The proverb “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” has been part of our collective knowledge seemingly forever. An early reference to this tale can be traced to The Boke of Husbandry by John Fitzherbert in 1534, in which he outlines his method to teach a dog to pick up a scent.
Anything that has been part of our lexicon for so long must be true, right? Well, nothing as complex as communication, learning and intuition between two uniquely different species can be summed up in such a simple sentence.
One of the first things to consider in this proverb is the word “old.” Exactly what is an old dog?
As with people, the definition of “old” can be quite relative and might speak more to genetics, lifelong health maintenance and inherent intellectual ability.
Large-breed dogs have shorter life spans than small dogs. The average life span of a St. Bernard, for instance, is about eight years. Would this dog be old at 5? Would a Chihuahua, whose lifespan is closer to twice that of a St. Bernard be old at 10? A 5-year-old Chihuahua raised on the mean streets of Tijuana certainly would be a much older dog than a Chihuahua raised in Beverly Hills.
The word in this proverb that causes me the most worry, though, is “can’t.” That word implies that there is no way an old dog can learn. I won’t even attempt to define “old” because, in the end, it really doesn’t matter. Any dog of any age can learn.
Having said that, it can be more difficult for the average American with a need for instant gratification to teach an older dog. Older dogs, as with older people, require more clarity and patience to learn. Sometimes, we just aren’t willing to put in the extra work to teach an older dog new things. It’s so much easier to blame the dog.
This proverb has been on my mind for a while because of a surprising event with my 10-year-old Aussie cross, Kylie. You see, Kylie came to me as a very fearful dog that did not always trust the people in her life. At 8 weeks, she would run to hide when I used the blender or even when I shook out the laundry before folding.
I knew right away that I had a project on my hands. I began to gradually countercondition her to the many things that caused her fear and later to work with her developing thunder phobia.
One thing that Kylie has never tolerated well, however, is nail trimming. That’s why I was so taken aback one evening when I was attending to my own nails and Kylie came to sit directly in front of me. It took a second or two to put things together, but when I did, I put my hand out. Not only did she put her paw in my hand, but she also allowed me to trim a number of nails before reaching her emotional limit.
You see, I have been working with Kylie for years to calmly tolerate this abuse and have had good success by rewarding her heavily for her patience. But it was Kylie who put the dots together and decided to offer a paw for nail trimming in order to get a treat.
Can’t teach an old dog new tricks, huh?
Julie Winkelman is a certified pet dog trainer and a certified dog trainer. Reach her at www.alphacanineacademy.com.
