First and foremost, always pick a name that the pet can easily recognize. Animals usually respond better to names comprising of no more than two syllables. The name you choose says as much about you as it does about your pet; don’t burden your new puppy (and yourself ultimately), with what I call “clever” names. It may be extremely chic to name your new puppy Slobber Tongue, but how embarrassed will you feel standing in the middle of the dog park calling him?

The name you choose goes a long way in indicating the relationship you have with the pet in question. The name very often determines how strangers react when encountering it for the first time. As an example, if your Rottweiler is called Killer, you should expect strangers to react negatively and maybe even fearfully when meeting it.

Also, when naming a dog, be especially careful not to pick a name that sounds like any of the standard commands you will be using: Sit, Fetch, No, Down, Stay, etc. As an example, to a dog “No” sounds the same as “Joe”; “Mit” sounds too much like “Sit”. It is difficult for dogs to distinguish between similar sounding words. If you do select a longer name, visualize what the shortened version - that you’ll end up using daily - is likely to be.

The pet’s breed heritage often provides good inspiration. For example English names (Bulldogs, Lakelands, Airedales), French names (Poodles), Scottish names (Terriers), Oriental names (Siamese and Burmese), German names (Shepherds, Pinschers, Dachshunds and Schnauzers) and Irish names (Spaniels, Wolfhounds and Setters).

Pause for a moment and think about the last few pet names you heard. Did the names stand out? Did they convey a good description of the pet? Were they unique and easily distinguishable from other words and did they have meaning? These are all important considerations to think about when choosing a perfect name.

Currently the most popular dog names are Sam, Sammie or Samantha (meaning “listener”), Max, Maxie, Maxwell or Maxine (meaning “the greatest”). Following these are Bear, Buddy Lady, Maggie, Tasha, Chelsea, Holly and Shasta. Popular cat names are Brandy, Amber, Ginger and Taffy.