Whether you have adopted a cute little female puppy or your new dog is a bit of an older lady, you'll find that you need to think up a name for her. Giving your new dog a name is a vital step for your pet to become a member of the family, so if you take your time and put some effort in it, it will pay off.

Get to know your dog and remember; she's a puppy now but she won't be forever. Make sure that the name you choose will suit an adult dog as well as a puppy.

As a first step, browse your favorite media. You'll find that there are a number of different ideas just in looking around at your favorite movies. Maybe you were a "Gone With The Wind" buff when you were a young girl and your new puppy's as sassy and bold as Scarlet, or as shy and sweet as Melanie. What about Shakespeare? Shakespeare's plays offer a treasure trove of great dog names such as Ophelia or Desdemona, which shortens adorably to Desi.

Old fashioned names should be kept short and memorable. Consider something like Pearl or Lucy. Perhaps you'd prefer a name that's more current, like Madison, Haley or Ashlee.

If you want something a little more exotic than the normal “Honey" or “Molly," why not think about place names? A particularly elegant dog might wear the name Kyoto or Dresden very well, though your dog seems a little flashier than that, you can consider Vegas!

It is best to keep the name short because it will be easier for your dog to distinguish. Remember that you will be using this name in front of your veterinarian and your neighbors.

There are plenty of places you can go to find potential names for your new girl dog. When choosing dog names, you should be careful to use a name that the dog will respond to or can be called with easily.