From the very beginning it’s necessary to say that it’s not an easy task to choose a name for your dog, if you are not going to choose the one that first comes into your mind. Remember that now your boy dog is a member of your family. Of course you will browse Internet, read books and articles about choosing a dog name and finally you will be confused.

Pay attention to the following naming tips:

1) If you have in your mind some boy dog names write them down.
2) The name should be simple (one or two syllable) and easy for your dog to recognize.
3) Make sure that it’s easy to call out the name you’ve chosen and it’s pleasant for you to call it out.
4) The name shouldn’t sound like commands.
5) Remember that you’ll have to call out this name in public places.
6) If you have already chosen the boy dog name you like, don’t hurry and try it during several days. Study you dog’s behavior; probably it will help you to pick up another name, which will be more suitable.

In case you want to make the process of choosing a dog name easier, first think and decide what features of your pet you want to stress with the help of boy dog name.

It can be appearance, size, color, behavior, capabilities and so on. You should remember that your dog’s name plays an important role in his life! It would be nice if you pay proper attention to boy dog name meaning and the origin of the word.

Let’s view some boy dog names of different origins as an example:

1) If you want to stress your dog’s coat color, you can choose such boy dog name as: Kerry, Dolan (Irish origin) – dark; Derry, Roy (Irish origin) – red-haired; Kent (Welsh origin) - white and brilliant; Panda, Zebra – black and white; Whitman (English origin) – white-haired.

2) If your dog is your guardian: Devlin (Irish origin) – a brave fighter; Ward (English origin), Armand (German origin) - a guardian; Porter (French origin) – the one who stand guard over the gate;

3) When you want to stress your dog’s character or behavior: Neil (Irish origin) – the winner; Garvin (English origin) - a faithful friend in any battle; Dalbert (English origin) – bright person (this boy dog can brighten any room).

Dogs have been humans’ companions for as long as 12.000 years and both people and the canines learned to benefit from this partnership. It is important that people should see their pets not just as toys or servants but as family members or friends and give them proper respect.

Pure-bred dogs are commonly classified into 6 to 7 basic groups of dog breeds according to their characteristics and purposes for which they were developed. Taking this into account while training a particular dog breed will help achieve superior results as the dog will be feeling more free-at-ease. It is natural, for example, that dog breeds historically intended to be house-pets (Toy Dog Breeds) will be fairly easy to teach obedience tricks but they will not be trying to dig over your kitchen garden and bring you a rat for dinner. On the other hand, lap dogs (Toy Poodles, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, etc. ) won’t mind sitting at home with you when you are sick and don’t feel like going out.

If you look at Working Dog Breeds, you’ll see that their size and strong muscular bodies fit perfectly the types of jobs they are used to perform: intelligent and loyal to their owners or handlers, these dog breeds are great protecting houses, pulling sledges, guiding physically impaired people and even serving for the police; for the past decades hundreds of people have been rescued from under the snow and water by St Bernards and Newfoundlands. If your pet belongs to this group of dog breeds, be sure to engage it with different activities and start the training at an early age.

Asis clear from the name, Hunting Dog Breeds and Sporting Dog Breeds have been bred to track down, flush out and retrieve the game so don’t flare up if your pet seems unable to learn some obedience rules finding it much more exciting to scramble through the green hedge; it’s just eager to please you fetching some prey. Much the same applies to Terrier Dog Breeds and Hound Dog Breeds.

Herding Dog Breeds that are used to shepherding cattle and sheep and protecting it from predators will also be great performing similar function of looking after your kids. These dog breeds are extremely popular as house pets -cause they are well-natured and intelligent.

General recommendations include early socialization practice and regular training in the fresh air. Though most of the dog breeds make affectionate baby-sitters, toddlers should not be left unattended as both the kid and the pet can hurt each other through excessive curiosity or incaution.

As most of the dog breeds are not any more used the way they were originally meant to be, sufficient amount of appropriate exercise is absolutely necessary to keep them cheerful and healthy. All the dog breeds can be grateful companions provided enough attention and respect. Just like with people, one-way communication won’t do. Once you have a dog, remember that it needs your love no matter what mood you might be in.

There’ve been many controversies as to defining criteria for assigning dog breeds to the Toy Group. Experts from different kennel associations, pet owners and lovers have been debating whether all tiny dog breeds belong to this class just because of their size and whether they really can do nothing except for satisfying the eye. The group name suggests that the dog breeds forming it were developed as pets and are not intended for service. Another term commonly used and only adding to the confusion here is the “teacup” or “tiny toy” dog breeds referring to miniature adult dogs. However, it is not officially recognized and can’t be seen as some reference definition.

These dogs are irreplaceable for people living on their own and will keep good company for the sick and elderly. Their size lets them fell free and easy even in small apartments and get a good deal of exercise simply running around the house.

Read on to check the list of most popular toy dog breeds!Yorkshire Terriers are the most popular representatives of this dog breed. They are very energetic and like to walk outside. As most of the other toy dog breeds, Yorkies get along well with children who are not too young and inquisitive, as thoughtless handling may cause harm to both of the little ones. Recently, this dog breed’s become quite popular among celebrities who treat them as a kind of fashion accessory. This dog breed is considered safe for people with allergies as it does not shed.

Toy Poodle is a tiny and very cute dog breed. Besides, they are teachable and can be trained as circus and show dogs.

One of the most popular dog breeds of the group is the Shih Tzu (Lion Dogs in Chinese). According to the legends of Tibetan Lamas, these vigorous and playsome dogs can turn into lions. Despite this, Shih Tzus cannot be called aggressive. Though no fables of the kind can be told about Chihuahuas, the smallest dog breed in this group, these pets are extremely self-assured and can attack fearlessly dogs of much larger size. In the family ambiance, anyway, this dog breed becomes most friendly and charming.

The Papillons, being one of the oldest toy dog breeds in Europe, will close our list. Keep in mind that efficient and timely training can make this lively dog breed with the speaking name (Papillon stands for ‘butterfly’ in French) a great companion for walks and travel.

The hound dog breeds were specially developed by many centuries of careful selection to be great hunting dogs. Two types of hounds are usually distinguished basing upon what senses they use when finding the game: Scent-hounds (for example, Bloodhounds, Beagles and Basset Hounds) hunt by smell, Gaze-hounds (or Sight-hounds, such as Afghan Hounds, Russian Wolfhounds (Borzoi)) use their sight, some do both.

Hound dog breeds present a variety of appearances depending on the type of prey they originally were meant to chase. Sharp senses and intelligence helps these dog breeds become good police dogs able to detect drugs and bombs more accurately than the best machines can do. On the other hand, such sensitiveness to everything that’s going on around distracts them from performing masters’ commands during obedience training.

Kind-natured and somewhat goofy-like Bassett Hounds can be a bit slow to obey, but on the other hand their deliberateness let people follow their dogs on foot during hunts. This is a most reliable and faithful of all the dog breeds.

Beagles, one of the most popular hound dog breeds, are devoted, calm and friendly. Their sociability makes them good companions and family dogs. Beagles will not object to another pet in the house. Important: remember to keep this dog breed on leash as their inquisitive nose can lead them far away during walks.

The latter observation is also true for Bloodhounds, who have the sharpest sense of smell of all dog breeds: as soon as they pick up the trail, no obedience commands will matter. Presumably their name comes from the expression ‘blue bloods’ meaning that this is a pure dog breed developed specially for hunting.

Afghan Hounds belong to ancient dog breeds perfectly adapted to hunting in extreme weather conditions. They are very enduring and need to be given at least half an hour of intense training a day. This dog breed has a sharp eye and makes great house-dogs. Though Afghans have long hair they do not shed much and are seen as “hypo-allergenic”.

‘Borzoi’ means swift and brisk in Russia, the country where same-name dog breed originated from. Another name for the dog breed is Russian Wolf-hound, explaining that Borzois were used to hunt wolves. Try not to let the dog off-leash as their eagerness to bring best prey to the master could lead them far from house yard. In general, however, it is a very well-mannered dog breed.

Some more famous dog breeds of this group include the Dachshund and Rhodesian Ridgeback (or African Lion Dog).

If you haven’t found what you were searching for so far, continue with our articles on Working Dog Breeds, Herding Dog Breeds, Sporting Dog Breeds, Hound Dog Breeds, Terrier Dog Breeds, Toy Dog Breeds and Non-Sporting Dog Breeds.

The Herding Dog Group is the youngest of all formed by detaching Herding Dog Breeds from the Working Group. Dogs belonging to it used to be resourceful and really irreplaceable shepherding and protecting cattle and sheep; nowadays their intelligence and energy are used in the police and rescue services, and demonstrated during obedience trials. The list of most popular Herding Dog Breeds includes German and Australian Shepherds, Shetland Sheepdogs, Collies, Pembroke Welsh Corgies, etc., some of them are described in more detail below.

German Shepherds, or as they are also called, Alsatians, are among most popular dog breeds in the world. Primarily developed as farm and herding dogs, they served in the German army during World War I and were very much valued for their loyalty, reliability, courage and even temper. This dog breed makes excellent guards, seeing-eye dogs, rescuers and - family pets. A little tip: make sure your Alsatian gets proper physical and mental challenges and does not lack your attention.

Shetland Sheepdogs present another dog breed of the group. It is sometimes unclear where these small pets take all their bustling energy from; they seem to have a little engine inside that keeps them agile and playful all the time - and they would do best with active owners. If you decide upon this dog breed, give it enough exercises so that it could adapt better to city living. Shelties are very teachable and respond well to reward-based training.

The dog breed brought to England by Queen Victoria, Collie, is witty and friendly.It has a great potential and is a very able learner, - however, in case they lack society, Collies can turn a real disaster. The same litter can bring two varieties of the dog breed: Rough-coated and the Smooth-coated ones, the latter being more active. Collies have a perfect ear and make good watchdogs.

Just like Collies that experienced a boom of popularity after the ‘Lassie’ movies had come out, Old English Sheepdogs became very famous starring in Disney pictures. Good humor and lovely teddy-bear appearance puts Bobtails (as this dog breed is also called) to be the center of everyone’s attention and they enjoy it. Yeah and the gorgeous coat will need as much grooming, too.
Australian Cattle Dogs come next in out list. These are real workaholics that will only be happy if provided job to do - and they will do it well. If you manage to show a firm hand training the dog, your cattle will get first-class herding. However, it’s not the best family pet.Some useful information on various Dog Breeds can be also found in the following articles: Working Dog Breeds, Sporting Dog Breeds, Hound Dog Breeds, Terrier Dog Breeds, Toy Dog Breeds, Non-Sporting Dog Breeds and Mixed Dog Breeds.