What's in a Name?
Have you thought of a call name for your shepherd? If you've purchased a puppy from a breeder, it is likely that the pup has already been named. Typically, the first word in the pup's registered name is the breeder's kennel name, after which another name follows. Breeders might have theme litters — with pups in a litter all named after German breweries, for example — or letter litters, in which puppies from the first litter have names that begin with A, the second litter with B, and so on. For example, the name “King's Alfie” is a combination of the kennel name (King) and a name that begins with A (Alfie) to denote a puppy from the breeder's first litter.
If you are adopting a rescue shepherd and plan on applying for an indefinite listing privilege number, you can name your dog anything you want. However, you cannot give your dog a kennel name that is someone else's. Come up with something original and fitting to your unique dog.
Although your puppy may already have a registered name, you will still need to come up with a call name. You can give the pup a name that is related to his registered name, such as Sunny for King's Sunshine, or you can come up with something totally different, like Bud or Angel. Your puppy's call name is totally yours to create — just try to limit it to one or two distinct syllables. Long, complicated names are not easy to say in a hurry, nor are they easy for your shepherd to recognize.
