Dogs in the modern world have become not just watchmen, shepherds or hunters, but also full members of the family. They are often given human names. And that’s good, because dogs don’t like funny nicknames. But in order not to offend any neighbor by the fact that his namesake barks and whimpers, people take nicknames for their pets from a rich arsenal of foreign names. Anglo-American Jack, Charlie, German Bert, Wolf, Spanish Jorge and Lucia are very popular.
But why reject Russian names? After all, in the calendar you can find ancient Slavic specimens that are almost out of circulation. They are sonorous and beautiful. In ancient times, children were called a nickname, which carried a magical meaning, as if encoding the character of a person. You can also call a puppy in the same way. Not sure what to name the dog? Russian nicknames for dogs and bitches, for hunting, guard and domestic breeds, small and large, will be presented in this article.
Basic principles for choosing a name for a dog
First of all, you should know that your pet catches short words consisting of one or two syllables. Therefore, such beautiful Russian names as Eulampius or Epiphanius should be excluded or reduced to Lampi and Pifa. You should not give the dog funny insulting nicknames. Do you think that the puppy does not understand the Russian language? Maybe so. But according to the reaction of others to his nickname, he will understand that they are simply making fun of him. Contact with the owner will not work out, the dog will not execute commands, it will become aggressive.
Also, do not pick up such Russian nicknames for dogs that are consonant with the names of your household. Each time you access them, your pet will get confused. Choosing a nickname, you need to focus on the size of the dog. The dog is not called Knopa, but a tiny Chihuahua Max. The breed also matters. Service dogs are given sonorous, proud names, and room dogs - cute. The male dog’s nicknames are more formidable, they often have a rolling r sound. Bitches are given melodic phonetic names.
Russian nicknames of hunting dogs
Recall that a person and his four-legged friend were brought together by joint activity. The owner’s life sometimes depended on the hunting dog’s ability to track down, drive out the beast, or even defeat it. Therefore, people approached the choice of a name for such dogs very responsibly. It must be encoded all the best qualities of a hunter. For these dogs, the name Orion is appropriate. This is the name of the constellation, which in Russian is known as the "Hunter". Russian nicknames for hound dogs are: Wind, Bullet, Tornado, Runner, Lightning, Cheetah, Fast.
If the dog belongs to a breed bred for tracking game (terriers, spaniels, etc.), then the name, accordingly, must be different. The nicknames Altai, Zador, Antey, Scent will do. For a large dog, which is to fight the beast, you need to give the appropriate names: Thunderstorm, Thunder, Terrible, Throw, Ardent, Udaloy, Tiger, Wolf. Suitable nicknames for dachshunds: Sema, Pirate, Thread, Nora. If you want to give the pet a human name, then you can call the little hunter Ratibor, Martyn, Buyan, Valday, Lute.
Shepherd breeds
As soon as a man tamed all kinds of artiodactyls, he had a need for an assistant. A shepherd dog should have the same intelligence as a dog hunter, but be more obedient and be able to divide animals into “friends” and “strangers”. For a person, such qualities of assistants as a sensitive ear, sonorous barking and willingness to protect the herd were important. Therefore, in the old days, such Russian nicknames for shepherd dogs were popular: Watch, Danube, Asian (for Oriental Shepherd Dogs), Diamond, Testament, Singer, Bayan, Free, Mist, Hawk, Ruslan, Lyubomir.
Females of shepherd breeds are more obedient and affectionate than males. Peaceful nicknames are suitable for them. You can call your darling some old Russian name: Lada, Oriyana, Mila, Martha or Martha, or an abridged version of it: Nyusha, Asya, Alya, Tom. But for dog girls, there are nicknames that encode protective qualities. This is Shusha, Spark, Flame, Steppe, Verna, Gorda, Power.
Service breeds
Russian husky dog nicknames should reflect their strength, speed and endurance, especially to weather conditions. These are names such as Frost, Wind, Kayuh, Baikal, Altai, Caucasus, Taiga, Buran, Bahran, North. For divers, you need to pick up the nickname and the appropriate one. This may be Sailor, Kok, Navigator, Boatswain, and for the dog girls Jung, Rybka.
Larger nicknames such as Graf, Dzhulbars, Lord, Baron, Tsar, as well as Marquise, Gorda, Zlata, Lightning, are suitable for large service dogs. A companion is best given a human name. Such dogs are very smart, so the name Sophia or Sonya is suitable for the girl. In order for the bitch to be kind and attached to the owner, she is called Darina, Rada, Bogdana, Gordeya, Joy, Yarina.
Nicknames for "hereditary nobles"
For outbred dogs, names are chosen that reflect some striking appearance features. This mainly concerns the suit. So, Russian nicknames for dogs-girls sound like Kashtanka, Haze, Gypsy, Snowflake, Vax, Rudia. Yellow or brown tan marks above the eyes give reason to call the mongrel Brovkom. A special gait can also give rise to a nickname: Chapa, Trusza, Allure, Gallop, Lynx.
For mongrels of small stature, funny names are more acceptable, such as Tyapa, Snickers, Juju, Fly, Raccoon, Ball, Poof. Who said that mongrel dogs cannot be called human names? Suitable nicknames for them would be Thekla, Masha, Miron, Dasha, Sonya, Martha, Fedya, Vaska. The names Mila, Nyura, Dora, Nora also sound good with respect to mongrels. The dog that you took from the shelter can be called Darena, and picked up from the street Naydoy.
Russian nicknames for dogs of small breeds
These doggies are very funny, but at the same time touchy and vulnerable. After all, wild dogs were the size of a jackal or a wolf. Deriving miniature breeds, a man thought little about how dwarfs would feel in the world of giants. And now, experts who are versed in the psychology of dogs are talking about the "dachshund complex." It manifests itself in the fact that a small dog is trying to prove to himself and others that she is big. Such attempts may end badly for your pet.
It is better to immediately set his character in a good-natured manner, giving him a sweet and beautiful name. Russian nicknames for chihuahua dogs (boys) are: Bow, Funtik, Kid, Peace, Lucky, Bagel, Barsik, Malets, Beetle, Fantik. The girl can be called Bima, Lapule, Laley, Snezhka, Blot, Lelei. Want to name a pet by a human name? The diminutive form of anyone is suitable: Yashka, Yarik, Leshka, Dimka, Irisha, Kiryusha, Nyusha, Shurik, Timka, Nyasha.
Comic nicknames for males
Perhaps you will give the puppy a name by observing it for several days, studying its habits and character. Then you can give the pet such a Russian nickname for dogs of boys as Snoring, Wrestler, Robber, Barbarian, Lizun, Vertun, Handsome, Ripper, Glutton, Gift, Woof. Perhaps, after some time, a human name that is suitable for your pet will come to mind. Puppies often resemble cartoon characters - Cheburashka, a dog from Prostokvashino Sharik or his friend the cat Matroskin.
You can be inspired by old Soviet films, for example, “White Bim Black Ear”. It is only important that the nickname is not offensive and so funny that it would cause others to laugh. As for the phonetics of names, the cynologists were divided in opinion. Some say that dogs like it when they have the letter “p” in their nickname. Others believe that this sound, reminiscent of a growl, tunes dogs (especially males) to aggression. It is best that the letter "p" is not between two vowels. You can call the dog Lord, Vertun, Dron.
Comic nicknames for bitches
Dogs of girls have a more subtle, one might even say, musical ear. Therefore, in choosing a name, one should focus not only on its meaning, but also on phonetics. Russian nicknames for dogs of girls should sound very melodic. Then the puppy will quickly remember his name and will joyfully respond to it. Affectionate bitches really like it when they piss. Make sure that your pet’s nickname contains soft sounds, such as “n”, “e”, “si” and “t”. These syllables give free rein to the host’s imagination.
You can take almost any woman’s name and apply the pet-diminutive form, turning it into a nickname for a dog. This is Valka, Alka, Aska, Dunk, Basia, Fesya, Sonya. But there are also comic nicknames for bitches, mainly small breeds. A lap-dog can be called a Snowflake, Fluffy, Hare, Umka. A good nickname for a York or Chihuahua is Button, as well as Yula, Squirrel, Lelya, Lyalya, Tsypa. Larger dogs can be called Zlata, Lada, Haze, Seagull, Joy.
List of popular and beautiful names
In principle, a puppy can be given a nickname without looking into the ancient Orthodox clergy. Sometimes the dog is strikingly similar to the hero of the film, and not necessarily Russian. So, recently nicknames Van Damme, Nutlet, Indiana, Bond have become popular. They call them serious, confident dogs. Beautiful names for dogs-girls can also be borrowed from the rich arsenal of domestic and foreign cinema. This is Britney, Jessica, Paris. Of course, the most common nicknames are Bug, Naida, Dzhulka, Strelka and Buska.
But if you do not want to call not only your dog, but also five or six of its namesakes, look for her a name that is not in the top 5 in Russia. Nicknames Nick, Vika, Vlad, Wave, Zlata, Ida, Inga, Kira, Moon, Malvina, Nochka, Niva, Alder, Rosie, Lynx, Rada, Plush, Snezhka, Margot, Chita, Mira, Alisa, Rita sound very beautiful. The main thing is that the name fits the appearance of the dog. So, the representative of the Chinese crested breed should not be called Fluffy, and the black male Snezhko.
Useful Tips
In the end, I would like to add that choosing a name for a pet is a family affair. The nickname should be liked by all members. In the opposite case, someone will call the dog differently, why it will start to get confused. If you see that the puppy does not respond for a long time to the nickname given to him, change it. Perhaps he does not hear the basic sounds or confuses it with another word.