Fun Things to Do With Your Senior Dog, by Energy Level

The most fun you can have with a senior dog usually involves their nose: slow walks where they choose the way, and scent games where they hunt for food at home. Add short trick sessions, car rides with a view and time with favorite people. Pick by how your dog is moving today, and ask your vet what level of activity suits them.

Activities for senior dogs, sorted by energy

Old dogs have good days and slow days. It helps to have ideas ready for both, so a stiff morning does not mean a boring one.

If you are not sure whether your dog counts as a senior yet, our page on when a dog is considered a senior explains how vets decide.

Games for senior dogs

Scent games suit almost every old dog. They need no running, they can be played slowly, and they let a dog do what dogs are built for. PDSA calls scent games a great way to keep an older dog's body and brain in good condition.

There is some evidence that sniffing is good for a dog's mood. In a 2019 study, 20 pet dogs were split into two groups for two weeks of daily practice: one did nosework, searching with their noses, and the other did heelwork. Afterwards, the nosework dogs approached an uncertain target faster on a standard test, which researchers read as a more optimistic outlook. The heelwork dogs did not change. It was a small study of adult dogs, not only old ones, but it fits what owners see.

Games to try, easiest first:

1. Find it. Let your dog watch you put a piece of their usual food on the floor a little way off, say "find it", and let them go. Then hide pieces just out of sight.
2. The muffin tin. Put food in some cups of a muffin tin and cover every cup with a tennis ball. Your dog lifts or nudges the balls off.
3. The towel roll. Lay a towel flat, scatter food on it, roll it up loosely. Your dog unrolls it with their nose.
4. Three cups. Hide food under one of three upturned plastic cups and let them choose. Lift the right one together at first.
5. Hide and seek. Someone holds the dog while you hide somewhere easy, then call once.

Use part of their normal daily food so you do not overfeed, and check with your vet if your dog is on a special diet.

How to entertain a senior dog at home

Much of an old dog's day is spent indoors, often alone for part of it. A few ideas make it less flat.

• Puzzle feeders and a change of toys. The RSPCA suggests both for older dogs that are less keen on long runs.
• A cardboard box with a few treats inside, for dogs that like to tear things open.
• A bed with a view: put it where they can see the household, or a window.
• New smells, like a stick from a different park, a towel a friend's dog has lain on, a few herbs from the garden that are safe for dogs.
• Chews that suit their teeth. Older dogs often have tooth problems, so ask your vet what is safe for yours.
• Variety in general. The AAHA Senior Care Guidelines list exercise, new toys, cognitive games and tasks as forms of enrichment for older dogs.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

Yes, and it is one of the easiest things to do with an older dog. PDSA says training is a great way to keep an older mind active. Keep sessions to a few minutes, end while your dog is still keen, and pay well.

Choose tricks that do not ask much of stiff joints:

• Hand touch: they bump your palm with their nose.
• Chin rest: they rest their chin on your hand or knee and hold it.
• Look: they look from a treat to your eyes.
• Which hand: they nose the closed hand that holds the food.
• Name a toy: teach the name of one toy, then ask for it from two.

Avoid tricks that need jumping, standing on hind legs or spinning on a slippery floor.

Things to do with a senior dog outside

For an old dog, a good outing is short and full of smells.

A sniff walk where they choose. This is activity 01 in our book One Day, You'll Miss This: you decide what is safe, and at each corner they choose the direction. When they stop to smell something, wait until they are properly finished. Ten minutes is enough.

Somewhere new, close to home. A different park or a footpath on the other side of the road. Everything smells unfamiliar, so a short walk is full of things to check.

The long way home. The walk home is usually the fastest part of any walk. Once in a while, take a longer route back and let them keep going.

A car ride with a view. Some dogs sit up for every drive, reading the air through the window. Take the slower road past fields or water, keep their usual harness or crate, and open the window just a crack.

Swimming. PDSA notes that swimming puts less strain on sore joints, and suggests asking your vet about hydrotherapy. Not every old dog should swim, so ask before you try.

For bigger outings and one-off treats, our senior dog bucket list has more ideas sorted by energy.

How much should you walk a senior dog?

There is no fixed number of minutes, because dogs differ too much. Vets and welfare charities do agree on the shape:

• Little and often. PDSA and the RSPCA both say shorter, more frequent walks suit older dogs. PDSA explains that joints stiffen when they are not used.
• Every day. PDSA says older dogs still need the chance to get outdoors daily, even when long walks are over.
• Short routes. Keep to a fairly short route in case your dog gets tired.
• Cool hours. Older dogs cope less well with very hot or very cold weather, according to PDSA, so walk early or late in summer.
• Stop when they say so. If your dog stops playing or lies down on a walk, they need to rest.

PDSA's last word is the right one: check with your vet that the amount of exercise your dog gets is okay.

Fun for a senior dog who can't walk far

When walks have shrunk to the end of the street, the fun moves closer.

• Carry the outside to them: open a window, bring in leaves after rain, sit together on the back step.
• Invite the person they love most for an afternoon and step back.
• Play find-it with them lying down, putting food just in reach.
• Do a slow brushing session and let them choose where.
• Take a short drive and sit with the car door open at a quiet viewpoint.
• Spend an hour together on the floor, with no phone.

If your dog is seriously ill rather than simply old, our page on things to do with your dog before they die has gentle ideas for very low energy.

Why keeping an old dog busy matters

The Dog Aging Project in the US asked owners of 15,019 dogs about activity and signs of canine cognitive decline. Among dogs of the same age, health and breed type, those described as not active had 6.47 times the odds of cognitive decline compared with very active dogs. The authors say the link could run the other way, with dogs becoming less active because of the decline, so this does not prove that exercise prevents it.

Still, the practical advice is the same from every direction: keep your old dog moving gently, give their nose and brain something to do, and keep them in the middle of family life. It is also more fun for both of you. And while you are at it, take a phone video of them doing their favorite game. You will want it later, and our ideas for a senior dog photoshoot help with the pictures.