will changing a puppy's name confuse them or bad?

Question

i've always wanted a shih tzu and im thinking of buying a shih tzu puppy online.. most of them are between the ages 11- 22 weeks old. but when i get one, can i change its name? or will that confuse them and make them not respond to me if i call them by the name i chose?

Answer 1

Ok, first to answer your question. Changing the name will not affect the dog. We changed our dog's name at 7 months old and she's never looked back.

I have to say that I'm very concerned about you buying one online. Typically, you want to see the facility that the puppies are at and you want to meet at least one of the parents. FEW responsible breeders sell puppies online. Partially because nearly all their puppies are sold BEFORE the mom gives birth, and partially because they just don't need to.

Please take some time to read up on what a responsible breeder is.

http://www.geocities.com/bluegracepwd/wheretobuy.html

http://dogplay.com/GettingDog/index.html

http://64.37.122.206/Info/questionstoaskabreeder.asp?menu=Info

http://www.akc.org/breeders/resp_breeding/index.cfm (How many steps did the breeder follow?)

Generally, if the breeder isn't involved in showing, if the parents (at least one) aren't champions, if the person isn't involved in the breed other than to breed it, if the parents aren't genetically tested, if the person isn't a member of the parent club and doesn't follow all their rules, if the person doesn't follow the guidelines of the AKC, the person should not be breeding. They are what is known as a Backyard Breeder (see Y!A member China for more examples) and are known for selling poor quality dogs with severe health problems.

Please, reconsider the source of your dog. Internet puppy sites are second only to Pet Shops (puppy mills) as far as being immoral and unethical.

Good luck to you in your search. : )

Answer 2

I would like you to be aware about buying a dog on line..Fine a good Shih Tzu breeder where you can go to their home. You can't go wrong owning a Shih Tzu I would love for you to get one from a respectful breeder. Spend time with the breeder and the puppies, see the mom and dad of the puppies, if the dad isn't there ask where you can see him.. make sure the parents are AKC.. and never buy a puppy with out the litter papers. No matter what excuse a breeder gives you there is no reason why they don 't have the litter register. Oh to answer you question yes it is ok to change their names I call mine anything from baby to sweeties they come to anything lol as long as you call them. If you need any help or any questions you might want answer before buying one I will be more that willing to help you..Just check everything out before buying one.

Answer 3

Changing your dog's name when they are that young will not confuse them.

You can teach them their new name by letting them smell/taste a treat, then bringing it up to your eyes and saying their name in a happy voice. When they look up at you, give them another bite of the treat.

Also, instead of purchasing a shih-tzu, why not consider adopting one instead? There are many small breed rescue groups out there, even ones specifically for purebred shih-tzus. Many will even have puppies available if you search hard enough, and the adoption fees are typically less than the purchase price.

Answer 4

Any animal will take time to get used to a name even if it's not a baby or young one. . Most adult dogs that are adopted get new names by their new owners and in time, they adjust to what they respond to being called.
I am sorry to say this but PLEASE be sure of where you are getting your pup from. The old "buyer beware" goes double for buying an animal online. Even if the web sight says they are "reputable" breeders, there is no way to be sure that youare not just buying from a puppy mill. You cannot "see" the parents of teh pup and they could be telling you anything!!!! If there are health issues with the animal, there isn't any way to send it back and get your money back.
Please be careful hun.

Answer 5

Changing the name is fine.

buying a puppy online isn't.

If you want one from a puppy mill, just go to the pet-store. At least there you know you'll get the puppy and not get scammed.

What's better, though, by a big margin, is to go to akc.org and check out the classifieds for your breed in your area. If there aren't any, then wait until there are.

Answer 6

U can change the puppies' name, puppies' don't know their names til 4 months or so. However, if your puppies is super smart and knows her name, you can call her by both new and original name. Meaning, if puppies' given name is Mary and you wanted her new name to be Kuma, you can call her Kuma-Mary for a while then eventually drop Mary.

Answer 7

It shouldn't. We just got a 16 week old puppy and call her by an entirely different name and she is responding well to it. Go ahead and name your pup what you want

Answer 8

Got my dog from the pound and Changed her name. When she was left at the pound she had no name (that they knew of) so they gave her the name Emily, we got her at 7 months and changed it to Storm - So really speaking she has had 3 names and she is fine with her new name.. She deff knows her name so changing it won't matter

Answer 9

Change his name all you want, once you find the name and use it consistently he'll be fine and respond to it. I changed my dogs name when I first got him and he was 10 months old and he adjusted fine once I managed to figure out what his name is.

Answer 10

well it does not matter wether you change the name or not the dog won't get confused but dogs know when ur calling them because when some ppl call ther dog there voice changes so no the dog will not get confused