How do I choose the right name for my puppy?

Names like Max, Bella or Finn are easy to say sharply and distinctly, which helps a puppy pick out its name from ordinary speech faster than a long or soft sounding name might.

A name that sounds close to sit, no or stay can genuinely confuse a puppy during early training, since it may struggle to tell the difference between its name and an instruction.

Say your shortlist out loud in an excited, happy tone in an empty room before deciding, since a name that reads well on paper does not always sound sharp or natural when called across a garden or a park in a hurry. Try each one a few times and notice which comes out most easily.

Check that the name does not sound too close to another pet's name already in the household, or to a frequently used word in daily life, such as a child's name that gets called often, since overlapping sounds can genuinely slow down how quickly a puppy learns to distinguish its own name from general background chatter.

Once chosen, get the whole household using the exact same name and pronunciation from day one rather than each person defaulting to a slightly different version, since consistency in those first two weeks matters more for how quickly the name sticks than the specific name itself. Once the name feels natural to say, that ease usually carries through into how confidently you use it during training.