Just saying those things doesn't make them true ...reality dicates otherwise.
a) The dictionary definition make no such implication
b) The word is largely accepted by the husky community as is evidenced by 21 million hits
c) Every single example you gave for dogs can, in actual fact, be also be applied to humans so why does the word exist ?
When a family member is sick and asks me for a "Kleenex", I'm going to go get them a tissue; If you want to stand there and argue that every tissue is not a Kleenex be my guest, but your not helping anyone.
As to inanimate things, the fact remains that the entire world uses this vernacular and ignoring it is simply denying reality. We have dictionaries for a reason...so there is no argument as to what the word means...to deny this is, again, ignores reality.
As 21 million internet references attest, stubborness is a behavior associated with dogs, specifically huskies. The meaning of words is defined by dictionaries. Husky Owner and rescue groups all use this terminology. You'll find it mentioned in hundreds of youtube videos. When people continue to expend effort in accomplishing a desired result, resistance to achieving that result and describing it as "stubborn" is a universally accepted vernacular. Two people ...200 or 2,000 saying otherwise will not change that. Put 100 husky owners in a room and ask how many of you have observed your dog being stubborn ? Would you bet on the outcome ?
Most understand that cause of the stubborn behavior is independence, lack of motivation and other causes. It's like saying "Dog's aren't Happy" .... we can ask why they are happy ? Anticipation to getting something they want being one of the main causes ... but when people see a dog dancing, spinning in circles, lifting front feet up, vocalizing etc, I wouldn't criticize the description "happy" being used.
If we can't not apply the word stubborn to dogs,then we can't apply it to children either as many of the motivating factors are in fact the same. So if that's the case, why does the word exist ? Why is it used by psychologists ? Why does it not "risk impacting their relationship with the humans around them or their welfare going forward. " ? If it's OK for psychologists, to describe this behavior. Why is it a topic in Psychology today ? The people are PhD's, with state issued licenses after proving adequate education training and experience giving advice to parents for their children ... why shouldn't they be disbarred ?
Does your child defy you? Refuse to do certain things?
www.psychologytoday.com
What I find so interesting is the trend of highly sensitive children to display a high level of stubbornness, are strong-willed and absolutely refuse to do certain things. It is this quality (along with others) that has emerged in these children that isn’t captured by their highly sensitive nature but is something else. What is it? And what do you do?
Stubbornness is considered the “showing dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something,” per dictionary.com. This feels right. What I find emerging in highly sensitive children beyond sensitivity is the energy of defiance. They rely on their inner wisdom, what I call intuitive intelligence, as opposed to outside authorities. In other words, these highly sensitive boys and girls cannot be cajoled by people outside of them – they are inwardly motivated and when they want to do something, they will.
Our highly sensitive children aren’t just sensitive. They are a collective of highly capable, intelligent, gifted, and yes, stubborn beings who were born to do great things. I realize these also aren’t the easiest kids to parent, teach and counsel, but they hold within them the potential to be great. Not just good but truly great. Of course, a lot of this rests on our shoulders and how we nurture their greatness, support their unique gifts and help them channel their stubbornness in productive ways.
Again, she describes the causes of the stubborn behavior in children a manner that parallels similar behaviors in dogs but she stated that the dictionary definition "feels right". Some pyschologists also argue that there's no such thing as stubborness or greed as it's an observation or perception ... as I said an "observed" condition. But f your goal is do overcoming, using the word to define your observation is appropriate in that it defines a course of necessary action. It's like the color "blue" ...why is it called blue ? It's useful for us to agree on what blue means so that when my wife says go out and buy some blue paint, I don;t get my head chewed off when I come how with red
Now here is they key point, which highlights the real world disconnect. If the person who 1st said "Let's call the color of the sky yellow", would that change what the sky looks like ? The word, just like colors, is a "completely made up" description of an "observed behavior". When we observe the color of the sky, we can all agree that it's blue . Society has determined that a certain behavior represents a set of observations ..each behavior is driven by specific desires or emotions. Approximately 34,000 emotions have been described and assigned specific definitions, all in the dictionary most of them subsets of other subsets down to the 8 primary emotions ... every word used to describe them is a word
"completely "made up". When you observe stubborn behavior, the solution is to ascertain the driving force behind the "behavioral display". We don't describe the color of the sky as
"The answer to why the sky is blue isn't quite correct. The sky is blue not because the atmosphere absorbs the other colors, but because the atmosphere tends to scatter shorter wavelength (blue) ......[yada yade 400 more words]".
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I don't need to be lectured on why the sky is blue when the wife asks me to go out and buy blue paint, I observed the color and "blue"and that gives me all I need to know. I also don't need a dissertation on canine motivations when an owner describes a dog or breed as "stubborn", I know exactly what he / she means because I have observed this behavior as has any experienced Husky owner, breeder or rescue group and there is a wide consensus. When a breeder or rescue owner is evaluating a prospective dog owner, it's important for the perspective owner to be prepared and understand that to successfully rear and train this dog, despite experience with other more anxious to please dogs (like Labs), they are going to have to display a different demeanor and take a more diligent approach to training. That is the message that needs to be conveyed and that's why the pairing of husky and stubborn gets 21million hits.
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I'm fine with people having different opinions, even when there is a preponderance of acceptance out in the world to one side versus the other another. In
closing my part in this discussion to any lurker I'll say
"Hey don't listen to me, I'm just a random dude you found on the internet. Do your own research ...." Here's a few places to start, but pick any sources ya want and draw your own conclusions
.
-Word meanings ==>Dictionaries
-Husky Behaviors ==> Husky Owners,Organizations and rescue groups
-Use of stubborn for inanimate Objects ==>Real life
-Use of stubborn for inanimate Objects ==> Dictionary:
"unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving"
"difficult to remove, deal with, or use "
So, what I've been trying with this pup is when I know he's hungry, I'll put his food on the floor between my legs, and I'll say "come" and he'll come up until about 4 or 5 feet from me and then sit and stare at me. So, while saying "come" I start to pull up towards me and the food in a higher pitched voice saying come and then when he's at the food say "Good dog!" and he eats. I can often get him to come also for some treats but it's slow for him to come all the way up to me taking the food from my hand. He's not even super excited to go outside (prefers being indoors) so calling him to the door with "come" to go out doesn't motivate him either. 
