We got a puppy about six weeks ago. Sullivan — or Sully, as we call him — is a Standard Poodle. At five months old, he’s already pretty big, so it is easy to forget he’s a puppy. Whether he is navigating new spaces or meeting new people or animals for the first time, everything is a potential learning opportunity. He is picking up new skills and habits daily. (Good and bad!)

But, as you may have gleaned from the title, this blog isn’t really about Sully. As much as it pains me to admit it, I am the “old dog” in this story.

The origin of the phrase, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” dates back to the 1500s. It is credited to John Heywood as one of the many proverbs he coined. The oldest written record, however, is in 1534 in The Boke of Husbandry, which was perhaps one of the first books on farming and caring for animals. That text said, “The dogge must lerne it, whan he is a whelpe, or els it will not be: for it is harde to make an olde dogge to stoupe.”

I mentioned in an earlier blog that my partner bought a local pizza franchise at the beginning of the year. I have helped out on occasion, but in all honestly, have struggled to learn the business. Despite the variety of jobs I have had over the years, I never had any experience in foodservice. So, while I was comfortable doing small tasks, like taking orders and running the register, a lot of the things he was trying to teach me were just not “sticking.” We were both getting frustrated, and I just stopped trying to help. Which means I wasn’t learning anything at all.

Then, the Thursday before the Fourth of July weekend, my partner got sick and we had a decision to make. Would we close the restaurant until he was able to return or would my 19-year-old daughter (who has worked there since before the purchase) and I manage through?

Armed with a good dose of determination and a list of things that needed to be done to prepare for the next few days, my daughter and I leaped into action. We could do this. Or perhaps more accurately, she could do this, and I would be there to help.

Thursday night was pretty slow. I was able to pitch in by washing dishes and answering phones — the things I was comfortable with. Friday brought a lunch buffet and the typical Friday night rush. I had no choice but to help out in the kitchen. My daughter, I learned, is a good teacher, though I did have to remind her a few times that no question is a dumb question.

Over the course of the weekend, we made several batches of dough, made sauce and Ranch dressing, received and processed inventory from our foodservice supplier, created a list of inventory items that would need to be ordered after the holiday, and managed to get a 5-star review on Google. We had not one customer complaint. And I finally know how to do everything needed to keep the place open.

What finally clicked for this old dog? A few things come to mind. First, being in crisis mode is something I am comfortable with and understand. I can remain calm in an otherwise stressful situation and find solutions, and I was able to do that here. I am a hands-on learner and being thrown into the fire and forced to do tasks out of my comfort zone made a big difference. Finally, I would be remiss not to give a lot of credit to my daughter and her training approach, which was to keep a sense of humor as I was fumbling through things. She made it safe for me to make mistakes, and for that reason I was willing to try to do things I hadn’t been comfortable doing before.

My partner is healthy and back to work and I am back to spending my evenings training Sully to respect our in-ground fence and not bark at other dogs when we are out walking. No doubt, I will need to help out again at the restaurant and I will be ready. And, the next time I need to learn something new, I think I have some better insight into what will work for me.

Are you struggling with learning something new — a technology perhaps? Or have you made a career change that requires you to learn different skills? Please share your experiences below; there might be an “old dog” reading who could benefit.

You can teach an old dog new tricks (it just might take a different approach)

Join for free* to continue reading.