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Brain Games for Senior Dogs – cognitive enrichment ideas for our golden oldies! As our furry friends enter their golden years, it’s important to continue providing mental stimulation to keep their minds sharp and engaged. Brain games are a wonderful way to provide cognitive exercise for senior dogs, promoting their mental well-being and overall quality of life. In this blog post, we’ll explore a variety of brain games specially tailored for senior dogs.
These games here are designed for Senior Dogs, to accommodate their physical limitations while still challenging their minds, providing them with mental enrichment and keeping them happy and content throughout their senior years.
Fun Brain Games for Senior Dogs – to keep their minds young and sharp
Sniffing Games
Tap into your senior dog’s incredible sense of smell by engaging them in sniffing games. Hide treats or favourite toys in different areas of the house or yard and encourage your dog to use their nose to locate them. Sniffing games not only stimulate their minds but also provide a gentle form of exercise. Important note: we want to keep frustration low, so don’t make it too difficult and also if your dog struggles with movements, don’t let them run around too much searching for the treats. All of this does of course depend on your dog’s situation! If you have a sniffer dog, who is well rehearsed in this – probably not a problem. For my senior, we take it slow and I let him see where I throw treats (on leaves or in grass), close to him and we help by providing directions. Picking smelly treats can help a lot of course too.
Related Blog Post: Exploring Sensory Enrichment for Your Dog: A Complete Guide
Food Puzzle Toys
Introduce food puzzle toys that are either specifically designed for senior dogs or that you can alter to your dog’s preferences and skills. These toys offer mental stimulation by requiring your dog to work out how to access hidden treats or food. Look for puzzles that have larger and easier-to-manipulate pieces to accommodate their ageing jaws and provide a rewarding challenge.
Big favourites in our household are the Nina Ottosson | Outward Hound Doggy Puzzles (below in the video you can see the Challenge Slider, Level 3) but we also love some of their others! A great starter puzzle is the Tornado Dog Puzzle and the Lickin’ Layers. We introduce them all in our Guide to Nina Ottosson Dog Puzzles Blog post.
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Gentle Training Sessions
Engage your senior dog’s mind through gentle training sessions. Focus on reinforcing basic obedience commands they already know or teach them new, low-impact tricks. Training sessions not only stimulate their cognitive abilities but also strengthen the bond between you and your furry companion.
My senior’s favourite training sessions include ‘Middle’, ‘Leg weaves’ and ‘Middle on the Go’. ‘Two Paws on’ is another favourite of all of mine! With Rambo turning 12, we do less repetitions, less ‘sits’ and take it super slow with lots of positive reinforcement and rewarding. He still loves doing it though and likes to be included, so we keep it up.
Memory Games
Challenge your senior dog’s memory by playing memory games with them. Use a set of toys or treat cups and hide a treat under one of them. Shuffle the cups and encourage your dog to remember which one hides the treat. This game engages their memory and mental recall abilities.
Basic Scent Work | Sniffaris
Scent work activities are excellent for senior dogs as they allow them to use their noses and engage in mental stimulation without putting strain on their bodies. Teach them to identify and locate specific scents or follow simple scent trails. It’s a rewarding and gentle game that keeps their minds active.
Sniffaris (Sniffing Safaris) and exploring new smells in streets, new paths etc is my seniors favourite thing to do! He loooooves to explore the world. Whilst I have to keep an eye on the distance and on how fast we walk, there’s not more that makes him happier – and a little walk through a small river.
Slow Feeder Mats, Feeding Plates and Bowls
Utilise slow feeder mats and feeding plates for mealtime enrichment. These mats have various patterns and textures that require your senior dog to use their nose and paws to find and retrieve their food. It stimulates their senses and provides mental exercise while promoting slower, more mindful eating. You can use Snuffle Mats, Lick Mats or the SloDog Slow Feeder plates (find our video review here) – all big hits in our household. If you don’t want it to be too hard on your senior dog’s joints (bending down whilst eating), then you can either place the bowl onto a step (make sure it’s secure) or check out the Lickimat Ufo – it’s the Lickimat with suction cups, so you can place it onto the fridge or a wall and have your senior dog eat upright. You can find our video on the Lickimat Ufo here.
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Senior dogs deserve to enjoy a fulfilling and enriched life, and brain games offer them the mental stimulation they need in their golden years. Sniffing games, food puzzle toys, gentle training sessions, memory games, basic scent work, and slow feeder mats are all fantastic brain games that cater to their needs. These games provide mental exercise, prevent cognitive decline, and promote overall well-being. Always tailor the games to your senior dog’s abilities and be mindful of any physical limitations they may have. With these brain games, you can help your senior dog age gracefully while keeping their minds sharp and engaged, ensuring their twilight years are filled with joy and mental enrichment.
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