The first step to owning a Shih Tzu is to come up with the perfect name. Much like a child, it's important that your four-legged friend has the right name - perhaps a name you've always loved, a unique name to showcase his or her personality traits, or even just something that's fun and a little off-the-wall.

Human names and "typical" dog names are still popular, but more Shih Tzu owners are seeking out unique and unusual names for their beloved pets.

You should pick a name for your dog that's easy for him or her to understand and is a suitable fit. After all, your Shih Tzu will have this name for life. One great way to come up with unique names is to spell common words or other names backwords.

For example:

Love => Evol
Happy => Yppah
Life => Efil
Hope => Epoh
Peace => Ecaep

To come up with other unique names, you can use this tool to reverse text, or check out the list below for inspiration.

1) Dusty

2) Cephie

3) Dash

4) Ava

5) Caprice

6) Adana

7) Bliss

8) Gucci

9) Adorlee

10) Devon

11) Antonio

12) Champ

13) Brody

14) Allura

15) Crystal

16) Tango

17) Gordy

18) Bubi

19) Fawna

20) Ella

21) Angel

22) Doza

23) Ember

24) Elle

25) Aero

26) Fuzz

27) Breeze

28) Ciara

29) Austin

30) Bebe

31) Adella

32) Aytan

33) ChaCha

34) Czar

35) Bella

36) Cubby

37) Dixie

38) Fifi

39) Barley

40) Bucee

Have you named your Shih Tzu with any of the above names? Let us know in the comments!

40 Unique Shih Tzu Dog names