If someone says something rude to  you as you walk past them, it’s only natural to want to respond — though it’s usually better to just walk on by.

Our neighborhood is full of dogs, many of whom spend part of their time in fenced yards making rude comments to other dogs. First Cali, then Orly,  had a hard time resisting the impulse to bark back — louder.

So I tried a little experiment with Cali several years ago. I’d ask her to stay calm and, if she walked past the rude dog(s) without barking or pulling, I gave her a treat. Cali caught on very quickly (she was a golden retriever, after all), and our walks were peaceful, if sometimes highly caloric.

Not a very reactive dog to begin with, young Orly caught on quickly to the idea of getting rewarded for walking calmly past noisy dogs. I caught on less quickly when Orly added her own twist.

I like to let my dogs choose where we walk. We have a few routes and, as we head out for a walk, I will ask them to choose left or right at the corner. This way or that way as we walk through a nearby park.

I finally caught on that Orly’s choice had a lot to do with whether the neighbor dogs were in their  yard. We’d get to the edge of the neighborhood park and she’d look at the yard, look down the street, glance at me, and choose a direction. Fine, right?

Except that nearly every time she chose “left,” the barky dogs were out. She’d stroll slowly past and, a few feet farther on, stop and look at me expectantly.

Similarly, on walks back from a different park, she’d detour to one of two corners with reliably rude pups, slowly pass the yard, looking at the barking beasts, then stop and wait for payment.

The light bulb finally went on. Orly is deciding which way we walk based on where she thinks we’ll find the noisiest dogs.

I am not sure where that line is where I cross from training my dog to being trained by her, but in this case, I am pretty sure we crossed it ages (and miles) back.