Dog Names
Choosing a Name
Choosing a name for your working dog can be difficult and should be chosen with some care and consideration. Is the name that you have chosen one that can be called easily whilst working your dog, and isn't something that can be confused with other everyday words you may use, for example the name 'Bo' sounds like 'No'. Consider the words you use within your command vocabulary and also the names of any other dogs that you might own, could there be any confusion? The later part of the names Jess and Tess are similar sounding, could that cause confusion?
Many of the earliest names recorded in the society stud book were evocative of natural features of the land, for example named after rivers such as the rivers Tweed and Glen. Some names were chosen that were related to indigenous properties of the countryside and climate, for example Moss and Mist.
The society permits the use of only one simple working name for a registered dog. The top five popular names recorded over the past thirteen years for dogs are Ben, Roy, Moss, Glen and Spot, and for bitches they are Meg, Jess, Nell, Fly and Jill.
The society accepts names that consist of at least two letters, for example 'Ed', but no more than two syllables are to be used, for example 'Oliver' would not be permitted.
Names do not need to be gender specific or traditional, and the society will accept non-English names, and expect all chosen names to be culturally acceptable.
Prefix and Suffix Names
Breeders may apply to the society for the exclusive use of a prefix or suffix that may, optionally, be added to the working name of any pups that they register. The prefix or suffix is for the exclusive use of the owner for his or her lifetime. It may be transferred only by written will of the owner upon their death and by further payment of the current Application Fee.
The prefix or suffix name applied for should be no more than 20 characters. It should ideally be a proper noun such as a farm or town (e.g. Highwood or Chester) that may by hyphenated (e.g. Nant-y-Bai). However, if necessary, it may comprise up to two words only (e.g. Long Tree), although the two words many not enclose the dog's name. The name should be appropriate to a working dog and fancy or inappropriate names are not acceptable (e.g. Chocolate, Pretty, Madonna).
Prepositions (small words) (e.g. a; of; the; from; to) may not be part of the name. Nor may a possessive name (apostrophe+S) be used (e.g. SPENCER'S). Non-English names are fully acceptable, providing they follow the above guidance, and non-English characters can be included, (e.g É, Ü) but these will have to be available in the normal ASCII character set.
Upon receipt of a prefix or suffix application, the chosen name will be checked against names currently registered and will be rejected if it is too similar. Once the prefix or suffix has been approved a certificate will be issued. Once approved, the name can not be amended.
To apply for a Prefix or Suffix, please download the application form here, alternatively it is available within the Resources section of the website.
