Champion Names for Labradors

You want to let the world know your Labrador's a winner, so share it by giving the dog a champion name. When you're trying to decide on that perfect name for your pup, consider how his name will be used. If he's a show dog, his name will be much more formal than if he's not a contender in the ring.

If you plan to register your dog with the American Kennel Club, or AKC, you have to follow a few rules. Any name you choose must be limited to 50 characters -- and that includes spaces, hyphens and apostrophes. If you exceed 36 characters, you'll be pay an additional $10 to register your pup. All letters in the name must be from the English alphabet; Roman numerals aren't allowed to be on the end of the dog's name, though you can use Arabic numbers such as 1 or 2. If you plan to use the kennel name where your dog was born, you'll need permission from the authorized owner of the name. Ethnic or racial slurs, obscenities, breed names and words such as "champion" or other AKC show or title terms are not allowed. The AKC has a comprehensive list of do's and don'ts regarding dogs' names.

The winner of the 2014 Westminster Kennel Club was GCH Afterall Painting The Sky, a wire fox terrier who usually answers to the much simpler name of "Sky." Sky's show name, "Afterall Painting The Sky," was a tribute to the art teacher who whelped her, while the "GCH" stands for Grand Champion. DogChannel.com notes that many show dogs have a first name that reflects the name of the breeding kennel. The breeder establishes his name and shares it with the dogs produced over his breeding career, which can cross decades. The second name is unique to the dog and may be a play on words, may reflect the date or place the dog was born or, as in the case of Sky, may pay tribute to a special person.

The Labrador named Best of Breed in the Westminster Kennel Club's 2014 show was Wits End St. Pauli Girl. Epoch's Moccasin Joe took the honor for the best male of the breed in the competition. Beechcroft Midnight Rose's Baccara and Belquest Fergus N Trouble@Snobo were runners-up. Frakari's Katydid, Casbar's A Hart Act To Follow, Anguk Black Ki-Bo (Anguiano), Everso's Elephants & Flowers JH, and Banners Carry On With Epoch were given awards of merit in the competition. The Labrador is consistently one of the most popular family pets; however, he's not popular with show judges -- the breed has yet to capture the ultimate championship, Westminster Kennel Club's Best in Show.

Whether or not you're planning to show your dog, you may want his name to be inspired by a champion. Think of names of famous sporting champions: Peyton, Roger, Rory, Petra, Babe, Wilma, Mia. Or look to heroic Labradors to get a little inspiration. A Lab named Jake worked hard at the site of the World Trade Center after 9/11 and helped search for victims in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Sadie saved soldiers in Afghanistan, and Endel saved his owner's life by pulling him to safety after he was hit by a car and thrown from his wheelchair. Not only did Endel move his master out of harm's way, he warmed him with a blanket and summoned help from a nearby hotel. Lucky, Flo, Dorado and Sabi are some names of courageous Labradors who made the news.