[SABELLESMOM]

It's hard, but no response would not get her what she wants, your attention. Telling her to shut up, tho a negative response is still reinforcement. It is attention.

It's easier and quicker to reward moments of silence. With Rave, I was on my way to my (clicker) agility class. Rae has never responded negatively to motorcycles before, but this guy had a mirrored face visor on his helmet. With him behind us, she barked incessantly. Nothing I did had any effect. Never, and I mean NEVER had she barked in the car.

Frustrated, I arrived at class with her, now silent, barking still ringing in my head. Abbie asked what the trouble was and I explained. She told me to reward the behavior I wanted, starting with any second, thereof. I was to click the silence the moment it evidenced itself, and give a treat.

Whether it was on the way home that night or the following week, I no longer recall. But I had occasion to have the same motorcyclist with the mirrored helmet behind me again. The reflection of light again resulted in her incessant barking.

I clicked and rewarded the silences. The silences lengthened each time. I kept clicking the silences, until eventually I was clicking the same period of silence, every 60 seconds or so. Within the 10 minutes he rode behind us, I had achieved total silence from my dog. She has never barked at a reflecting helmet again.

Granted, this is a dog used to clicker training. Obviously I cannot promise such quick results. In principle, the clicker marks the desired behavior.

Simplified, the dog hears it and says, "Hmmm. Chicken dices are good! How do I get another?" The dog gradually associates the "lucky sound" with the behvior he/she was doing at the time of the click.

I know Rae, in agility, never, never forgets anything she has learned correctly. An example: coming down the A-frame. There is a yellow painted area the dog must touch before exiting the equipment. They are not allowed to "fly off" too soon. If I use a plastic training arch, placed near the base of the A-frame...then click the second her shoulders dip to get under the arch... she will learn to exit correctly. The arch is later removed as it is not used in competition.

Click your dog for silences, and treat as quickly as you get to her. Keep it up. Pick a time when you have to be in her vacinity anyway. (Like if your crate is in the kitchen and you're wiping countertops and your appliances...something like that)