But yes, you do this with all the chords. Even as you move up to 9th chords and beyond. An Adom9 chord, you would play an A7 chord first. Then play A and B and listen to the sound those 2 notes make. Then play an Adom9 and listen for that same sound in that chord. Seeing how they blend together you will learn how a dom9 sounds.
Point is you won't be able to grasp a dom7 chord, if you don't already know what a major triad sounds like, and you won't be able to grasp a dom9 if you don't already grasp dom7 chords.
It is as simple as it sounds, but you have to have patience and be willing to take small steps to really learn it.
Sorry if this post seems redundant, just making sure you fully understand the process.
"My whole life is a dark room...ONE BIG DARK ROOM" - a.f.i.