Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
There is a famous saying: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This means that when you are old, it’s impossible to learn new things. Is this true? Can a dog or a person be too old to learn? Maybe, age is not as important as we think. Maybe, the important things are repetition and patience. Will you try something new over and over again? Will you stay calm if it doesn’t work the first time?
Most people teach a dog to do tricks when the dog is still a puppy. The puppy must listen to its owner and do the trick on command. The first trick is usually to shake. The puppy should lift its paw and touch its owner’s hand. Other common tricks include to roll over, speak, fetch, and stand. If the puppy does the trick correctly, it will get treats from its owner. Some dogs can do many different kinds of tricks!
Dominique is having trouble with her puppy. Listen to this English lesson for advice on dog training from Gary.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Dominique: I just got this new puppy. I’ve been training her to do some tricks, but I’m having a little bit of trouble getting her to sit.
Gary: Yeah, training is so hard to get a dog to do what you want them to do, when you want them to do it.
Dominique: I don’t have the patience. And I already purchased the dog, so it’s not like I can give it back.
Gary: It’s OK. It takes some time. Are you trying to teach your dog to roll over on command, or maybe shake your hand with its paw?
Dominique: Shake, speak, all that stuff. She just looks at me like, “huh?”
Gary: From what I’ve heard, it takes a lot of repetition and a lot of treats. I don’t have a dog, so this is just what I’ve been told from my friends and family who have trained dogs.
Dominique: Would you like a dog?
Gary: No, you’ve got the patience, you can do it.
Dominique: I really don’t.
Gary: You totally do! Well, I guess maybe the saying is true for you then. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Dominique: Sure can’t!
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Count and Noncount Nouns" from this lesson
Quizzes
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Discussion
Dominique has a new puppy. Puppies are fun animals because they have lots of energy and they can learn to do tricks. But Dominique is worried. She doesn’t have the patience to train a puppy. She still wants the puppy to do tricks on command, so she asks Gary for ideas. Maybe, Gary will take the puppy home and train her?
Gary doesn’t have a dog, and he doesn’t want a puppy. He tells Dominique that his friends and family trained dogs before. Gary knows that treats and repetition are very important when training dogs. With treats and repetition, a dog can learn to do tricks like roll over, shake a paw, and speak. Gary jokes that maybe Dominique is too old to train a puppy, and Dominique agrees.
What is the best way to teach a dog to do tricks? Do you have the patience to train a puppy?