Naming your dog is an important step as what you are doing in effect is linking your personality to his. Don’t deprive your dog of his dignity and give him a name that is fitting. There are hundreds if not thousands of great names for Boxers. Some names fit like gloves while others need a bit of time to become lived in. Now I know what you’re thinking. An almost impossible task. How do you choose a name that is right for your Boxer? The truth is that when you have the little guy in your arms the names usually just springs up from your mind, almost as if there was some mental link between you and your dog. Another great approach is to use the ‘American Indian’ method. Now I don’t know if this is true of not, but it is said that American Indians would name their children by the first thing the father saw after the birth. Thus you get ‘Sitting Bull’ for example. A friend of mine did this when she bought her first Boxer pup. After going to the breeder and picking up the little dog, she couldn’t find the keys to her car. After half an hour of searching she eventually found them, along with the name of her pup. ‘Karkie’ is now seven years old and loves his name!

For the sake of practicality choose a name that is easy to pronounce, even for children, and not more than two syllables. ‘Hebrides’ sounds great but it will almost certainly be shortened to ‘Heb’ or ‘Hebri’. If you are at a complete loss for a meaningful name, try looking through Greek or Roman history for inspiration, and the works of Shakespeare are a great source of names full of meaning and dignity.

You can also search the net for sites that give baby names and their meanings. But whatever name you choose, remember that it is for your dog and not you! It has to be something easy to say and easy for the dog to learn and remember. Names that end in a long ‘e’ sound are usually better the Boxer to understand.