How to Come Up With Great Dog Busines Names
One of the first steps on your petpreneurial journey will be to choose a great name for your business.
Sounds easy right? Well… picking the best name for your business can be trickier than you might think. You want your pet business name to be memorable over time, but you also when your potential customers or partners hear it, you want their first impression to be both POSITIVE and aligned with the brand experience you’re trying to create.
A great dog business name makes it easy for customers to understand what type of service you offer, while showing off your brand’s personality.
Sure, this isn’t the easiest of goals - but it’s worth working a bit harder to come up with a fab name - because when your pet business name communicates BOTH what you do and your personality all at once - you’ll be on your way to being fully-booked with all the right pet people.
Tips for Choosing Great Dog Business Names
What would be easy?
Ok, so I’m going to be straight with you, naming your pet business can be quite hard. One easy way to begin is by trying out an online name generator. There are many name generators available online (the best one we tried was at https://businessnamegenerator.com/). All you have to do is simply enter one or two words that are relevant to your dog business, and the generator will come up with different options.
But if you’re passionate about being a petpreneur, coming up with a meaningful name is probably too important to you to leave it up to a robot. We hear ya. Consider using auto-generated options as a starting point for inspiration, but if you want to go further on your own, here are a few tips on how to come up with your very own dog business name that will have customers instantly excited to book you.
Be Descriptive
Your business name needs to let people know what you offer up front. If you’re a dog walker, a dog groomer, or have a dog training business, people should understand immediately what it is you’re offering. You might offer additional services like pet sitting, a dog treat business, or general pet care, so having a business name that represents everything you have to offer is important.
With so many dog businesses to choose from, you want to be “Best In Show”, and the first step to achieving that is by clearly communicating what you offer. For example, can you tell what services are being offered by the following dog business names?
- City Pet
- Dog Life
- Silly Goose Pet Care
- Woof Pack
- Precious Paws
- Belly Rub Pet Services
- Good Boy Business
- Golden Leash
- Paws Home Care
- Surf City Dog Walks
** Any ambiguity can be solved by simply plopping a ‘dog walking’ or ‘dog training’ at the end **
Be Specific
It’s also important to be clear about what type of animals your business specializes in. If you own a pet shop, you probably need a name that includes the word “pet” in it. If your business caters to the needs of specific animals, like dogs, then try to use the word “dog” or another word that immediately brings dogs to mind when people read your company name.
Be Creative
Specific doesn’t mean literal either, don’t be afraid to have fun. Metaphors can be a fun way to create a unique business name.
Having a unique name can help your business cut through the noise of competitors and attract the right people and pets. As long as your business name communicates what you do and who you do it for, the sky’s the limit.
Who doesn’t love a good pun?
Obviously, attracting customers is the goal for any business and a great dog business name is the first step towards achieving this. A good business name is memorable and stands out from the crowd. It makes people smile, or want to wear the tee shirt or text a photo of it to someone.
Have Fun with It
Pets are fun, so having a fun business name can help you be more memorable, so don’t be afraid to add a comedic touch if it aligns with your branding and the overall style of your business. A comedic tone would be out of place if your business is more serious in nature.
You can also go a bit risque or rude if that’s your thing - I met a pet business recently called ‘Big Dog Energy’ - which I thought was hilarious, memorable and paired perfectly with the logo and irreverent vibe.
Don’t forget though…
Some pet parents tend to be rightfully very protective of their furry friends, so you won’t want to overdo it on the comedy without backing it up with trustworthiness. Be conscious of your target audience (do you want conscientious and serious people, or playful, relaxed people), especially if the service you provide makes you responsible for the wellbeing of animals. Like a good friend, you want to show that your business is friendly, .
Be Concise
Not to sound like a broken record, but a good business name needs to be memorable. Overly long, hard to say or spell names tend to be forgotten. Keeping your business’ name to one to three words is ideal. Keeping the name short can make the naming process more challenging, but if you’re worried about not being able to be descriptive… just get more creative in your brainstorming.
One method I love is to make lists of individual words I really like, and then start combining words from the lists. This is how I helped name the ‘Sage Hound’
Keep it Fresh
Try to skip over words like ‘mutt’ and ‘paws’ and ‘ruff’ - these are used millions of times around the world in the names of pet businesses and they are totally unremarkable, not personal, and forgettable. See notes above about getting more creative with your brainstorming to come up with something truly unique and special to you- that you’ll be proud of and won’t be easy for others to forget. I once worked with a pet photographer who had some forgettable name like ‘mountain mutts’ and after hearing me go on and on about originality and being forgettable, she dug deep, brainstormed and created ‘Brindleberry Acres’ - genius!
Get Feedback
Once you’ve narrowed down your business name to a few ideas, get some feedback. You don’t need experts; just people you trust to be honest about your ideas.
BUT beware of who you ask! Pet parents are ideal as they understand what it’s like to use pet services firsthand. They can give you more specific feedback about how the name makes them feel and whether or not you’ve communicated your services clearly.
If you have gone with a comedic tone for your name, feedback is essential. Humor is subjective and what is funny to you, might not be funny to others. BE OPEN to the fact that just because you might think it’s the most brilliant thing ever - other people may not get it - and that means you’ve not found ‘the one’ yet!
Check for Availability
You’ve done it, you’ve settled on the perfect name. Now the moment of truth is to make sure it’s available. Many new business owners make the mistake of overlooking this step and don’t realize that the name they have chosen might already be taken by another business.
Do your due diligence and make sure the name you have selected isn’t trademarked by someone else. This is an essential step - DO NOT SKIP IT or you could end up with expensive ‘damages’ to pay someone who already owns your new name.
It’s worth noting that some companies don’t use their legal business names in their day-to-day operations. So you need to make sure that another company that uses the name you want has registered that name with local government agencies. Check google, check socials, check trademarks.
In other words, a legal name is the one that a business owner has chosen to register under when they filed their company with the government. Some Businesses use what is called a “trade name,” and even though people can still trademark it, this is not true in some cases.
A trade name is not automatically protected, unlike a legal name. That means that you could potentially use the name you want, especially if you conduct your business in a different state from the other company.
However, sharing your business name with another existing business isn’t ideal, even if you don’t operate in the same state. It’s essential for a business to have an online presence and having the same name, even in a different state can not only cause confusion for customers, but make it difficult for you to secure website domain names and social media handles.
Once a domain name has been purchased, it exclusively belongs to them and the same goes for social media handles when they are claimed.
You can see how customers can easily get confused when looking at multiple businesses with the same name. This confusion can lead to lost customers, so it’s in your best interest to use a business name that is unique and distinctive to you.
Selecting a Good Dog Business Name
Choosing the right name for your dog business takes time (try not to rush it) and there are many things to consider before making a final decision.
Remember that the name you choose should describe or imply the services you offer or atleast APPEAL DIRECTLY to who you’re offering them to. You can definitely have a more vague business name (doesn’t even need to sound like a pet business as long as it sounds appealing to your ideal client) if you follow it up with ‘dog walking’ or ‘pet sitting’.
It should be easy to understand and concise - and you want to be trustworthy and likable… Not by EVERYONE (you can’t make everyone happy) but by your IDEAL CLIENTS. You want people to trust you with an important member of their family and your business name is the first opportunity to create that ease and trust.
Getting creative and fun with your business name is a great way to stand out and be memorable, but remember to get feedback from pet parents you trust. Their opinions will be important to understand how future customers will perceive your business.
Once you’ve chosen your name, it’s time to research to make sure it’s available. During the entire naming process, remember to focus on your brand, audience and the message you want to convey. A great dog business name should directly and/or indirectly communicate all of these things in a few captivating words.
So you’ve done it. You picked a name, got feedback on it, researched it, it’s all yours and uniquely you. Bravo!! Now it’s time to shout it from the rooftops! Here at bookyourpet.com we’d love for you to christen your new name by coming on over and setting up your free profile. With our handy dandy app - not only can we help automate your booking, payments and communications - but we can help you and your awesome name be more findable to your ideal clients.