# Should we change his name?



## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

As some of you know, we adopted an 8 months old chihuahua 2 days ago who was being rehomed. His previous owners called him Rocky. However they're polish and so he doesn't understand a word of english, including the way we pronounce his name in english. He sometimes responds to it, sometimes not. 

So my question is, could we change his name or do you think it might confuse him (seeing as he does respond at some extent)? If so, any suggestions? 










On his first walk with us... WOW I had forgotten how nice walks are with dogs that actually WALK. (Sorry Lilo, you're a pain, but I still love you :lol


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## XMyloChihuahuaX (Jan 7, 2014)

coco_little_bear said:


> As some of you know, we adopted an 8 months old chihuahua 2 days ago who was being rehomed. His previous owners called him Rocky. However they're polish and so he doesn't understand a word of english, including the way we pronounce his name in english. He sometimes responds to it, sometimes not.
> 
> So my question is, could we change his name or do you think it might confuse him (seeing as he does respond at some extent)? If so, any suggestions?
> 
> ...


I think Rocky is absolutely perfect to be honest, if I could rename my Chi I would probably change it to that is it suits tan and black Chi's. 


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## Kuzuri (Jan 6, 2014)

What a handsome fella!  I don't think there should be a problem, changing his name - he'll get used to both English and a new name quickly!


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## Lisa T (Sep 3, 2010)

He's certainly young enough to learn a new name and it's always nice to have one you have chosen yourself. X


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

I like Rocky....
Kody was 8 months when I got him.....I changed Kodys name to Peso and then Cocoa when I first got him...then changed it back to his original name, Kody.... he never responded much to Peso or Cocoa.... but now responds well to Kody..........


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

That's funny Camille...it is the little things in life, like a walk that make things great! I'm so happy for you, what's his name is just a beauty! Keep having fun..


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I think it is entirely up to you. Harley was Marley when we got him, we deliberately chose a similar sounding name to avoid confusing him. It mutated into Moo, and he actually responds best to that, so it wasn't really necessary. The girls were called Niu Niu and Chiu Chiu, which was far too similar to Moo Moo, so we changed their names entirely. They didn't respond to their original names, even though they were 18 months old, but that could have been due to stress or because their original owner was Chinese, who knows.


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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

What do you want to call him? Actually, Rocky, I like it. He is so handsome and looks nice next to Lilo.


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## Teddy76 (Aug 28, 2012)

I think its nice to have a name you have chosen yourself 

Although Rocky is nice too 

Our Labs name was Shakera when we got him and we changed it to Bailey which he responded to really quickly


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Lisa T said:


> He's certainly young enough to learn a new name and it's always nice to have one you have chosen yourself. X





TobyChi said:


> I think its nice to have a name you have chosen yourself
> 
> Although Rocky is nice too
> 
> Our Labs name was Shakera when we got him and we changed it to Bailey which he responded to really quickly


That's the thing. I actually do kinda like Rocky and I think it suits him, but at the same time choosing a name makes it feel more personal/more meaningful... or something. hehe


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

debrawade10 said:


> That's funny Camille...it is the little things in life, like a walk that make things great! I'm so happy for you, what's his name is just a beauty! Keep having fun..


hehe It is! We used to have so much fun going on walks with Coco and we missed that. Lilo is great at many things, but walks is not one of these. lol That could change now though as she's already starting to imitate him.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Kalisee said:


> What do you want to call him? Actually, Rocky, I like it. He is so handsome and looks nice next to Lilo.


We have a few names we like, but none that feels quite right yet. We may just stick to Rocky too.


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## CoCo187 (Dec 31, 2013)

I like Rocky - it suits him - I'm sure he'll get used to English soon....but thats jusy my 2pence xx


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## nicholeb5 (May 3, 2005)

coco_little_bear said:


> That's the thing. I actually do kinda like Rocky and I think it suits him, but at the same time choosing a name makes it feel more personal/more meaningful... or something. hehe


I agree with naming him something that means something too you. I have changed the name of all mine to something that is meaningful to me, all mine have names that honor someone that has passed away. 

Rocky is a cute name though!!


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## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

If you want to change it then change it he will catch on. We call maiya "mimi" or "meems" we also call ninja "sonny" and they respond to all. I think they're very adaptable.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

nicholeb5 said:


> I agree with naming him something that means something too you. I have changed the name of all mine to something that is meaningful to me, all mine have names that honor someone that has passed away.
> 
> Rocky is a cute name though!!


Aww that's nice.  That's the thing, at the moment I just feel like Rocky doesn't really mean anything to me even if it's a cute name. He reminds me of my Coco a lot (who passed away in May last year) and so I feel like he needs a special name chosen by us. My boyfriend is starting to like the name Rocky though. lol


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Chihuahuasloveme said:


> If you want to change it then change it he will catch on. We call maiya "mimi" or "meems" we also call ninja "sonny" and they respond to all. I think they're very adaptable.


That's funny, Sonny is pretty different to Ninja. lol Thinking about it, I always make up a million nicknames and my dogs learn them all so I guess you're right!


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## Pitluvs (Jul 24, 2013)

Personally I think he's going to have to get used to whatever you call him, so why not keep the name he came with?  I would, only because I always kept animals names that came through rescue. He's sure is a handsome boy eh?


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## Princess chi chi (Sep 14, 2011)

I like rocky!x


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I sure do love your new little boy, Camille! He is a darling!! I know you all are thrilled. I say do what makes you happy. Try out some names and see what catches on with him--especially if he's not necessarily recognizing Rocky well. Or choose a name that rhymes with Rocky then come up with nicknames you like as well. Luckily you have lots of options, and best of all, a fantastic new fella.


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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

For me Rocky sounds like a positive name. It makes me think of someone strong. Maybe because of the movie Rocky..dunno. ha ha. 

Which, Rocky Balboa, if you are familiar with the first movie Rocky, made his way from someone struggling in life an underdog boxer, to a famous boxer who became world champion. It is a fictional movie, but I remember as a kid loving it when I saw it.

Rocky road icecream is delicious too...!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Aww thanks everyone, he's such a sweetie. Even if he doesn't understand commands in english yet, he's been so well behaved. He's so smart too... yesterday I started teaching him "sit" and "leave it" in english and he started getting it pretty quickly! 



lulu'smom said:


> I sure do love your new little boy, Camille! He is a darling!! I know you all are thrilled. I say do what makes you happy. Try out some names and see what catches on with him--especially if he's not necessarily recognizing Rocky well. Or choose a name that rhymes with Rocky then come up with nicknames you like as well. Luckily you have lots of options, and best of all, a fantastic new fella.


You're right that a name that rhymes with Rocky would be a good idea. He tends to respond to all the names that end in i or y. For some reasons all the names me and my bf come up with are totally different though! 

Any suggestions of good names that rhyme with Rocky?


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Kalisee said:


> For me Rocky sounds like a positive name. It makes me think of someone strong. Maybe because of the movie Rocky..dunno. ha ha.
> 
> Which, Rocky Balboa, if you are familiar with the first movie Rocky, made his way from someone struggling in life an underdog boxer, to a famous boxer who became world champion. It is a fictional movie, but I remember as a kid loving it when I saw it.
> 
> Rocky road icecream is delicious too...!


That's true, the story fits him in a way. I've never seen such a confident, fearless chihuahua! Considering he was given up by his family, he's doing so well too.  So you're right, in a way it kind of suits him. I've been calling him Rocky for the past couple of days. We're giving ourselves a few more days to decide, but if no other name sticks, Rocky it will be!


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

He is so beautiful ! I would keep the name Rocky, it*s awesome !!! In time he will forget all about the polish


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## sammyp (Jun 14, 2011)

Hope you find a perfect name for your little boy. 
He is handsome and I'm pleased he is doing so well with you guys. 
Billy? Lol im no good with names


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## Angel1210 (Mar 14, 2011)

I say go for it! If you want to change his name! He will learn it. To get him used to it, play the name game. Put him on a leash, call his name and when he looks at you IMMEDIATELY click - treat! Keep doing this and he will learn his name quickly! After all you've been through, I think you will be more comfortable and much happier with a name you have chosen! 

He's beautiful and will do well no matter what you decide!


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## XMyloChihuahuaX (Jan 7, 2014)

Rocky and Lilo, Lilo and Rocky has a good sound to it lol  xx


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

XMyloChihuahuaX said:


> Rocky and Lilo, Lilo and Rocky has a good sound to it lol  xx


LOL You guys are funny. I think Rocky is cute, but it's not really 'me', not the kind of name we would usually pick. We might go for it, but we want to test other options first. Any suggestions for unique and cute names?


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

What sort of names do you like?
I think boys are much harder to name than girls. Gus was my first choice for Jasper, or how about Dylan, Otis, Basil, Jet?


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## XMyloChihuahuaX (Jan 7, 2014)

coco_little_bear said:


> LOL You guys are funny. I think Rocky is cute, but it's not really 'me', not the kind of name we would usually pick. We might go for it, but we want to test other options first. Any suggestions for unique and cute names?



Totoro 
Yoshi
Roo
Melo
Bear
Prince
Nemo
Jet
Jago
Pablo
Pedro
Trego









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## Lilith (Jan 10, 2014)

I'm in the same situation with my girl. She's black and tan too and adopted at one year. If I had yours, I'd name him *Titan*! 

I'm trying to think of female names which evoke a similar sort of feeling for her. She's only 1.6kg so 'Titan' would be cute and fun on such a small dog but still sounding dignified (in my opinion). She's called Beau at the moment, and I'm not keen on it - too similar to 'no' and I'd prefer two syllables.


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## Hollowaysal (Mar 7, 2013)

How about stitch???? Lol. If you don't know it was a kids tv programme, very unusal. Good luck


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Stitch is perfect, Lilo and Stitch is one of my favourite films


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

I love Lilo and Stitch! I rescued a bunny once and named her Lilo.


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## first_time_chi_owner (Oct 12, 2012)

We got arnie at 8 months and changed his name from blue to arnie. He knew nothing before so it wasn't a big deal for him

Lilo and stitch would be too cute!!! Xx


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Wicked Pixie said:


> What sort of names do you like?
> I think boys are much harder to name than girls. Gus was my first choice for Jasper, or how about Dylan, Otis, Basil, Jet?


Oh my boyfriend mentioned Basil, but we're not sure it suits his face. You're right, names for girls are so much easier! I'm not quite sure how to describe the kind of names we like... I guess we quite like unisex names and ones that sound a bit foreign, but I'm open to any suggestions really. I've never had a male so I have no idea. lol



XMyloChihuahuaX said:


> Totoro
> Yoshi
> Roo
> Melo
> ...


I love Totoro! And japanese names in general. As soon I saw it I thought YEAH. Then I pictured myself calling out totoroooo at the park and I'm not sure it rolls off the tongue too well. I've put it in my maybe list. We had actually considered Bear and Nemo already.  Problem is I call Lilo "Lilou Bear" a lot so it'd get confusing. lol


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Hollowaysal said:


> How about stitch???? Lol. If you don't know it was a kids tv programme, very unusal. Good luck





Wicked Pixie said:


> Stitch is perfect, Lilo and Stitch is one of my favourite films





KrystalLeigh said:


> I love Lilo and Stitch! I rescued a bunny once and named her Lilo.





first_time_chi_owner said:


> We got arnie at 8 months and changed his name from blue to arnie. He knew nothing before so it wasn't a big deal for him
> 
> Lilo and stitch would be too cute!!! Xx


haha Yep, that's the first name I considered! My brother and sister want me to call him that too. My boyfriend said no and that he doesn't think it suits him. :foxes15:


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## XMyloChihuahuaX (Jan 7, 2014)

coco_little_bear said:


> Oh my boyfriend mentioned Basil, but we're not sure it suits his face. You're right, names for girls are so much easier! I'm not quite sure how to describe the kind of names we like... I guess we quite like unisex names and ones that sound a bit foreign, but I'm open to any suggestions really. I've never had a male so I have no idea. lol
> 
> 
> 
> I love Totoro! And japanese names in general. As soon I saw it I thought YEAH. Then I pictured myself calling out totoroooo at the park and I'm not sure it rolls off the tongue too well. I've put it in my maybe list. We had actually considered Bear and Nemo already.  Problem is I call Lilo "Lilou Bear" a lot so it'd get confusing. lol



Me too, Japanese names are pretty cool. 




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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Lilith said:


> I'm in the same situation with my girl. She's black and tan too and adopted at one year. If I had yours, I'd name him *Titan*!
> 
> I'm trying to think of female names which evoke a similar sort of feeling for her. She's only 1.6kg so 'Titan' would be cute and fun on such a small dog but still sounding dignified (in my opinion). She's called Beau at the moment, and I'm not keen on it - too similar to 'no' and I'd prefer two syllables.


I love Titan! That's another one I really like that my boyfriend's not sure about so far. :foxes15: I think Titan would work for both males and females, but then again I tend to like boyish names for girls. And I know what you mean, 2 syllables names roll off the tongue better. Not that Beau isn't a good name, but I think I would change her name too if I were you.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Beau should be changed to Bow if you decide to keep it, Beau is masculine.


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## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

What a sweet boy! We got Ella when she was about a year and a half old. Her name was Sweetie when we got her. We decided on Ella pretty quickly and she started responding to it in about a week. Sweetie and Ella sound nothing alike, so I think it doesn't matter what you change the name to if you want to!


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

coco_little_bear said:


> You're right that a name that rhymes with Rocky would be a good idea. He tends to respond to all the names that end in i or y. For some reasons all the names me and my bf come up with are totally different though!
> 
> Any suggestions of good names that rhyme with Rocky?


I'll try to think of names that end in Y, but since I saw you like Nemo, now you have my hopes up for that one. LOL I love Nemo for a boy! I've always said I would love to name a little boy and girl Nemo and Dori, but I can live vicariously through you. Hehe

I like the sound of Nemo and Lilo!!


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## I<3Charlie-chi (Feb 25, 2011)

He looks such a cutie! I'm useless with names so I'm not much help sorry! 
When I got Bailey he was called Charlie and I already had a Charlie so I had to change his name! Poor thing was a bit confused at first but he soon learnt his new name. Although when I call Charlie they both come sometimes lol! X


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

lulu'smom said:


> I'll try to think of names that end in Y, but since I saw you like Nemo, now you have my hopes up for that one. LOL I love Nemo for a boy! I've always said I would love to name a little boy and girl Nemo and Dori, but I can live vicariously through you. Hehe
> 
> I like the sound of Nemo and Lilo!!


Awww Nemo and Dory. I love that film.  I agree they're such cute names. I remember considering Dory for Lilo when we got her, imagine how cute that would have been. lol


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

I<3Charlie-chi said:


> He looks such a cutie! I'm useless with names so I'm not much help sorry!
> When I got Bailey he was called Charlie and I already had a Charlie so I had to change his name! Poor thing was a bit confused at first but he soon learnt his new name. Although when I call Charlie they both come sometimes lol! X


Awww how old was he at the time? I guess they learn pretty quickly.  It makes it easier for you in a way if you only have to call one name. lol


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## I<3Charlie-chi (Feb 25, 2011)

coco_little_bear said:


> Awww how old was he at the time? I guess they learn pretty quickly.  It makes it easier for you in a way if you only have to call one name. lol


I'm not sure of his exact age when I got him, the vet seemed to think he was around 18months. The couple I got him from had only had him 2weeks and they'd got him from the family of his owner when she died. So poor little thing was passed around a bit and I've no idea where he came from or anything! All I was told was he doesn't really like other dogs and it's turned out to be quite true even though he got on well with Charlie at first. 
I call them all sorts of names and they come lol! X


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

coco_little_bear said:


> Any suggestions of good names that rhyme with Rocky?


Here we go!  

The only one I could come up with that actually sounded like Rocky was Ollie. The following are names that end in the "e" sound like Rocky: 

Mickey, Benji, Frisbee, Harvey, Barney, Iggy, Lenny, Blackie, Buddy, Archie, Rusty, Murphy, Ziggy, & Vinny.


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## Habbysmama (Dec 28, 2013)

I'm terrible at names, i didn't even name my chihuahua when i got him. He came with the name Habanero but we call him habby for short he doesn't answer to habanero. When we first got him, my partner wanted to call him chico or something like that


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## kimr (Nov 14, 2010)

All of mine except one have had their names changed at various ages. The only one I didn't change was Pedro, because he had so many stress induced problems to start with.

Gracie was Lollipop! Now she's named after my mother in law, who passed right before we got her.

We never knew Ruby's name, she was a rescue of unknown origin. We tried using numerous names for a week before we settled on Ruby, to see if we could get her to respond to anything. 

New homes and new lives make adjusting to new names just part of the package, I believe.


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## BleusMom (Jan 25, 2014)

I think Rocky I perfect for him. I almost named my dog that.


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## MaddiLovesDogs (Jan 16, 2014)

lulu'smom said:


> Here we go!
> 
> The only one I could come up with that actually sounded like Rocky was Ollie. The following are names that end in the "e" sound like Rocky:
> 
> Mickey, Benji, Frisbee, Harvey, Barney, Iggy, Lenny, Blackie, Buddy, Archie, Rusty, Murphy, Ziggy, & Vinny.


Wow! Great suggestions! BAM! :toothy8:

Both of my girls had different names when I got them. I changed my cocker's name from "Missy" to "Mercedes"... kinda sounded similar. I had groomed about 20 "Missys" before, so Missy was _so_ :nhappy2: generic to me by the time I got her so I wanted something snazzy and unique.

I adopted my chihuahua 2 months ago when she was over a year old, and her name was Wutwut. :confused5: The breeder said the kids had named her after the little noise she makes when she runs around, but my husband and I didn't like it at all. We just tried a bunch of names we liked, and when she perked up at "Ponyo" (Japanese names ftw! eacewink we were overjoyed! :toothy8: She took well to it, she literally learned it the first one or two nights we had her.

So I think you should choose a name that has positive meaning to you, and a word that your dog likes to hear. "Wutwut" sounds nothing like "Ponyo" but Ponyo is such a silly fun word to say I know she loves her name, and I love her name too. :love5: Again, Member Lulu'smom had great suggestions!

How about:
Spanky
Rocko
Rambo
Pocki (it's a Japanese snack)
Duffy
Leo

ccasion7: Grats again on your new addition!!! ccasion9:


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## emmarobbins (Jan 26, 2014)

coco_little_bear said:


> As some of you know, we adopted an 8 months old chihuahua 2 days ago who was being rehomed. His previous owners called him Rocky. However they're polish and so he doesn't understand a word of english, including the way we pronounce his name in english. He sometimes responds to it, sometimes not.
> 
> So my question is, could we change his name or do you think it might confuse him (seeing as he does respond at some extent)? If so, any suggestions?
> 
> ...


I would change. His name fresh start for him also try picking a 2 part name so he will know you mean buisness when you use both 


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## None505 (Jan 10, 2013)

My two were 4 and 5 years old when I got them and I changed their names and they learned very fast.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

MaddiLovesDogs said:


> I adopted my chihuahua 2 months ago when she was over a year old, and her name was Wutwut. :confused5: The breeder said the kids had named her after the little noise she makes when she runs around, but my husband and I didn't like it at all. We just tried a bunch of names we liked, and when she perked up at "Ponyo" (Japanese names ftw! eacewink we were overjoyed! :toothy8: She took well to it, she literally learned it the first one or two nights we had her.


Aww Ponyo is such a cute name and it suits her very well!! That's actually a name we're considering for Rocky! I know Ponyo is a girl in that film, but it sounds unisex enough to me. My boyfriend likes it, but for some reason we're still not sure. lol

I can't believe we've had him for 3 weeks and he still doesn't have an official name. I've never found it so hard to name a dog! hahaha Thanks for the suggestions!


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## Lilith (Jan 10, 2014)

Coco I wouldn't worry, I've had my girl for 4 weeks and she only just got a new name! She's gone from Beau to Kali. 

Kali was a name I've always liked (Hindu goddess of destruction!) but never thought it suited her. However my partner refused all my other suggestions but thought Kali was cute. So she has a nice name with a powerful meaning, so I'm happy.

She's my doggy of sock destruction  I hope you manage to find something suitable soon!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Lilith said:


> Coco I wouldn't worry, I've had my girl for 4 weeks and she only just got a new name! She's gone from Beau to Kali.
> 
> Kali was a name I've always liked (Hindu goddess of destruction!) but never thought it suited her. However my partner refused all my other suggestions but thought Kali was cute. So she has a nice name with a powerful meaning, so I'm happy.
> 
> She's my doggy of sock destruction  I hope you manage to find something suitable soon!


Aww I think Kali is cute and I love the meaning behind it! haha That's the problem, both me and my partner have come up with a lot of suggestions, but we can't seem to agree... I'm glad to hear it's not just me. I feel bad for poor "Rocky" who keeps being called different names every day.


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## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

I had the hardest time naming zara and now still I'm not sure if I want to keep it haha but have no alternative. Everyone just keeps giving me that dumb look like ugh zara? Even my hubby makes fun of it but has no other suggestions for a name lol.


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## MaddiLovesDogs (Jan 16, 2014)

Did you decide on anything?


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Chihuahuasloveme said:


> I had the hardest time naming zara and now still I'm not sure if I want to keep it haha but have no alternative. Everyone just keeps giving me that dumb look like ugh zara? Even my hubby makes fun of it but has no other suggestions for a name lol.


Aww I think Zara is a cute name.  But of course there's still time to change it if you're not sure about it. hehe



MaddiLovesDogs said:


> Did you decide on anything?


No!  I've looked at every possible list of name suggestions online and got suggestions from people. I'm not sure why we're finding this so hard. lol


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## opezi (Jan 6, 2014)

Her face and coat is unique, and I think her name suits those features. ^^


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