Training continued...

OK, so Stella knows she doesn't like to have the bark collar on. I kept it on her while she was awake for the first 4 days. I would put it on when I opened my shades in the morning, about 10 AM. She wore it non-stop until about 8-9:00PM. Unless I left the house, which in that case, I took the collar off and she goes in the laundry room with her bed.

She doesn't. like. the. collar. She doesn't bark when she has it on though and I praise her lavishly every time she doesn't bark at the things she used to.
She's been following me around much more closely and is also now laying in my lap at times. Amazing. She's never been a lapdog but she's been loving it when I pet and rub her when she does lay in my lap or very close to me.
She used to be so focused on watching out the window that she couldn't be bothered to be cuddled. Now that she isn't allowed to bark at everyone, she's much more interested in the loving.
Can't say I blame her ;)
And, that's my two bit opinion. A dog psychologist, I'm not.

Since yesterday, I have been allowing her to go without the collar until the first time she barks. When she does, I scold her and tell her if she barks, she's going to have to wear it and then I put it on her. She can have it off tonight when I go to a church meeting but she barked, she's wearing it. She had been warned.
I've always been a bitch about consequences, huh Sarah? :)
Anyway, I will continue to do this until she gets it.

My ultimate goal is to get her to not bark without the collar on. She's smart enough to make the leap from "if I have the collar on, I can't bark but I can bark if it's not on" to "If I bark, I have to wear the collar so I won't bark".
The biggest question is WILL SHE???
Lord help me, another headstrong girl. Gotta love 'em!!

(And yes, I know I should have done this 2 years ago. I'm getting soft in my old age, what can I say??)