Naming Your Puppy

This could be the single most important trick you teach your dog. Yes that's right, the name is just another trick. Only its the one you'll use the most. There are no good names, and no bad names, just the one that you feel fits your puppy best. You could have the name picked out before you even get the puppy, but I don't recommend that. Wait until you see your new addition and then see what he/she likes, and what you can agree on. It could take you minutes, or even a few days, but you'll know when hit it.
When I got my baby it took me three days to get a name that we both liked. I kept bouncing around a couple that I couldn't get past, but just didn't sound right..... shadow, brutus, you know names that were ok, but just weren't perfect. I knew I wanted a cool name that could also have a good short name.... you know so that when he was in trouble you could use his full name, like your mom would.
Finally, I was like, "ok what is he to me?" he's big, strong, smart, he's my defender, he's a fighter, he's my GLADIATOR!!! That's it MAXIMUS!!!!  And as I screamed he looked at me and tweaked his head, and I said, "you like that huh? MAXIMUS" and he got all excited and I knew that was it! So from then on he was MAXIMUS!! aka Max.
Now that we had the name, there are a few good, yet simple, ways to get them to pick it up quickly.
The best way that I think I found to get it across to him, is by whispering it in his ear as he slept in my arms. Just Maximus, Maximus, Maximus over and over again. You will look like a wierdo for your first couple months with the dog because you will do everything a million times over. You will annoy everyone around because you will continually repeat yourself and the trick you are trying to teach you dog, but if you're doing that, then you are doing it right. Because that's the only way to do things is with repetition and persistence.Looking like an idiot is no big deal though if you get your puppy to understand its name, because believe it or I have met a few dogs, young and old, that didn't know that this random word was their name. They would associate with something else, from going outside to being in trouble, because the only time they heard their name was when they were getting yelled at or something. So their name might as well have been NO! So take the time to make sure your puppy knows what you're wanting him to understand.

The name is a very important thing to get down perfectly before you move on the the rest of the tricks because it will be the base for every single trick from now on. Everything begins with the name of the dog to get their attention and then followed by what you want them to do.
The known, followed by the unknown and showed action. This is the way you will teach your dog everything! It's that simple. Maximus, SIT.  Maximus, LAY DOWN. Everything starts with what they know. So they have to know that what your saying is referring to them, not just some other word that they don't know. That's why I said the name is just another trick, because that's all it is. If you know anything about science experiments, you always have to have a control, to do the test. The name is the control, the new trick is the test.
So take your time, figure out what a good name for both of you is, and then move on. Good luck!