Girls with Dogs Podcast Ep 7 – What’s in a Dog’s Name

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Girls with Dogs Podcast Episode 7: Do we mirror our dogs' personalities? What's the story behind your dog's name? Male v Female - which sex is best?

Cathy and I chat about our dogs' personalities (do they match a human in the house?), the origin of our dog names, preference for male or female dogs, and I will start watching SOA because this is where Cathy got the inspiration for the name of one of her dogs.

Do Our Dogs Mirror Our Personalities?

Rodrigo has my anxiety and Sydney, our pup who passed away in 2020, was me – in dog form. Some feel that we're attracted to dogs that mirror our personality and lifestyle. I was primarily focused on bringing home a cute puppy, or two. Sydney was chosen for me, which makes her even more special to me because it's like we found each other by happenstance and we had a perfect 10-1/2 years together.

The rest of our dogs have their own personalities that we enjoy. They're silly, playful, affectionate, curious, and we love them.

What's in a Dog Name?

I love learning why people chose the names of their dogs. My father named his dogs Kojak and Lady – every male/female pair had that name because we were kids and he thought that (1) this would make it easier for us to remember their names and (2) we didn't have to have the “the dog died” discussion – ever!

Here's the story behind the names of our dogs:

Rodrigo was named after my dream cow ala City Slickers
Sydney's full name was “Sydney Australia” because she was a Blue Heeler Mix
Riley's name was chosen by me because I wanted to human name.
Blue's name was chosen by Johan because he thought it was cool.
Scout and Zoey were named for the dog treat company – Scout and Zoe's (by accident)
Apollo came to us with a name and we didn't change it. I'd like to think he's named for the Greek God.

Of course, we come up with these names and then tack on a ton of nicknames, so it's no wonder when I call one dog's name, they all come running.

Now it's your turn, what's the story behind your dog's name?

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Male vs. Female Dogs – Which are Best?

Cathy and I live with multiple dogs. She has two boys, I have three boys and a girl. I always thought that it was best to have a boy and a girl when you have two dogs but I don't know what's best.

In my experience, our females were harder to potty train (they just weren't convinced) and they gained weight easily so I have to watch Zoey's diet. The boys rough house more, hump each other (and try to hump Zoey), and they play with different toys. The girls prefer the stuffed toys; the boys prefer balls and tug toys and are more likely to de-stuff a toy.