would be reprimanded by one or both of them, my father, often with a raised voice, my mother, quieter but with a scathing tone, which I still hear in my mind nearly half a century later. The common element was the particular way they emphasised the end of the word as in “Marg-aret will you behave yourself?” A rhetorical question not intended to have an answer. However it has left me with an abiding dislike of my full name.
So that was why, when I left home I dropped the hated ‘aret’
Which brings me to the point of the story; a name can carry baggage. It can carry baggage for us, humans, and it can carry baggage for our dogs. If a dog comes from a rescue centre or shelter it is possible that bad things will have happened to im or her in their past and if these were linked to their names “Bad boy Bruno, let me rub your nose in this wee/poo” or “get out of that flowerbed, Millie, or you’ll get a smack”. The name may have become a cue for them to expect something bad to happen. Even a name only given at the Shelter it have become associated with scary things, noisy barking or too many new people. It is unlikely that you will ever know the whole of a rescued dog's back story it is better to change the name to something you like and at the same time give the dog a fresh start.
Names don’t have the same layers of meaning for a dog that they do for a person and it’s easy to teach your dog a new name. By making it a cue for all things good in his or her life we can also be sure of getting a prompt response when it's used it. On the other hand if the name becomes associated it with things that the dog is not so keen on they will gradually become more reluctant to respond.
It is also easy to inadvertently teach a dog the ‘wrong’ name. Just repeating a word when we are addressing our dog can result in them responding to that word as if it were their name. There is an interesting article by Stanley Coren which in my mind is called ‘A dog Called No’ though that isn’t actually what the article is primarily about, just a small part at the end.
There is also a great Emily Larlham video on how to teach your dogs’ their names – always handy to have a bit of a reminder
Never ask your dog to do anything it dislikes or is fearful of or elicits an aggressive response and remember that if you need help with training or behaviour you should seek help from a professional. This is particularly important if your dog shows any tendency to aggression when they should be seen by a vet and depending on the outcome possibly also a behaviourist or at least experienced real-life trainer
George the Puggle - photo donated by the Dogs Grandmother
(The human part of this article is a real story but the name has been changed)
Originally Published: 02-13-2020, 10:30 AM
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