you can't teach an old dog new tricks
English · Thesaurus
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you can't teach an old dog new tricks
Where it comes from
A form of the now-obsolete An old dog will learn no tricks.
proverb
- It is impossible to change people's habits, traits, or mindset.
Opposite: it's never too late to mend, you're never too old to learn
Thesaurus
proverb
Opposite: it's never too late to mend, you're never too old to learn
Translations
Every language
proverb too old to change
| Español | perro viejo no aprende trucos nuevos |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 老狗變不出新把戲 /老狗变不出新把戏 lǎogǒu biàn bù chū xīn bǎxì |
| Português | papagaio velho não aprende a falar, pau que nasce torto nunca se endireita, pau que nasce torto morre torto, burro velho não aprende línguas |
| Français | il faut ployer l'arbre pendant qu'il est jeune, on ne change pas les vieilles habitudes |
| Deutsch | was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr |
| Italiano | il cane vecchio non si abitua più alla catena |
| Ελληνικά | τώρα στα γεράματα, μάθε γέρο γράμματα tóra sta gerámata, máthe géro grámmata |
| Русский | ста́рого пса но́вым шту́кам не нау́чишь stárovo psa nóvym štúkam ne naúčišʹ |
Talk about this word "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/you%20can't%20teach%20an%20old%20dog%20new%20tricks. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. you can't teach an old dog new tricks. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/you%20can't%20teach%20an%20old%20dog%20new%20tricks "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/you%20can't%20teach%20an%20old%20dog%20new%20tricks.Cite this
@misc{you_can_t_teach_an_old_dog_new_tricks_2026,
title = {you can't teach an old dog new tricks},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/you%20can't%20teach%20an%20old%20dog%20new%20tricks},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
