My boyfriend and I are getting a male [name_m]German[/name_m] [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] in a few months and, as I am a master planner, I’ve already begun thinking about names. He has thrown out a few ideas, but doesn’t really mind me choosing. He’ll give his opinion, of course, although he usually just agrees with me…
Anyway, he’ll be long-coated and a russet red/black.
I am NOT a fan of stereotypical names and most of my other dogs (my family breeds Cavalier [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Charles[/name_m] spaniels on a very small scale) have human names, whether first or last names.
DOGS:
[name_u]Abbott[/name_u] and Brinkley (our mom and dad)
[name_u]Penny[/name_u] and [name_m]Rigby[/name_m] (two pups kept from previous litters)
Boaz (Chihuahua, also called our “Cavalier herder”)
*All of the above mentioned doggies reside with my parents, but we’re named by me. The Shepherd will live with my boyfriend, the cats and I as our only canine companion.
Names that I’ve been considering are Zucco and Danzig, as well as others like Otto and other German/“cold” European (as I call them) names. Although, honestly, I don’t really like the whole German names for a German Shepherd thing. My boyfriend threw out [name_m]Odin[/name_m], but I’m not really a fan of mythology names for dogs.
If it helps, he’s coming from a active bloodline and will more than likely spend his time hiking, camping, etc. with us. We’re very outdoorsy folks.
Thank you so much and I apologize for such a long post, haha. I really appreciate any help you can give!
I’ve always liked ‘people names’ for animals. What are your cats called?
I like Zucco and [name_m]Otto[/name_m]!
My suggestions:
[name_m]Orson[/name_m] - means bear cub
[name_u]Roscoe[/name_u]
[name_m]Erik[/name_m]/[name_m]Eirik[/name_m]
[name_m]Aurik[/name_m]
[name_m]Ingo[/name_m]
[name_m]Sindri[/name_m]
[name_m]Olafur[/name_m]
[name_m]Jaako[/name_m]
[name_m]Karcsi[/name_m]
[name_m]Lavrik[/name_m]
[name_m]Yakov[/name_m]
My dad once had a [name_m]German[/name_m] [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] called [name_m]Naphtali[/name_m], which was pretty cool.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like any of those?
My cats have names that are a bit different from the dogs. My two oldest boys (brothers from the same litter) were named for cats from CATS, Tumblebrutus and Rum Tum Tugger. They go by [name_m]Brutus[/name_m] and Rummy. My youngest, who’ll probably be a year old at the end of this summer is named [name_f]Monday[/name_f]. It wasn’t my first choice, but my ex picked it and refused to call him anything else. It pretty much stuck, although I generally just called him [name_u]Baby[/name_u] [name_f]Cat[/name_f]. He definitely makes the idea of Mondays a little brighter for me. He’s my little buddy, for sure.
I think [name_m]Ingo[/name_m] is pretty darn cool!
Zucco and Danzig are both awesome. I actually like Danzig better, but I think Zucco is easier to say (& easier for a dog to recognize).
a few ideas:
[name_m]Zeke[/name_m]
[name_m]Zadok[/name_m]
[name_m]Gunther[/name_m]
[name_m]Ulrich[/name_m]
[name_m]Volker[/name_m]
[name_m]Omar[/name_m]
Ozkar
Danzig has been our front runner thus far. We don’t really worry about the roughness of the name (not ending in a soft sound) because he’ll be trained in a military-fashion and most of the commands are in [name_m]German[/name_m]/Dutch anyway. My boyfriend comes from a military family and his dad was a dog trainer.
As odd as it sounds, I’m not a huge fan of [name_m]German[/name_m], etc. names for him and that’s all anyone ever suggests. It’s like… Naming a Chihuahua Tinkerbell to me. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you guys have any other suggestions?
I’m not quite sure what you’re looking for, except that you want something a bit unusual, so I’m just going to chuck some ideas around!
[name_m]How[/name_m] about:
[name_u]Cruz[/name_u]
Bronn
[name_m]Tito[/name_m]
[name_m]Ringo[/name_m]
[name_u]Nico[/name_u]
[name_m]Zane[/name_m]
[name_m]Axel[/name_m]/[name_m]Axl[/name_m]
[name_m]Jagger[/name_m]
[name_f]Jinx[/name_f]
[name_m]Bandit[/name_m]
[name_m]Calix[/name_m]
[name_m]Talon[/name_m]
[name_u]Neo[/name_u]
[name_m]Rogue[/name_m]
[name_m]Ludovic[/name_m]
[name_m]Serge[/name_m]
[name_m]Malachi[/name_m]
[name_u]Orion[/name_u]
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m]
[name_m]Wyatt[/name_m]
[name_m]Zeppelin[/name_m]
[name_m]Benno[/name_m]
[name_m]Bogart[/name_m]
[name_m]Lazaro[/name_m]
[name_u]Tate[/name_u]
[name_m]Calhoun[/name_m]
[name_m]Salinger[/name_m]
[name_u]Lennon[/name_u]
[name_m]Dante[/name_m]
[name_m]Drago[/name_m]
[name_m]Tybalt[/name_m]
[name_u]Seneca[/name_u]
[name_m]Rocco[/name_m]
[name_m]Booker[/name_m]
[name_u]Hollis[/name_u]
[name_m]Cosmo[/name_m]/[name_m]Cosimo[/name_m]
[name_m]Django[/name_m]
[name_f]Puma[/name_f]
[name_m]Draven[/name_m]
What about something military? Could be fun (I’m an [name_m]Army[/name_m] brat, myself)
[name_m]Gunner[/name_m]
[name_m]Sargent[/name_m]
[name_m]Pilot[/name_m]
Semper/ Semper Fi
Cadet
[name_u]Navy[/name_u]
Raptor
[name_m]Admiral[/name_m]
Chevron
Rookie
Bazooka
Humvee
Honcho
Private
Spectre
Torpedo
Trooper
These are definitely the kind of names I’m looking for
[name_m]Ringo[/name_m] is SO cool, but two of my Cavaliers have Beatles-themed names, so I’m trying to avoid that this go around.
I [name_f]ADORE[/name_f] [name_m]Axel[/name_m]/[name_m]Axl[/name_m] (we’re huge Guns n Roses fans), but the BF’s best friend has a GSD named [name_m]Axel[/name_m].
[name_m]Jagger[/name_m] and [name_m]Django[/name_m] were actually on my list, but I’m just not… In love with any of them.
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m], [name_m]Rocco[/name_m] and [name_u]Hollis[/name_u] are excellent! I’ll have to kick these three around for a while.
[name_m]Talon[/name_m], [name_u]Orion[/name_u], [name_m]Zeppelin[/name_m], [name_m]Benno[/name_m], [name_m]Bogart[/name_m], [name_u]Lennon[/name_u], [name_m]Tybalt[/name_m] and [name_m]Gunner[/name_m] are really cool, but I’m unsure of them. I don’t know why.
@nj713, what do you think of the name Piney? My BF is a huge Sons of Anarchy fan and I’m a huge nature buff, so that seems to meet in the middle somewhere, but I’m not 100% sold. Is that super tacky since the show is still so popular?
Uhm… I dislike Piney.
On paper, yeah, its a great compromise. I just don’t think it fits the dog, or the list of names you do like.
If I’m going to be brutally honest: I just pictured a chihuahua called Pinecone stuffed into [name_u]Paris[/name_u] [name_m]Hilton[/name_m]'s handbag and her crooning at little “Piney Winey”
I’d look into music and nature if thats what you’re gravitating towards.
For example: Nature
[name_u]Storm[/name_u]
Hawke
[name_m]Ridge[/name_m]
Jarrah
[name_u]Sorrel[/name_u]
Bracken
[name_m]Reef[/name_m]
[name_u]Onyx[/name_u]
[name_m]Apollo[/name_m]
Dusk
[name_u]Phoenix[/name_u]
[name_f]Terra[/name_f]
Alder
[name_m]Lynx[/name_m]
[name_m]Granite[/name_m]
Other misc. suggestions that come to mind
[name_u]Mercury[/name_u]
[name_m]Maverick[/name_m]
[name_u]Alto[/name_u]
[name_m]Saxon[/name_m]
[name_u]Tempo[/name_u]
[name_u]Jazz[/name_u]
Bass
[name_m]Dax[/name_m]
[name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m]
[name_u]Steele[/name_u]
[name_u]Zion[/name_u]
[name_m]Diesel[/name_m]
[name_u]Stevie[/name_u]
[name_m]Maddox[/name_m]
[name_u]Zephyr[/name_u]
[name_m]Zander[/name_m]
[name_m]Bronx[/name_m]
Scooby - stereotypical, I know, but I couldn’t not
[name_m]Breccan[/name_m]
[name_m]Callon[/name_m]
[name_m]Fitz[/name_m] - any of the Fitzs would be cool, [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m], [name_m]Fitzpatrick[/name_m], but [name_m]Fitz[/name_m] for short
[name_m]Enzo[/name_m]
I’ve never seen Sons of Anarchy myself, but I hear tell of it from my uncle.
A cursory glance at good ol’ Wikipedia says that some of the names from Sons of Anarchy might be worth considering! You’d know better than me of any negative connotations, but I’m just dragging out names/words that look cool
Trager
[name_f]Rane[/name_f] - Another compromise for you and your bf? As in rain?
Opie
[name_m]Russell[/name_m]/[name_m]Russ[/name_m]
[name_m]Armando[/name_m]
Jarry
[name_f]Tyne[/name_f]
Barosky
[name_m]Roarke[/name_m]
[name_m]Montez[/name_m]
Orwell
Ortiz
Morrow - Yet another compromise? Tomorrow/sunset kinda deal
Kozik
Teller
Maybe that could work?
I’m all for a strong, masculine, spunky name for a [name_m]German[/name_m] [name_m]Shepard[/name_m]. They remind me of the service dogs that used to be around when I was a kid. I would even say that if the dog is going to be trained in the military fashion, as you said, that a harsher ending might be quite nice. Something you can say with authority, no matter the volume you’re speaking at. Sheps are working dogs, and they like you to be a pack leader, how better to show them you are than by your name choice?
The ones you’ve pulled out of my suggestions, and your own front runners fit well with this [name_f]IMO[/name_f].
I can’t see anyone saying Piney with enough authority, its a little on the sweet side of sugary for me.
Call me crazy
That help?
You’re probably right about Piney. It just has a lot of meaning. There’s a popular swimming hole in our area called Piney [name_u]Bay[/name_u] that we both grew up swimming in, we live in the south so pine trees are EVERYWHERE and the SOA thing.
Danzig still seems to be my front runner and [name_m]Jarrett[/name_m] likes it too. Plus, I could always call him [name_m]Ziggy[/name_m] or Danno when I want to be a bit more… Soft with him. It really does fit the way he’ll look. His bloodline is red and black instead of the usual tan and black. They’re GORGEOUS!
[name_m]Reiner[/name_m] (I’ve heard this pronounced as both Rayn-er & Rhine-er)
[name_u]Timber[/name_u] (I know it’s not a real-person name, but my stepdaughter & her husband just got a Shibu Inu & named him [name_u]Timber[/name_u], so the name’s at the top of my mind)
Charlemagne
[name_m]Gavin[/name_m] (Scottish name meaning hawk)
Kestrel
[name_u]Falcon[/name_u]
[name_m]Cooper[/name_m] (I think there’s a type of hawk called [name_m]Cooper[/name_m]'s hawk)
[name_m]Duncan[/name_m] (that was the name of the owner of the original [name_f]Rin[/name_f] [name_m]Tin[/name_m] [name_m]Tin[/name_m])
[name_m]Lance[/name_m]
[name_m]Quest[/name_m]
As someone who has had to help rehome a whole bunch of dogs, I would vote for any name that sounds friendly, cheerful, and safe.
If ever you had to rehome your GS, a tough sounding name would make it so much harder, like when I rehomed my in-laws’ [name_m]Brutus[/name_m].
Also, many folks fear big dogs and GS, so a kind sounding name can ease their fears.
Calling out, “Here, [name_m]Rigby[/name_m]” or “Here, [name_m]Jonah[/name_m]” sounds a lot more comforting than “Hear, [name_m]Wrecker[/name_m]” or “Here, [name_m]Gustav[/name_m].”
Um, no offense @lesliemarion, but as a breeder and dog-lover, I can assure you that if my GSD had to be rehomed it would stay in family, my parents or my BF’s brother. NEVER to strangers shallow enough to worry about whether or not a name sounds “harsh”. Honestly, my GSD probably will be a bit “harsher” than some others. I’m not sure if you read the other posts, but we plan on training him in a military fashion. He won’t exactly be a squishy baby, so some names won’t fit him.
I tend to go with names that fit the dog, not whether or not someone one would think it sounded cute. I HAVE a [name_m]Brutus[/name_m] and as a solid gray, boulder of a cat who acts quite a bit like [name_u]Indiana[/name_u] [name_m]Jones[/name_m], the name fits him perfectly.
I grew up with a GSD. I had her for 16 years. There isn’t a scary thing about them. I won’t base my naming choices on comforting others. That doesn’t seem to make much sense to me.
Zuma, [name_u]Ray[/name_u], [name_m]Bruno[/name_m], [name_m]Nero[/name_m] (was my male german sheperd’s name… he passed away a few years ago), [name_u]Arlo[/name_u], [name_m]Milo[/name_m], [name_m]Caio[/name_m].
Thank you so much for responding! Zuma, [name_m]Bruno[/name_m] and [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] are WONDERFUL! Zuma is stickin’ cool and [name_u]Arlo[/name_u] is so… On point As much as I love [name_m]Bruno[/name_m] (and I so honestly do. It’s been considered.), I have a cat named [name_m]Brutus[/name_m] and they’re simply too close. Bummer.
