As our dogs are keeping aging, keeping them mentally stimulated is often an underrated priority. But if you've read some of our other posts then you'll know that mental stimulation is just as important for our furry friends as keeping them in good physical shape.

With that in mind, we've compiled a list of mind-boosting activities tailored to senior dogs. These activities are designed to keep their cognitive gears turning while bringing joy to their golden years.

The activities we talk about here aren't only for senior dogs either! Younger dogs can benefit from these activities as well.

With that said, we've also included some activities specifically for younger, more energetic dogs, as well, ensuring a well-rounded approach to canine mental wellness. 

So, let’s dive into making those twilight years truly sparkle with mental agility and happiness.

Keeping Your Senior Dog Mentally Sharp

As dogs age, they might sleep in a little later and not have the puppy energy any longer but their need for mental stimulation doesn't wane. Their drive for activities might change as they age, though, so important to adjust the mental activities available to them. 

These following activities are tailored to support cognitive function, emotional health, and overall quality of life in senior dogs. 

Cognitive Health and Engagement with Puzzle Toys

Keeping the brain active through problem-solving and memory games enhances cognitive function and slows down age-related decline. You can think about this in a "if you don't use it, you lose it" type of mentality. 

The more mentally active your dog can be, the less likely they'll be to develop age-related cognitive problems. Dogs are susceptible to dementia and cognitive decline just like humans, but a lot can be done to keep them reasoning and problem-solving well into their senior years. 

Interactive Puzzle Toys for Mental Stimulation

Puzzle toys challenge the mind of dogs at any age, encouraging problem-solving skill and perseverance. For seniors, these toys can help maintain cognitive function, while for younger dogs, they help build these critical skills early on. 

Not every dog responds to this type of play, though, so it's important to do a trial with puzzle toys and see how your dog responds. These toys come in varying levels of difficulty as well, so if this is a new activity for your dog, start with an easier toy and work your way up. 

At Black Dog Barkery, we've got different styles of puzzle toys for your dog to try so your senior pet can test the waters to see what they like. 

Memory Games 

Memory games, like treat hide-and-seek, engage a dog's problem-solving abilities and memory recall, providing mental exercise that's beneficial for all ages.

An easy way to start this is to play the "3 Cups" game. Get three plastic or paper cups and with your dog watching, place a treat under one of the cups. Shuffle them slowly to allow your dog to attempt tracking the treat, and then allow them to choose the cup they want by pawing or sniffing. 

This encourages recall as well as supporting your dogs ability to use their sense of smell to solve problems. 

Some other games to think about trying with your dog include:

1. Toy Name Recall: teach your dog the name of their specific toys and then work with them to retrieve the named toy

2. Sequential Tasks: set up an obstacle course there you teach your dog to complete the course in a certain order. For example, they jump over a box, go sit on their bed, and then come to you to get a treat

3. Slow Motion Fetch: "hide" your dogs favorite ball somewhere in the house and have them wait with your for a short period before the can retrieve it, extend the waiting time to increase the memory challenge over time

Sensory Stimulation for Mental Stimulation

Our dogs experience the world primarily through scent so incorporating activities that focus on their sense of smell is very important to their mental well-being. As a plus, sensory games can be played with dogs who have had declines in their eyesight or hearing.

Setting up activities that engage the senses keeps the brain active and aware, enriching your dog's environmental interactions and mental mapping skills.

Scent Games

For dogs, scent is a powerful tool for exploration and cognitive health. There are loads of different scent games that you can play with your dog inside and outside. Try some of these games with your dog to see how they respond:

1. Hide and Seek: sometimes this takes two people to complete, but try to hide from your dog in a location around your home, your dog will need to use their sense of smell to track you down. BONUS: it's adorable when your dog finally finds you and is super proud of themselves!

2. Find the Treat: Keep your dog out of the room and hide their favorite treats around the house and release them to hunt down the treats. You can easily change how difficult this game is by hiding the treats in a larger area, in more difficult hiding places, and then even outside for the ultimate challenge.

3. Scent Trail: Create a trail of treats or a favorite toy's scent by dragging it across the ground and then hiding it. Challenge your dog to follow the trail using only smell. You can easily make this more difficult by adding decoy trails that don't have treats at the end or making the train progressively longer.

4. Hidden Object: This skill builds on the Toy Name Recall memory activity by adding in hiding a specific toy of theirs and having them retrieve it.

With scent games like these, it's best to use a high-value and strongly scented treat, especially at first.

At Black Dog Barkery, we've got loads of different treat options from out house made dog treats, to freeze-dried raw organ meat treats, and dehydrated fish treats for a maximum scent smorgasbord for your pup!

New Experiences

Don't under value the simple act of introducing your dogs to new environments. Every place has it's own unique scents which your dog is sure to pick up on easily. Introducing dogs to new environments and experiences keeps their minds engaged and curious, promoting cognitive flexibility.

This skill is just as important for seniors to maintain as it is for younger dogs to develop it.

Physical and Mental Wellness to Keep Your Dog Active

Combining physical activities with mental challenges ensures a holistic approach to your dog's health, keeping them engaged and active as they age. Gentle exercise helps to keep muscles toned, joints lubricated, and can significantly enhance overall well-being.

Gentle movement (in moderation) can also be helpful for dogs with mobility issues like arthritis. 

Gentle Exercise

Low-impact exercise for senior dogs is just as important as low-impact exercise is for senior adults. Not only does it keep them more physically active for longer, but it's an activity that stimulates both sides of the brain which is beneficial for brain health.

In short: gentle, regular exercise tailored to your dog's abilities helps keep them mentally and physically active which is crucial for maintaining health and happiness, especially for old dogs.

Try some of these activities for you older dog and see how they respond:

1. Sniff Walks: talk leisurely walks with your dog for the sole purpose of letting them sniff as much as they'd like. 

2. Short, Frequent Walks: be aware of your dogs overall health and provide them with opportunities to go on shorter and more frequent walks as opposed to the longer walks they might've liked when they were younger.

3. Dynamic Walks: if you're got access to different areas to walk try to have your dog walk on different types of surfaces. Grass is abundant but if you have a beach or lake nearby, take them to walk on sand or in shallow water to provide them with different sensory stimulation.

4. Low-Impact Obstacle Course: create an obstacle course inside by setting up pillows, boxes, or other obstacles they have to navigate through, around, or under to provide them with new problem-solving opportunities

5.  Swimming: if your dog enjoys swimming, this is a great activity to continue as they get older as it's very low-impact. Be sure to provide them plenty of rest breaks and don't over do it.

Training Sessions

Training your dog provides more than just a well-behaved dog. Ongoing training sessions provide mental stimulation and reinforce social bonds, critical for dogs at any stage of life but particularly soothing and engaging for older pets who might not be able to be as physically active as they once were.

Think about building on any training that they currently have to continue to challenge them over time and enhance their skills. 

These are some great options to try for easy training in older dogs:

1. Hand signals: begin pairing verbal cues with dedicated hand signals so that you have more than one way to trigger a behavior, this becomes especially important as dogs age and lose their hearing 

2. Nose Touch: teaching your dog to touch their nose to your hand or different objects is a low-impact activity and can be used as a way to improve recall as well

3. Balance Exercises: balance in older dogs declines just as it does in humans, so balance exercises can be especially useful.

   1. Use a low, stable platform, like a foam pad or pillow, to teach your dog to balance. This helps with both physical and mental coordination. Start with just two paws on the platform and then progress from there.

Creative Play and Enrichment for Better Quality of Life

Creative and interactive play introduces variability in daily routines, keeping your dog's brain engaged and curious. It can be easy to get in a routine with your pup and so anything that varies from their routine will be extra stimulating.

The benefits of interactive feeding go beyond just cognitive, though, interactive feeding typically slows down the speed at which the dog eats with helps to improve digestion overall. 

Interactive Feeding

Transforming mealtime into a problem-solving session encourages your dog to use their brain for something as routine as eating, beneficial for maintaining cognitive skills.

Interactive feeding is also a great part of a weight management strategy because it provides physical stimulation during their meals.

In addition to that, it more closely mirrors their natural instincts of foraging and problem-solving for their meals. 

Interactive feeding can be achieved in a variety of ways:

1. Puzzle feeders: puzzle feeders turn meal time into a brain game. Remember to start easy and work your way up so you don't frustrate your dog

2. Slow feeder bowls: these bowls make it more difficult for your dog to eat their food quickly and require more mental activity to eat their meal

3. Frozen food: depending on the type of food you feed, you can freeze your dogs meal in an interactive toy and satisfy your dogs appetite as well as their mind as they work through their meal.

4. Lickimats: these are textured mats (usually food-grade silicone) that you can smear pumpkin, wet food, kefir, or yogurt onto and either serve as is, or freeze for additional licking time. Licking releases endorphins in dogs which is soothing for them.

5. Snuffle mats: if you feed your dog freeze dried food or kibble a snuffle mat can be a great option for a cognitively stimulating meal

   1. A low cost snuffle mat option is to sprinkle your dogs favorite food or small treats onto a towel and then roll the towel up so they have to manipulate the towel to get a tasty treat.

6. Wobblers: you can put dry food or treats into a wobble toy so your dogs has to paw and move the toy around to get food

7. Cupcake Tin Puzzle: place your dogs favorite treats in a cupcake tin and then cover each hole with a tennis ball

As you can see there are tons of different ways to turn meal time into an interactive activity. At Black Dog Barkery we have a variety of puzzle feeder, slow feeders, and wobble toys to increase your dogs mental stimulation during meal time. 

Music and Auditory Stimulation

Exposure to varied sounds, such as music or audiobooks, can calm and stimulate a dog's mind, providing a rich sensory experience that's beneficial across all ages.

Here are some ideas to being adding a music routine to your dogs overall mental stimulation plan:

1. Classical Music: Often found to have a calming effect on dogs and can reduce stress and anxiety levels. Pieces with a slower tempo and softer dynamics are generally more effective.

2. Reggae and Soft Rock: Some studies suggest that dogs respond well to these genres, showing signs of relaxation and reduced stress.

3. Specially Composed Dog Music: There are compositions and playlists specifically designed for dogs, taking into account their hearing sensitivities and preferences.

4. Audiobooks and Podcasts: The sound of a human voice can be comforting to dogs as well. Playing audiobooks or podcasts designed for dogs, or even those meant for humans, can provide company and reduce feelings of isolation. Be sure to pick audiobooks with a calming narrator for the best overall experience.

Make sure to try this first when you are available to supervise and note how your dog responds to these different auditory activities. Maintain a low volume and provide variety (dogs can get bored of listening to the same thing too!).

Socialization and Emotional Health for Better Overall Brain Health

Regular, positive social interactions can improve cognitive function, emotional health, and overall life satisfaction for dogs. While they might not have the same energy for play, or want to play in the same way as they did when they were younger, that doesn't mean they don't want to be social. 

Social Interactions

Some dogs, especially older dogs, want to be more social than others, so it's important to consider your dog's baseline level of sociability. If they didn't love playing with dogs when they were younger, they probably still don't.

Sometimes socialization for dogs who don't like to be social is going for a walk and smelling the neighborhood dogs only. 

For those dogs that like to be social with other dogs, here are some mentally stimulating options:

1. Gentle playdates: If your dog has other dogs they know well and match their play energy this is a great option to socialize in older age

2. Group Training for Older Dogs: This isn't available in all areas, but if you have some available to you and your dog isn't reactive this can be a good option

3. Pup (and People) Watching: If your dog isn't as mobile or as social, just going to a public park or beach and sitting with your dog can be very mentally stimulating for them. Simply letting them observe, smell, hear, and experience a new environment is beneficial. 

Quality Time and Affection

Spending quality, focused time with your dog strengthens your bond and supports their emotional and mental health, a cornerstone of well-being for dogs at any age.

1. Spending Time with You: Obviously your dog loves spending time with you, but try to opt for more intentional quality time every so often.

2. Seeing Friends or Relatives: If your dog enjoys the company of other humans, spending time with some of their favorite people is mentally stimulating and makes them happy. 

Dogs are pack animals at heart so any time they can spend with people or animals that they know and trust is a win. You know your dog the best, so make sure to set them up for success when exposing them to new environments, dogs, or people. 

Activities for Younger Dogs: Building the Foundation for a Mentally Healthy Life

The activities that we've covered here can really be utilized by any age dog, but are designed more for the older and not as mobile dog. With that said, we didn't forget about the puppies and adolescent dogs out there either!

They deserve to have mentally stimulating playtime too!

Here are somethings to focus on specifically for the young dogs out there:

• Exploratory Play: Younger dogs benefit greatly from exploratory play that challenges them to investigate and interact with their environment, developing cognitive and motor skills.

• Skill-Building Games: Games that focus on skill-building, such as fetch with rules or agility courses, can enhance a young dog's learning and obedience, setting a positive precedent for future training.

• Socialization Opportunities: Exposing younger dogs to a variety of people, animals, and environments is crucial for developing well-rounded, confident, and mentally healthy dogs.

In general, most of the activities we outlined can be increased in difficulty level for the younger and more active dogs in the family. 

In fact they may need to be, even for the older dogs! If a dog doesn't find a task challenging enough, they might not want to engage in it at all. 

Conclusion: A Lifetime of Mental Engagement

Dogs needs and desires change as they age but they always deserve to have something to keep their minds engaged and their senses exercised. 

We hope that these ideas have given you inspiration to put together some activities that you and you dog can work on together to help grow your bond and keep your dog doing mental gymnastics well into their older years!