FreeBSD, SSH and "Enter Authentication Response"

[Rishi Chopra]

I have a nitpicky question about logging into a FreeBSD machine and 
SSH.  I'm using a minimal FreeBSD install and SSH Secure Shell client 
v3.2.0 - the crux of the problem is I am unable to "smoothly" login.

When I login to my machine, I'm prompted to enter an "authentication 
response".  A window is displayed with "Enter Authentication Response" 
in the title bar, and two buttons at the bottom ('OK' and 'Cancel') - 
the text says:

   Enter your authentication response.
   Password:

If I enter my password, I'm prompted with another window that has the 
same title in the title bar, but says the following only:

   Enter your authentication response.

I can then either select the 'OK' button or the 'Cancel' button.

If I choose cancel for the first dialogue box, I'm prompted with a 
window that says "Enter Password" in the title bar and the text reading:

   Password:

This is the window I normally see when I login to other *nix servers 
(mainly servers on the UC Berkeley campus, mostly SunOS 5.8 boxes).  Is 
the FreeBSD box doing something during the SSH authentication process 
that causes the client not to display the enter password dialogue as 
soon as I connect to the server?  How I can get my server to simply 
prompt for my password the first time (e.g. can I make a change such 
that I don't have to press 'OK' on a secod dialogue after entering my 
password, or so that I don't have to press 'Cancel' first and then enter 
my password?)

Thanks,
Rishi