Hi all - I'm new here and would like some advice. I'd like to hear opinions on changing a dog's name - 2 1/2 yrs old, rescued dachshund, not abused, surrendered by loving family, original name known. Does it matter one way or the other? Seriously?

think about all the dogs that are adopted from shelters that were strays. no one knew what their names were before they came in but they are given new names when they leave.

you may want to use his current name followed immediately by the new name for awhile putting more emphisis on the new name.

good luck & thank you for adopting

It depends on the dog.
When we adopted my mom's dog, she didn't respond to the name the rescue center called her, so we went ahead and changed her name to 'Suzie'. It's been about 2 years and she only halfway knows her name - sometimes she responds to 'Ziggy', which is my dog. We think it's because the names are similar and Suzie's old & has trouble hearing. However, Ziggy has tons of nicknames (everything from 'zag' to 'moo' to 'buppy') she'll respond to as if we said her name. She seems to understand "people talk" very well and will respond to a new nickname within a few days.

Hi there, first of all congrats on your Dachshund! I have a 4 year old and he is amazing! I honestly dont think its a big deal to change your Dachshunds name. They are smart dogs and he/she should be able to adapt to the new name quickly. They are very smart little creatures! You will have a lot of fun with your Dachshund!

Hi im new to the forum, I think also that dogs are very smart and you would know from the start if yours likes the new name and responds to it, sometimes it's better to have a "clean start", with a new loving family on that case he/she would definitely respond well to the new name...

Good luck!!

[wishbone]

Welcome and congrats on your new dachshund, suebgone got it right, give the second name with more emphasize on new name. Slowly called him with his new name and reward him when he response.