Data Driven Dogs
Communication Technique
The Two-Name System: How to Be Honestly Inconsistent
Every dog owner is inconsistent. You give commands from the couch that you have no intention of enforcing. You say "come" while holding a beer and watching TV. Your dog has learned — correctly — that most of your cues are bluffs. The two-name system doesn't fix your inconsistency. It makes it honest.
Seminar Clip
Watch: The Two-Name System — Ian Dunbar
›How It Works
Give your dog two names: a pet name and a formal name. The pet name is for everyday life — suggestions, affection, casual interactions. The formal name means business. When Ian Dunbar calls his dog "Hugie Baby," both he and the dog know he probably won't follow through. When he calls the dog "Hugo Louis," both of them know he will.
The pet name
This is the name you use 95% of the time. Nicknames, baby talk, whatever you naturally call your dog. When you use this name, you're making a suggestion. "Hey buddy, wanna come here?" If the dog doesn't comply, you let it go. You've got a beer in your hand. You're not getting up. And that's fine — because you didn't signal that this was important.
The formal name
This is the name you use when compliance is non-negotiable. It's the dog's full name, their registered name, or any distinct word that signals: this is real, and I will follow through. When you use this name, you follow up every single time — not with punishment, but with guidance. You repeat the cue, you walk over, you help the dog into position. The consequence isn't aversive. It's just inevitable.
Why This Works Better Than "Being Consistent"
Every training book tells you to be consistent. None of them acknowledge that you won't be. You're human. You'll give commands you don't enforce. The dog knows this. They've been tracking your follow-through rate since the day they came home, and they've calculated — accurately — that about 80% of your cues are decorative.
The two-name system doesn't pretend you'll suddenly become perfectly consistent. Instead, it creates two clear channels: one where inconsistency is expected and accepted, and one where follow-through is guaranteed. The dog learns to tell the difference instantly. Compliance on the formal name approaches 100% — because it always predicts follow-through. And the pet name preserves your relaxed, affectionate relationship for the vast majority of the day.
The Tango Lesson
Dunbar takes tango lessons and makes constant mistakes — wrong foot, wrong timing, stepping on his partner. His instructor says "Ian, left foot." He goes "oh, right, left foot" — and now he doesn't step on anyone. The unwanted behavior is gone. Technically, that's punishment: the behavior decreased. But it happened through instruction, with a smile, without raising anyone's voice. That's what the formal name does. It redirects without anger. "Hugo Louis, sit" isn't a threat. It's a clear statement that this particular request is going to happen.
Choosing Your Battles
The power of this system is in the ratio. If every interaction is the formal name, you're a drill sergeant and your dog tunes you out. If you never use the formal name, you have a dog who treats everything as optional. The sweet spot is using the formal name for the 5% of situations that actually matter — safety recalls, greeting guests, veterinary handling — and letting the pet name handle everything else.
Your dog lying on the couch? Pet name. Your dog about to run into traffic? Formal name. The distinction is honest, the signal is clear, and the dog respects both because each one means exactly what it says.
You don't need to be perfectly consistent. You need to be perfectly honest about when you mean it. Two names. One for suggestions, one for commands. Your dog already knows the difference — now you're just making it official.