Your next adventure could be a moment together.
Now that you have met Pigúiça here, discover the story behind her world. See the illustrations, read the beginning and choose a book to share with your child, one page at a time.
Naming a female dog is the kind of decision everyone wants to weigh in on and nobody wants to close. The list below has 120 female names sorted by style, so you can pick by the mood that fits her instead of going alphabetically.
Three things that genuinely matter day to day:
- Two syllables is the sweet spot. One syllable disappears inside a sentence, four always becomes a nickname. Pick the nickname now, because that is what she will learn.
- Avoid anything that sounds like a command. Names close to no, sit and come muddle training.
- Names ending in a vowel carry further, because your voice rises at the end and cuts through street noise.
Short and easy to call
Mel, Nina, Luna, Bella, Maya, Lola, Kiara, Coco, Pip, Juno, Dot, Nala, Zoe, Lia, Frida, Iris, Tina, Bree, Alma, Lizzy.
Classics that never age
Names everyone recognises and nobody finds odd: Lassie, Maggie, Daisy, Molly, Sadie, Bailey, Lucy, Chloe, Ruby, Rosie, Penny, Berry, Pearl, Sapphire, Star, Princess, Lady, Countess, Duchess, Mimi.
Funny, for a laugh every time you call her
Remember you will shout this in public for about fifteen years: Brownie, Nutella, Jellybean, Popcorn, Cookie, Tapioca, Olive, Potato, Marshmallow, Fudge, Jam, Custard, Beetroot, Pizza, Lasagna, Pie, Dumpling, Pudding, Coconut, Muffin.
Strong, for big girls (or bossy small ones)
Athena, Hera, Artemis, Valkyrie, Xena, Kahlo, Nyx, Freya, Morrigan, Diana, Juno, Electra, Raven, Storm, Fury, Lynx, Panther, Jaguar, Wolf, Queenie.
People names, the current trend
Alice, Bea, Clara, Dora, Elsie, Flora, Gabby, Helena, Isa, Julia, Lara, Maggie, Nora, Olivia, Pearl, Rita, Sofia, Tessa, Valentina, Zuri.
Nordic and snowy, great for huskies and malamutes
If she looks built for winter, these fit: Aurora, Snow, Freya, Saga, Elsa, Sigrid, Nanuk, Tundra, Lumi, Isis, Skadi, Astrid, Ingrid, Solveig, Kaia, Runa, Aska, Yuki, Borealis, Polaris.
The 3-second test that actually decides it
- Shout the name three times, out loud, outside. If it embarrasses you, it is out.
- Say the name next to a command: "Nina, sit". If the words blur, change it.
- Ask a child to repeat it. If they cannot say it, their nickname is the one that will stick.
- Sleep on it before committing. A name chosen on the first excited night almost always changes.
A husky called Pigúiça
The puppy in the Dogavios books is called Pigúiça, and the name came out of exactly this process: short enough to shout at the park, odd enough that nobody forgets it, easy enough for a four year old to repeat first try. If you like names with a sound of their own, it is worth inventing one instead of copying from a list.
For more ideas without splitting by sex, see dog names: 80 ideas, and the male version is at male dog names.
Your next adventure could be a moment together.
Now that you have met Pigúiça here, discover the story behind her world. See the illustrations, read the beginning and choose a book to share with your child, one page at a time.
