Woof in Hindi

I just had an epiphany. Not one of those paradigm-shifting epiphanies that change the way you view the world. More of the laugh-at-yourself "why hadn't I thought of that before" variety -- the kind that actually make you feel more foolish than smart.

I come back from Hindi class, to be greeted by Bambi, our landlord's good-hearted but completely chaotic and un-tamable/(un-trainable?) Dalmatian. She barks at you when she's happy; she barks at you when she's mad; she barks at you to say she wants to be petted.

"Namaste, Bambi" - I greet her. This is met by intense tail-wagging and most amazingly: not a single bark.

Aha! Why didn't I think of this before?! -- all my earlier commands ("Quiet!"; "Sit!"; "Stay!") had all been in English... clearly not her native language! She follows me upstairs and I'm eager to try out all my imperative verbs in Hindi, not-so-secretly wishing this is the key to training her.

"Bayto! Bayto!" I point to the ground. "Sit! Sit" Alas, she's more interested in exploring the flat and the roof. No dice, but I have fun trying. And the landlord's maid (who has become my new BFF) is all but in hysterics watching from afar.