Best Names for Your Hunting Dog: With explanation

“The bond between a hunter and his dog can not be described; But only felt”.

Steve Reider

These are words of Steve Reider that signifies that hunting is an activity that becomes more efficient when you have the perfect companion. A hunting dog is among the best companions that you can have while in the wilderness. They will help you get your prey as fast as possible and also enhance your security. Therefore it is essential to give your hunting dog the best name for easy identification while in the hunting zones. Here is a list of various types of hunting dogs and the best names that you can give them.

Types of Hunting Dogs and the Best Names You Can Give Them

Sighthounds

These are types of hunting dogs that rely mostly on their sight and speed. Their method of hunting is known as coursing. Sighthounds always notice prey from a distance; they then stalk it and start chasing the prey until they catch it and kill it. We can say that they hunt alone. These dogs have an uncontrollable drive for hunting. Most of the famous examples of such dogs include the Greyhound, Afghan hound, skittish deerhound, Irish wolfhound, among many others.

Best names that you can give your sighthound dog

Blaze– this name signifies the fastness of your dog to running after preys
Boomer– it is a perfect name for a hunting dog that runs faster
Chase– since your dog does a lot of chasing, then this is the best name for it
Hunter– you can call your male sighthound a hunter
Huntress– this name fits your female sighthounds
Ranger– because of its sharp site, you can call your dog a ranger as he monitors the landscape
Flash– because of its speed, this is also a perfect name for your dog.
Ray– this name fits your sighthound because of its sharp sight
Master– Since this does type is an unstoppable hunter, and then master fits it.
Hawkeye– someone with a bigger vision

Scent Hounds

Scent hounds are the type of hunting dogs that rely majorly on their nose to hunt the prey. They are excellent sprinters like other hunting dogs. These dog types track their prey until they find where it is hiding. Once they find the prey, they can kill it if they are trained to do so. But if they can’t kill the prey, these dogs send a signal to the hunter to come and do the rest by barking loudly. Scent hounds bark all the time when they are in their chase, making it easy for the hunter to trace them even when they got lost from their sight. Example of dogs in this category includes American foxhound, Beagle, and Basset Griffon among many others.

Best names that you can give your scent hound

Spy– You can call it spy because of its slow and secretive hunting nature
Snoopy– you can also call it this because of its barking nature
Silencer– because of its nature of hunting
Detective– For its nature of detecting the hiding place of a prey
Jigsaw– this is the name of a famous detective who lived in the US
Inspector– for its character of searching hiding places of preys

Here is our list for the 10 best scent hunting dogs.

Gun Dogs

Gun dogs are types of hunting dogs that you can use them for hunting with a gun. What the dogs do, they track for the prey and get it out from its hiding place for the hunter to gun it down. They sometimes watch you as you gun down prey or a bird, then afterward, they go and pick it and bring it to you. However, you will have to train your dog for it to be a gun dog, and they are much useful to hunters who use guns in their hunting process.

Best names that you can give your gun dog

Since you use a gun in your hunting with these dogs, you can give them names inspired by firearms and ammunition.

Jimmy– this is a smooth name that can make you command it easily
Nelli – This is the name of an Italian shotgun manufacturer.
Ruger– it is a US-based firearm manufacturing company
Remy– it is the leading firearm manufacturer in the US
Sauer– it is a German firearm company
Smith-It is the name of an American firearm manufacturer
Trigger– the act of firing a shot
Winchester– is the name of a reputable firearm manufacturer.

What is a gun dog? Here is an article where we answer that question.

Setters

These are also hunting dogs that you can use if you are gun-hunter. However, these types of hunting dogs are different from gun dogs in that they are mainly used to help in hunting birds. Setters have the ability to locate birds expertly using their sight ad scent and flush them out for gunning down by the hunter. They can also be used to trace other praise from their hiding place and flush them out for gunning. Some popular types of setters include the Gordon setter, English setter, French setter, and the Irish setter.

Best names that you can give your setter

Tommy– because of the playful nature of the dog
Murphy– a perfect name for an Irish setter
Lucky– for the luck of getting preys and birds
Comet– an Irish term that means fast
Wolf– because of the hunting nature of the dog
Fergus– meaning a dog with high energy
Connell– meaning powerful
Rain– a female name that means little ruler
Mike– the name of an Irish setter that was owned by President Truman

Spaniels

These dogs are similar to setters as they are used by hunters to locate the hiding place of prey and flush it out. However, they have been divided into two categories, namely water spaniels and land spaniels. This categorization is based on where they hunt. Land spaniels are working like setters by creeping towards the prey and pointing it for the hunter while water spaniels retrieve gunned down prey. Some of the dog breeds that fall in this class of hunting dogs include Papillion, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and American Cocker Spaniel, among others.

Best names that you can give your spaniel

Penny– it is a name of Blake lily’s spaniel
Murphy– a cute name because of their curly ears
Davy– name of a famous hunter called David crocket
Bear– The dog mostly hunt bears
Bingo– because of their nature of seeing far
Jimmy– name of a renowned hunter called Jim Corbett
Mafia– a courageous character of the dog going near the prey’s hiding place with no fear

Water Dogs

As the name suggests, these are hunting dogs that you can use to hunt prey hiding in the water. They are specifically bred for hunting water preys, and these dogs are excellent swimmers. They can endure any situation, making them the best option for hunting as they can retrieve all types of waterfowl. Waterdogs can also help you hunt in the land by getting you the prey that you have killed. Many people confuse them with retrievers. An excellent example of a water dog breed is the curly-coated retriever. Other examples include Barbet, Spanish water dogs, among many others.

Best names that you can give your water dog

Zale– meaning strength of the sea
Ren– both for female and male water dogs. it means water lily
Dover– it is another word of water
Jordan– it means flowing down
Mariner– it is a noun that means a professional of the sea
Diver– an expert of swimming in the deep sea
Misty– refers to the fine droplets of water that always hang in the air during humid conditions
Agua– it is the Spanish name for water
Captain– the controller and driver of sea vessels e.g., ships and boats
Cordelia– it means daughter of the sea

Dachshunds

Dachshunds are breeds of hunting dogs that always look silly and as objects of ridicule and jokes when not initiated. However, this breed of hunting dogs can hunt excellently with exceptional intelligence and versatility. They operate like scent hounds in that they track preys using their sense of smell. Dachshunds track, chase, and flush out praise for the hunters. Sometimes they even kill the prey. These dogs are the only certified breeds of hunting dogs that you can use to hunt both below and above the ground. Outside hunting, dachshunds are used to track down injured animals after car crashes.

Best names that you can give your dachshund

Buddy– because of their helpful nature during hunting
Master– because they can do everything from chasing to killing
Jack– a friendly name that fits a male dachshund
Coco– best name for a female dachshund
Bruno– it is a Germany inspired name for your dog
Hopper– because of the dog’s ability to jump over edges
Cheetah– because the dog is a perfect hunter
Tiger– the fact that the dog can also kill a prey, tiger fits
Brownie– most of them have brown fur
Bruce– the name of a Chinese fighter who was courageous

Terriers

Terriers refer to the small breeds of hunting dogs that are used mostly to hunt small mammals. The dogs can trace the hiding place of the prey, destroy it, and kill the prey. The advantage of terriers is that you can send them underground to go and kill prey or flush it out. Big terrier breeds such as the bull terrier can be used for hunting larger game like feral pigs. They are excellent hunting dogs that you can use them to hunt together with other animals. For example, you can use a scent hound to locate prey and then send a larger terrier to go and kill it. Examples of terriers include bull terrier, miniature schnauzer, Irish terrier, Border terrier, Welsh terrier, among many others.

Best names that you can give your terrier

Kaolin– one of the best names for female hunting dogs
Tiger– for the courageous nature of the dog
Cena– best name for make hunting dogs
Cheetah– because of their fast speed
Buddy– the dog, is your best companion while hunting
Predator– because it hunts big animals like hogs
King– a fabulous name for your terrier
Rambo– the name of a famous action movie actor who was courageous. It is a perfect name for your terrier too.
Hawk– this is the name of a brave bird which is also an excellent hunter

Curs

Curs are hunting dogs whose hunting patterns are similar to those of terriers. However, curs are bigger, and they are always used for hunting bigger prey such as large mammals, bears, and cougars. Curs are not that popular like the other breeds of hunting dogs. Examples of curs include the mountain cur, the American leopard hound, black mouth cur, treeing Tennessee brindle, among many others.

Best names that you can give your cur

Rocky– this is a name that portrays how energetic the dog is
Roscoe– it is another word for the pistol. The name fits this dog since it kills the prey
Ranger– the best keeper of your area
Dwayne– a perfect name for a black mouth cur
Boomer– a word used to describe something big. Since the dog is big, the name fits it.
Hawkeye– a term used to refer to someone with a bigger vision

Feists

Feists are hunting dogs that always hunt in packs. When these dogs locate prey in its hiding place, they bark loudly to alert the hunter. Feists are always small in size, and, most of the time, they are is used for hunting small prey such as squirrels and mice. These hunting dogs use their sight and scent in equal proportions, and this differentiates them from sight and scent hounds. Examples of hunting dogs that are in the feist family include mountain fiesta and rat terriers.

Best names that you can give your feist

Lynx– this is the name of a wild cat which is a natural hunter
Max– it is a popular name for male dogs
Gunner– it is a Scandinavian name that means warrior
Hardy– it is a French name that means courageous
Leon– a French name of a lion
Jager– it means hunter in German
Roxy– perfect name for a female feist
Luna– it means moon in Latina

Hunting Gear You Didn’t Know you Needed

Conclusion

The listed above are some of the best names that you can give your hunting dog. They are your companions in the wilderness, so giving them an awesome name is a fantastic start to your relationship. Happy hunting my friend!

Here is a fantastic video that shows how to train your dog to learn their name easily:

Want to know the most popular dog names? check out this article