# What does ‘you can't teach an old dog new tricks’ mean?

To “you can't teach an old dog new tricks” means to habits set in old age are hard to change. Brewer's records this as an English proverb, in print by the 16th century.

## What it means

- Brewer's records this as an English proverb, in print by the 16th century.

## Action steps

1. Often used with resignation, sometimes affectionately.
2. Example: He won't switch software — you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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