Bowling Inspired Dog Names

Introduction

Many people love to play sports with their dogs and although bowling doesn’t boast a particularly great ball for dogs to play with, that doesn’t mean you can’t still give them a killer bowling-inspired name if you are a fan or a bowler yourself. In fact, out of a significant number of sports, bowling has some of the greatest terms that can easily double as great names. So whether or not you teach your dog to a bit of carpet or yard bowling at home, giving them a bowling-inspired name can still be a great way to tie together an enjoyable activity with an enjoyable friend.

Bowling Inspired Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog With a Bowling Inspired Name

Blake

In certain facets, dogs, like children, tend to pick up whatever they are most often surrounded by, so it’s no surprise that dogs with owners who play tennis soon develop a taste for fuzzy yellow tennis balls. But that doesn’t mean they’re limited to things that are particularly accessible to them. Their limits are truly their own interest, their owners’ encouragement, and their physical and mental abilities to participate. For Blake, the bowling Goldendoodle, all of these elements rolled into one, and shortly after, rolled down a bowling lane and into the waiting pins.

At only 12 weeks old, Blake learned to bowl thanks to his owner’s daughter, Kaitlyn Simpson, who was already an accomplished young bowler herself. At the time he was adopted, Blake was a part of the family that owned KT Lanes, a bowling alley named by Terri Simpson after her daughter Kaitlyn. While the interest in bowling had obviously remained in the genetic family thanks to the family business, Kaitlyn thought it would be fun to teach their puppy how to bowl too. As soon as he was tall enough to reach the children’s ramp, she got to work, placing balls on the ramp and showing him how to push it off with his paws, luring him with treats.

The family claims it took their highly-intelligent dog only twenty minutes to pick up what was going on, and afterwards, quickly took to pushing the balls down the ramp by himself. As his interest furthered, he would sometimes even walk out from behind the ramp to watch his efforts roll down the lane and into the pins. Soon enough, he was waiting for high-fives after each bowl.

While one could easily argue that Blake is only as good as the person who lines up his shots, it’s hard to deny that a dog, a puppy even, with only his past experiences of watching others and a little encouragement could figure out the means and ends of the game, even if he has no idea of how to keep score — especially in only 20 minutes.

But his bowling skills, which are apparent, as his high score of 93 attests (ok it’s no 200 but hey, he’s still a dog), are not even his greatest strength. According to his owners, outside of the popularity he’s gaining on social media, he is supremely popular with the special needs bowlers who frequent the alley, eager to supply him with pets and treats. In the future, the family plans to train him as a therapy dog, so he can bring happiness to both bowlers and non-bowlers alike.

Bowling Inspired Dog Name Considerations

Unlike greats in other more popular and conventional sports, bowling boasts few universally recognizable names to those outside of its reach, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some good bowling-inspired names to choose from. Reaching into the bowler’s lexicon can be a bit daunting given all the specific terms and ideas used to describe the players and their game, but because of that great roster of terms, dog owners have plenty to choose from that could provide not only a unique name, but a name with some clever depth that appropriately matches their dog’s personality or quirks, the strongest elements to consider overall.

For instance, if you have a dog who tends to amble off to one side, Drift or Hook would be good choices. If you often find them lounging in the way of something you’re doing, Deadwood would be perfect. If they always seem to run into things head first, Nose or Beak would be great, or Chop if they tend to just barely miss things.

Of course, you can always play off their looks too, as there are plenty of terms that work well with that aspect as well, or even some combination. For example, if your dog is mostly brown with a different colored head or backside, loves turkey, or always seems to be working on the three-strikes rule, Turkey would be a great selection, especially if more than one apply. If they’re particularly big or heavy, Boomer would work just as well.

Go ahead and toss around a few ideas and take a peek through our list before coming to a final decision, as you never know when inspiration will strike (or spare).

Male Bowling Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Anchor The last player to bowl, usually the best
0	Deadwood Pins that end up in the lane or gutter after being knocked over
0	Gutter The voids on the edges of the lanes
0	Hambone A term for four consecutive strikes
0	Hook A ball that curves into the pins as it approaches
0	Kingpin The head pin or the 5-pin, depending on the local usage
0	Runway The area designated for bowlers to approach the lane while bowling
0	Split Pins that remain with space between them after the first bowl of the frame
0	Strike Knocking down all pins on the first bowl of the frame
0	Baker Type of play in which all five teammates bowl to complete a game; Bowler 1 rolls frames 1 & 6, Bowler 2 rolls 2 & 7, etc.
0	Boomer A very large ball or someone who throws one
0	Chop Knocking down a remaining pin without knocking down those behind it
0	Deuce A game of 200 or better
0	Drift The movement from a bowler's initial position from their original stance to where they end up at the foul line
0	Early Releasing the ball before completing a full slide
0	Minus The amount of pins a player is scoring under a 200 average
0	Earl After Earl Anthony, one of the best bowlers in history credited with significantly increasing the sport's popularity starting in the early 1960s
0	Ray After Walter Ray Williams Jr., who holds the all-time record for standard PBA Tour career titles with 47
0	Weber After either Dick or Pete Weber, two of the most accomplished professional bowlers of all-time
0	Duke After Norm Duke, current pro bowler who has bowled 69 perfect 300 games in competition
0	Marshall After Marshall Holman, a highly-accomplished and somewhat flamboyant pro bowler
0	Carter After Don Carter, a legend in ten-pin bowling and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers of America (PBA)
0	Burton After Nelson Burton Jr., owns 18 PBA Tour titles and is in the PBA Hall of Fame
0	Webb After Wayne Webb, one of the world's best bowlers from the late 70s to late 80s; in two Hall of Fames
0	Davis After Dave Davis, who won 18 PBA Tour titles
0	Durbin After Mike Durbin, who won Rookie of the Year in 1967 when he won two titles, then went on to win 14 total
0	Couch After Jason Couch, who amassed 16 PBA Tour titles including 4 majors
0	Cook After Steve Cook, who won his first PBA title at only 21 and finished his career with 15
0	Zahn After Wayne Zahn, the first to win the PBA National Championship as well as the Firestone Tournament of Champions in the same season
0	Ferraro After Dave Ferrero, who won 9 PBA Tour titles

Female Bowling Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Baby As in baby split, a 2-7 or a 3-10 split
0	Lane The surface bowlers bowl on
0	Brooklyn When the ball crosses over the headpin or center; a right-handed bowler hitting the left pocket
0	Cherry A term used to describe knocking over the front pin or pins
0	Frame One-tenth of the game in which bowlers can score
0	Jersey The opposite side of the pins as the handedness of the bowler; the left side for right-handed bowlers
0	Kegler The German term for a bowler
0	Lily A term used to describe a 5-7-10 split
0	Loft How far/long after the ball leaves the bowler's hand to when it touches the lane
0	Maple The hard wood used for the part of the lane closest to the bowler, usually have arrow indicators
0	Nose A term for the front pin
0	Par Denotes a score of 200
0	Pocket The ideal place for a bowler to strike the pins, between the 1-2 pins or 1-3 pins depending on handedness
0	Spare Picking up all pins left behind by the first bowl in a frame
0	Turkey A term for three consecutive strikes
0	Action The spin on the ball and the movement of the pins
0	Beak Another term for the front pin
0	Belly A type of shot where a player stands on the inside and tosses to the outside, hoping it returns back inward for a strike
0	Bucket A diamond-shaped cluster of pins
0	Dot Markings on the lane to help bowlers aim
0	Flare The migration of the ball from the release point to the pin strike location
0	Flush A term for being solid in the pocket
0	Skid The initial movement of the ball hitting the lane before its spin can overcome its momentum
0	Sleeper A pin hidden behind another pin directly in front of it
0	Roth After Mark Roth, who is sixth all-time in PBA Tour titles with 34
0	Parker After Parker Bohn III, Hall-of-Famer who ranks fifth all-time in PBA Tour titles with 35
0	Voss After Brian Voss, a Hall-of-Famer who owns 25 career PBA Tour titles
0	Soutar After Dave Soutar, who owns 18 PBA Tour titles and seven Senior PBA titles
0	Ballard After Del Ballard Jr., a highly-accomplished bowler inducted into two bowling Hall of Fames
0	Ozio After David Ozio, who won 11 PBA titles and five Seniors/Generations titles