200 Best Female Dog Names And How To Teach Your Dog Their Name

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There are few things more exciting than bringing home a new pup for the family. But there are also few things more difficult than agreeing on the right name for the newest member of the family.

You want something that will suit your new pooch and that you will feel comfortable shouting out in the park in front of complete strangers.

Female dog names can be particularly challenging.

• Do you want something super girly, cute, or something less obviously feminine.
• Do you want something unique, or are you a fan of the classics?
• And does everyone in the house want the same thing?
• Or do your seven-year-old and twelve-year-old have very different ideas?

To help you get started, I have come up with a list of 200 amazing girl dog names, divided into different categories based on taste.

We have also come up with a few tips for what to consider when thinking of dog names that might help the family come to some kind of agreement.

Of course, once you have all agreed on a name, your dog needs to learn their name!

Read on to discover the best way to teach your dog to respond to their name.

Dog Name Ideas

We have broken our list of female dog names up into categories to help you find what you are looking for.

Popular Female Dog Names

Try something tried and tested with these very popular dog names.

1. Bella
2. Bonnie
3. Charlie
4. Harley
5. Harper
6. Jessie
7. Josie
8. Katie
9. Lilo
10. Luna
11. Maddie
12. Maggie
13. Marley
14. Mila
15. Rosie
16. Sadie
17. Shelby
18. Stella
19. Trixie
20. Zoey

Unique Female Dog Names

Go for something a little bit different, like these examples.

1. Avalon
2. Bibi
3. Colby
4. Friday
5. Ladybug
6. Lotus
7. Mocha
8. Ocean
9. Ophelia
10. Orion
11. Myka
12. Nessa
13. Phoenix
14. Rigby
15. Sabre
16. Sahara
17. Saskia
18. Trouble
19. Vanta
20. Vixen

Cute Female Dog Names

If you are into cutesy dog names, a few on this list might appeal.

1. Cha-Cha
2. Chi-Chi
3. Coconut
4. Cupcake
5. Cutey
6. Dolly
7. Fluffy
8. Gigi
9. Honey
10. Jellybean
11. Kiki
12. Kitkat
13. Mamie
14. Mini
15. Muffin
16. Munchkin
17. Pee Wee
18. Pippa
19. Princess
20. Rainbow

Unisex Dog Names

If you would prefer to give your dog a name that is not distinctly female, try one of these appropriate uni-sex names.

1. Alaska
2. Alex
3. Bailey
4. Biscuit
5. Casey
6. Chocolate
7. Echo
8. Halley
9. Kennedy
10. Mack
11. Parker
12. Quinn
13. Remy
14. Riley
15. Sam
16. Sasha
17. Shannon
18. Sky
19. Sydney
20. Tori

Food-Related Female Dog Names

Does your pooch look good enough to eat? Name her after one of your favorite foods.

1. Bean
2. Butterscotch
3. Caramel
4. Cinnamon
5. Coffee
6. Cookie
7. Espresso
8. Fudge
9. Honey
10. Marshmallow
11. Noodles
12. Oreo
13. Peaches
14. Peanut
15. Pepper
16. Popcorn
17. Pudding
18. Salt
19. Toffee
20. Tofu

Natural Female Dog Names

Look to nature for inspiration.

1. Clover
2. Cypress
3. Daisy
4. Dakota
5. Emu
6. Holly
7. Iris
8. Ivy
9. Jade
10. Maple
11. Montana
12. Opal
13. Raven
14. River
15. Rose
16. Sage
17. Summer
18. Sunny
19. Violet
20. Willow

Color-Based Female Dog Names

Often the color of your dog’s furry coat can be a good source of inspiration.

1. Angel
2. Blackberry
3. Coral
4. Crystal
5. Domino
6. Ebony
7. Feather
8. Inky
9. Ivory
10. Jet
11. Layla
12. Lilly
13. Midnight
14. Onyx
15. Opal
16. Pearl
17. Sable
18. Shade
19. Snowflake
20. Velvet

Celebrity Female Dog Names

Name your dog after one of your favorite female celebrities.

1. Agatha (as in Christie)
2. Audrey (as in Hepburn)
3. Bambi
4. Beyonce
5. Chanel
6. Coco (as in Chanel)
7. Frida (as in Pinto)
8. Grace (as in Kelly)
9. Julie (as in Andrews)
10. Lady
11. Madonna
12. Marilyn (as in Monroe)
13. Oprah
14. Priscilla
15. Rihanna
16. Sylvia (as in Plath)
17. Tinkerbell
18. Virginia (as in Woolf)
19. Xena
20. Yoko (as in Ono)

Divine Female Dog Names

You know your new pooch will be the goddess of the household, so give her a classic divine name.

1. Aphrodite
2. Artemis
3. Athena
4. Demeter
5. Diana
6. Electra
7. Enyo
8. Gaia
9. Hera
10. Isis
11. Juno
12. Maia
13. Minerva
14. Nike
15. Olympia
16. Pax
17. Selene
18. Styx
19. Thalia
20. Vesta

Star Female Dog Names

Interested in what celebrities have named their lady dogs?

1. Asia (Lady Gaga)
2. Augie (Ellen Degeneres)
3. Bess (Sienna Miller)
4. Dot (Zoey Deschanel)
5. Esmerelda (Anne Hathaway)
6. Foxy (Matthew McConaughey)
7. Gabbana (Khloe Kardashian)
8. Harley (Julianne Hough)
9. Lola (Hilary Duff)
10. Mimi LaRue (Tori Spelling)
11. Mona (Jennifer Love Hewitt)
12. Pearl (Lea Michele)
13. Penny (Blake Lively)
14. Poppy (Sandra Bullock)
15. Ruby (Sandra Bullock)
16. SheRa (Natalie Coughlin)
17. Sophie (Miley Cyrus)
18. Tina (Jessica Biel)
19. Vida (Demi Moore)
20. Zelda (Zoey Deschanel)

How To Choose A Name For Your Dog

If a name didn’t jump out at you as perfect when you were reading our list, or you are still failing to find agreement in your household, here are a few tips to help you on your way.

1. Choose a name that is one or two syllables long. Your dog will learn it quicker, which means that it will be useful for training. If you want to give your dog a long and complicated name, but then have a nickname for daily use, that’s fine. But remember, if it is the nickname that you will actually be using, best put some serious thought into it as well.
2. Don’t choose anything that is too difficult to pronounce correctly. Remember, you will not always be the only person who needs to get your dog’s attention or give them directions. You don’t want a name that the other people in their life will mispronounce. Plus, any human with a complicated name will tell you how annoying it is when people mispronounce your name all the time.
3. You can help your dog distinguish their name from ambient noise by choosing games that start with a sibilant consonant or blend, such as an S or a SH, or a hard commanding consonant, like a K or C.
4. But don’t choose a name that sounds like a command. Remember that dogs don’t understand language, they are just looking out for familiar sounds. So, for example, if you call your dog Shay, she may have trouble learning the stay command.
5. Remember that you may well find yourself yelling your dog’s loudly in public spaces, so you don’t want to choose anything that you would be embarrassed to shout. This means that rude names, which may seem funny, soon become problematic. Overly cute names can also become a bit of an embarrassment (especially if your son is walking the dog).
6. First, be wary of names that are too trendy. If you are going to name your dog after a celebrity, pick a timeless celebrity (like the ones on our list) rather than someone who is currently popular. Imagine if some dark secret comes out of their closet (as seems to happen these days) and you have to have that association with your beloved dog forever.
7. Draw inspiration from how your dog looks. What color are they? What breed? Are they big, small, or sausage shaped? Do they have any distinctive features like particularly sad eyes, very floppy ears, or feet that are a different color from the rest of their body?
8. Remember that you don’t have to give your dog a name the moment you meet them. You can take a while to get to know their personality and see if that helps with inspiration. Perhaps an even early in your relationship will provide a but of inspiration, and a happy memory every time you say or hear their name.

How To Teach Your Dog Their Name

Once you have selected the perfect name for your dog, you will need to teach it to them. How else will they know that you are talking to them?

Training your dog to recognize their name is like most forms of training – it requires positive reinforcement. So, have treats on hand when training: these could be edible, cuddles, or a fun game.

First – familiarize your dog with their name. During a five-minute training session, wait until you have your dog’s attention, and then say their name.

When they respond to you, give them a treat. Repeat this several times over the space of a couple of minutes, and every day for a few weeks.

Second – teach your dog to respond to their name when they are not already paying attention to you.

Take them out on the leash (even if it is only to the yard) and let them explore. Call their name, and if they turn and give you their attention, give them a treat.

If they do not turn, lightly tug on the leash to get their attention while saying their name again. When they do turn, say their name yet again and give them a treat.

With this kind of training your dog will quickly associate their name with good things.

They will want to give you their attention when you call because they will be expecting something good.

For this reason, you should never use your dog’s name in negative situations.

Don’t say “no Bella, stop eating my shoes.”

The command, in this instance, should simply be “no,” “stop,” or “drop it.”

Don’t let their name become associated with negativity.

Here’s a more descriptive write up we did on how to teach your dog their name.

Wrapping Up

Picking the right name for your dog is a big responsibility. This is going to be something essential about them for the next 10 to 15 years.

It is something that you and your family will be using every day. You want to get it right. 

Sometimes inspiration just strikes. Other times, you hear a name and you just know that it is perfect for your pooch. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, nothing seems right.

If you are struggling to find a good name for your female dog, the best thing that you can do is expose yourself to as many names as possible until you come across one that speaks to you.

You can also ask yourself questions about how they look and their behavior that can give you ideas.

Not too long ago we named our female Golden Retriever, Raven. Why Raven?

We went with one of those reverse names like we mentioned earlier. Raven is an English Cream Golden Retriever almost white in color and of course a Raven is black…get it?

So, what about you all?

Did you already choose a name for your dog or do you have one in mind?

Tell us the name’s your considering and why you chose that name in the comment section below.

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