Skills Contest: Huckleberry's Pet Parlor dogs compete in Daycare Games

SYCAMORE – Every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day for Emma Valerius.

Valerius is an attendant at Huckleberry Pet Parlor’s doggy daycare and brings her 2-year-old Pug named Jackson to work with her.

“I think that I have the best job in the world,” Valerius said. “It’s a lot of fun, and my dog loves playing with the other dogs. After daycare training, he has broken all his bad habits.”

Huckleberry’s Pet Parlor, 423 N. Main St. in Sycamore, is a full-service pet grooming salon that offers daycare, overnight boarding, a self-service pet wash, dog training classes and small pet grooming and nail trimming.

Throughout February, the center participated in its first-ever Daycare Games, sponsored by The Dog Gurus. More than 50 dog daycare facilities in the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other countries also competed.

Jenny Kingren, owner of Huckleberry’s Pet Parlor, said that by competing in the Daycare Games, the handlers are teaching the dogs valuable skills and life lessons.

“Our doggy daycare is more than just having the dogs play together,” Kingren said.

“We work on their skills. Having them come when their name is called, sit and learn boundaries helps keep the dogs safe. Our goal is to have well-rounded, trained dogs.”

Huckleberry’s Pet Parlor employs nine daycare attendants. On average, there are between 30 to 35 dogs in the daycare each day. The facility is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with dogs staying for half a day or a full day.

The Daycare Games competition featured week-long events: recall from Feb. 6 to 10, group sit from Feb. 13 to 17 and gate boundary from Feb. 20 to 24. During the week, the dog handlers have three attempts to achieve their goal. The best of the three attempts is recorded and submitted online.

Facilities are grouped into small, medium and large class sizes so that they compete against similarly sized facilities. The handlers are divided into three different skill levels: novice, or new employees; intermediate, or employees with training, but less than one year experience; and advanced, or employees with training and more than one year experience.

During the event, handlers compete individually. Only positive dog management tools, such as praise and verbal cues, are allowed. Muzzles, physical manipulation or choke, electronic shock or prong collars are prohibited. Handlers cannot touch the dogs or give them food, treats or rewards.

Head trainer Tammie Cross said the competition makes work fun.

“The competition gives both the dogs and the handlers a focus,” Cross said. “During daycare, we work on skills and train the dogs while they’re here. Teaching the dogs basic commands, like sit, stay and come when called, are skills we would be working on anyway, without the competition.”

For the recall event, Cross earned a gold medal for the advanced skill level category and four handlers received gold medals for the intermediate skill level, each earning 100 percent in recall. One handler also earned a silver medal in the intermediate-level medal category achieving 85 percent. Results from the other two events have not yet been posted to The Dog Gurus' website, www.thedoggurus.com.

The medal winners can download and print a certificate to display at their dog daycare facility. Kingren said that at Huckleberry’s Pet Parlor, the competition is more about bragging rights than medals.

“It’s an employee competition,” Kingren said. “By following specific instructions and guidelines for what constitutes a successful event, we tally and submit our results. The employee with the highest score at the end of the competition will receive $25 cash. The Daycare Games is a way to keep us sharp on our skills and have fun.”