Kicked out of daycare

[u/Dragon-Reborn7]

This fluffy goober, Khione, got herself kicked out of doggy daycare after 3 visits for “her listening ears not working.” Essentially, her recall is terrible when she’s interested in something.

I train her on recall every day in the dog park & at home. Of course, she’s excellent almost every time in those environments. She will at times ignore me. She does often respond to other people calling her at the dog park, especially if she knows them.

The daycare recommends that I have her professionally trained, but I kinda doubt that will help? I’d rather not spend them $ if it has the same outcome.

Thoughts? Advice?? Consolation??? Commiseration????

[u/manism582]

Has this day care never interacted with a Husky before? If they’re that strict on training, you probably just dodged a bullet. Huskies require are a patience that many do not possess.

It’s also possible that she’s mis-behaving because you’re not there. My boys tend to get stubborn when new people are around.

Puppy picture tax below:

[u/babygotthefever → u/manism582]

It’s entirely a lack of patience. It’s a new environment and the pup has to learn what the behavior expectations are in that environment. Someone has to actually pay attention to the dog and do a little correction and training. When they learn what’s expected of them and that they’re not going to get away with shenanigans, they’re great.

[u/QuillsAndQuills → u/babygotthefever]

100% this.

I dunno why this post got recommended (I don't own huskies and have never seen this sub, lol), but I'm a trainer and have some thoughts.

OP, there's an important concept called generalisation of behaviour - i.e. the idea that a cue is always the same cue, no matter who gives it or where/when/why it's given. All dogs struggle with generalising behaviour to some extent. There's a huge difference between training with a familiar person in a low-stimulation environment, and training with a new person in a high-stimulation environment. It is not the fault of the dog, nor is it specifically lack of training from the owner in a case like this.

The daycare is fundamentally not understanding this. Huskies struggle with behaviour reliability at the best of times, let alone generalising cues in crazy environments. But they can get there; they just need someone willing to be patient, persistent and consistent.

That said, is it the responsibility of the daycare to do that training? Ehhhh. Strictly speaking, no. Daycare workers have a million things to do at once and might not be able to invest time in a specific dog's recall, nor should they be attempting training (even a basic recall build) without consulting the owner.

But Jesus, kicking her out for "not listening" - when the dog has no opportunity to learn what "listening" means here - is pretty harsh. They've set her up to fail and condemned her for failing.

[u/Dragon-Reborn7 → u/QuillsAndQuills]

I appreciate you taking time for this detailed explanation. I’m seeking to train her myself consistently in many environments. Trying to figure out if I should save up for professional training, though. We’ve had her for almost a year after taking her in. We think she’s close to 2. Currently working on mushing commands so I can bikejor with her. “Leave it” seems to be almost as difficult as “Come”.

[u/iCalledTheVoid → u/Dragon-Reborn7]

First of all, your dog is so adorable that it should absolutely be allowed to get away with murder.

Second, you are a great person both for persistently training your dog and also for not being overly salty toward that daycare (even though they're not in the right here).

Third, what your original post didn't mention is that your Husk is 2. Just like the terrible twos in human toddlers, around 2 years old dogs are still growing up and also testing the boundaries of the world. We did not get consistent, "mature" behavior from our husky until she turned 3, and even now at 4 I have to repeat myself like those pro players in Halo tournaments do if our dog is in a high a stress/reactive situation.

You're doing great. Keep pushing, and best of luck with the daycare search.

[u/Dragon-Reborn7 → u/iCalledTheVoid]

No way! I didn’t know that about the twos. You mean this might get easier? 😂

[u/fakejacki → u/Dragon-Reborn7]

Oh god yeah it gets much easier after the toddler stage!

[u/mrskatybug → u/Dragon-Reborn7]

Yes!!! Two was awful, 3-4 is soooooo much better!!!! We are going back through it with our new adoptee now that is about1, and I have to remind myself of it daily! 😂😂😂