The Best Hunting Dog Names

After picking out your pup, picking out a name can be a big decision. If you leave it up to the kids, you could get stuck with something ridiculous like Snickers or Princess. If you get lazy, your dog could end up with the same name as every other Lab at the hunt test. Inspiration for a hunting dog name can come from anywhere, but the best ones follow a few simple rules. With some, ah, exceptions, it’s pretty hard to go wrong as long as you follow this advice. Here are some hunting dog names to get you started.

Table of Contents

Read through the whole story or tap on a topic below to jump to the list.

• Trainer Tips for Picking a Name
• Naming Tips from Hunters
• Gun Names for Dogs
• Nature Names for Dogs
• Place Names
• Refuge Names for Dogs
• Animal Names for Dogs
• Pop Culture Names for Dogs
• Kitchen-Sink Names for Dogs
• Classic Names for Female Dogs
• Classic Names for Male Dogs
• Overused Names for Dogs

Tips for Picking a Hunting Dog Name

Above all else, says dog trainer and bird hunter Web Parton, naming a hunting dog requires that hunters consider brevity and clarity.

“There’s the popular wisdom that a dog name should be one syllable and it shouldn’t interfere with any commands,” Parton says. “If you have a bird dog and that bird dog is going to be whoa-broke, you probably don’t want to call the dog Joe.”

But you should also let the name come to you after spending some time with the dog, Parton says. A pup’s characteristics and quirks will rise to the surface, which can make for great inspiration.

“It can be kind of comical sometimes. There’s the German wire-haired pointer that shows up with a hard mouth and chews on birds, and his name is Gator,” Parton says, referring to some clients he’s seen over the years. “Or there was one proctologist who had a German Shorthaired Pointer male, and his name was Anus. And his wife would baby-talk to the dog, ‘My good little Anus.’ So I’ve seen just about everything.”

Hunting Dogs We’ve Known

When it was time to pick up his black Lab puppy, one of my buddies still didn’t have a name picked out. He was on his way to the airport when he passed a billboard advertising Otter Irrigation sprinkler systems. Otter the duck dog spent his 16 years retrieving thousands of birds for my buddy and their outfitted clients. In the summers, he was a river rat who jumped off cliffs and swam beside the boat. Otter remains the most perfect hunting dog name I’ve ever heard.

Another buddy, diehard waterfowler and outdoor photographer Lee Kjos, named all his retrievers after Louis L’Amour characters. Tyler Sladen, a falconer in the Southwest, has an enormous pack of setters. Most are named after sci-fi or fantasy characters like Gamora and Qi’ra. He names his hawks after breakfast foods — Hashbrown, Jimmy Dean — and I suppose that would work for hunting dogs, too.

Another hunter I know named his happy-go-lucky English cocker Boscoe, after the hot, cheesy breadsticks sold at gas stations. My pheasant hunting buddy Phil Bourjaily only names his bird dogs single-syllable human names: Ike, Jed, and Zeke. While I helped come up with Zeke and will let that dog point a rooster for me any day, I’ve always been of the opinion that dogs aren’t people and it’s a shame to waste such an opportunity on something like “Harold.” Besides, it’s not like you need to worry about your dog getting called names at the dog park.

For hunting dog names, I prefer two-syllable names that you (probably) wouldn’t name a human. Bonus points if I’ve never met a dog with that name before. When it came time to pick a name for my own first bird dog, a yellow British Lab, I settled on one name for a lot of reasons that seemed significant at the time. As soon as I picked up my pup, however, I knew the name I’d chosen was wrong. So I tested out a new name each day and rejected each in turn. This went on for more than a week. In the end, I spotted the worn copy of Hatchet by Gary Paulsen on my bookshelf. It stuck. —Natalie Krebs, executive editor

Gun Names

These names are a fine choice if you want every passerby who asks your dog’s name to know that you eat, breathe, and bleed hunting. Your wedding ring might be made of antler and you probably keep your calls on your dashboard.

• Benelli (Nelly)
• Browning
• Boomer
• Colt
• Gauge
• Kimber
• Nitro
• Remington (Remy)
• Rigby
• Ruger
• Shooter
• Trigger
• Scout
• Smith
• Weatherby
• Wesson
• Winchester (Winnie)

Nature Names

If you’d rather get lost in the backcountry than christen yet another bird dog “Rigby,” these nature hunting dog names might be right for your pup.

• Aspen
• Cedar
• Creek
• Coulee
• Cypress
• Desert
• Fern
• Flint
• Forest
• Fraser
• Maple
• Mesa
• Pine
• River
• Sage
• Stone
• Storm
• Summit
• Terra
• Willow

Read Next: The Most Underrated Hunting Dog Breeds

Pop Culture Names

From literary characters to presidents, this list of hunting dog names casts a wide net. Maybe you name your dog after a favorite musician, Western character, or author.

• Abe
• Aldo
• Butch
• Cash
• Clifford
• Clint
• Doc
• Elmer
• Ernest
• Finn
• Hank
• Huck
• Louis
• Oakley
• Ringo
• Ronnie
• Sawyer
• Teddy
• Wyatt
• Zane

Place Names

These hunting dog names are for the folks whose water bottles, coolers, and trucks are plastered with stickers from all the spots they’ve hunted, hiked, or lived. If nothing on this list speaks to you, think of your favorite town, mountain range, or national forest.

• Bridger
• Casper
• Cheyenne
• Cody
• Dakota (Kota)
• Denver
• Indiana (Indy)
• Kenai
• Homer
• Maui
• Minne
• Moab
• Nash
• Ozark
• Reno
• Teton
• Tex
• Vegas
• Zion

Refuge Names

If you want to take it a step further and name your bird dog after your favorite National Wildlife Refuge, check out this list. Just don’t hot-spot yourself.

• Baca
• Bayou
• Cache
• Delta
• Hopper
• Merritt
• Monte
• Rocky
• Quivira
• Sabine
• Sutter
• Wheeler

Animal Names

There’s a certain irony in selecting a hunting dog name that calls to mind another species, but it’ll wear in just fine.

• Bear
• Billy
• Bird
• Buck
• Caddis
• Drake
• Fox
• Gaddy (Gadwall)
• Grizzly 
• Goose
• Moose
• Rabbit
• Raven
• Toad
• Teal
• Tiger
• Trout
• Wolf
• Woody (Wood duck)

Kitchen-Sink Names

Here are some hunting dog names that don’t quite fit any category but still seem to pop up here and there. They could be inspired by anything from hunting gear brands to the truck you drive to your favorite hobby.

• Chevy
• Cowboy
• Dodger
• Harley
• Hobe
• Hunter
• Filson
• Fisher
• Ford
• Ranger
• Rider
• Rip
• Skipper
• Trapper

Classic Names

We had to save the most popular for last. These hunting dog names don’t really require much explanation. Maybe you’re the type who only eats vanilla ice cream. Maybe you know someone else who named their dog off this list and it seems like the safest bet. Just pick a name already — you’ve been calling the dog “Dog” for a month and your kids are getting antsy.

Read Next: Your Retriever Will Teach You These 5 Life Lessons

Female Hunting Dog Names

• Bell
• Dixie
• Frida
• Lady
• Luna
• Maggie
• Missy
• Molly
• Ruby
• Sadie
• Tessie

Male Hunting Dog Names

• Blue
• Boone
• Buddy
• Duke
• Gunner
• Lucky
• Max
• Milo
• King
• Red
• Rex
• Tank
• Tucker

Overused Dog Names

Maybe you don’t care about picking a common name for your hunting dog, and that’s fine. But if you’re interested in selecting something a little different, we advise steering clear of these common dog names.

• Bailey
• Bella
• Charlie
• Lucy
• Luna
• Max
• Milo
• Red

Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt about it: Picking a hunting dog name can be really difficult. When in doubt, aim for something with one or two syllables that won’t interfere with the standard commands you plan to teach your dog. Avoid common words you’ll use in a hunting situation, too, like “Duck” or “Rooster.”

Read Next: Golden Retriever vs Labrador Retriever: Which Hunting Breed Is Better?

Beyond that, wait for the dog’s personality to shine through and surely something will come to mind. Besides, the dog will end up with at least a dozen nicknames anyway.

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Source: https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/hunting-dog-names/