Does Your Dog Ignore Their Name? Try The 5-Treat Name Game

The Name Game is one of the first and, arguably, most important training games we teach. It’s not complicated. You can play it right now.

Get five treats (training treats should be soft, small, and smelly!). Say your dog’s name and give them a treat. Repeat five times. That’s the whole game.

We emphasize this game because 99% of dog owners overuse their dog’s name. They say it all the time until it loses its meaning. They try to get the dog’s attention, but the dog has no reason to focus—they usually don’t get anything if they look. No treats, no praise, no helpful information.

So we work hard to build real value into a dog’s name. We guarantee that if, every time you say your dog’s name over the next week, they get a treat, you’ll get their attention when you call them. No doubt about it.

So why do our dogs have eight thousand nicknames we use instead?

Tell Us We’re Wrong

Hope is the empress of nicknames. Her French Bulldog, Torque, rarely hears his actual name. He responds to:

• Q
• Q-Bear
• Torquebot
• BooBoo Kitty
• Bear
• QueBot
• ...and, of course, “Hey, you!”

Fran’s not quite as free-and-easy with her dogs’ names. Booker (her 13-year-old Boston) is usually Bookie. Simon (her 8-year-old Boston) is usually just Simon—sometimes BooBoo, but not often. Hope attributes this to the fact that Fran doesn’t spout nonsense constantly like her sister.

Most dog people we know have endless nicknames for their pups, ranging from subtle variations to affectionate nonsense. That’s okay—their dogs know what they mean.

Tone Matters

If you say silly things to your dog in a sweet voice, the sweet tone is all they’ll hear. The opposite is true, too—energy makes all the difference. If you call your dog excitedly, they’ll respond regardless of the name, nickname, or moniker you use.

But the actual name still matters. Because ultimately, everything you call your dog translates to the exact same thing: I love you.