Does a Pet's Name Affect His Behavior?

It makes no difference whether it's a conscious desire or an unconscious wish; the names we give our pets can sometimes cause problems.

About a year ago my husband was reading to me from a wonderful book, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The first agreement,"Being impeccable with your word" discusses how the words with which we communicate can either give us a sense of well being, or can be destructive and dangerous.

Ruiz writes, "If we adopt the first agreement, and become impeccable with our word, any emotional poison will eventually be cleaned from our mind and from our communication in our personal relationships, including with our pet dog or cat."

Since years ago, our white Oriental Shorthair, Moon Raker, had mutilated himself by scratching his neck and chest due to severe allergies, we might have thoughtlessly exhibited some passive-aggressive behavior by calling him Trouble.

After reading that passage, however, my husband paused, his chin in his hand and turned to me, "We need to consider re-naming Trouble," he said.

"We may have inadvertently named him out of frustration. We may have perpetuated his internal conflict. We need to un-do what has turned out to be prophetic."

I thought he was onto something really important. Had we, by accident, altered Trouble's sense of self? Did we damage his self-esteem?

All of us express our emotions to our pets by the words we say, the tone we use, and the names we give them. So it stands to reason that these names can deeply affect them, either negatively or positively.

So what is our bottom-line motivation for the names we choose for our furry companions? I hadn't given it much thought, but after heeding Mr. Ruiz's words, I will be much more careful in the future.

I am thrilled to report our decision to rename Trouble seems to have paid off. His attitude has turned around and he no longer self-mutilates. His outgoing behavior proves that his self esteem has grown considerably.

Have you found there is a relationship between the name you gave your pet and their behavior? Consider the question carefully and leave a comment.

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