Want to teach your senior pooch a few new tricks? With the right motivation and these fun training games for an older dog, you can make it happen. We’ve all heard the saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Like many other pieces of lore, this is not true. While it is easier to train a puppy, you can train senior dogs as well. It just takes a different approach. Unfortunately, an older dog may be somewhat set in their habits and behavior which means that if you want to change them, you’ll have to make the change interesting to them.
Related: Indoor Training Games Both You and Your Dog Will Love!
Using Treats in Training Games for an Older Dog
Everyone knows that food is an incredible motivator for dogs, no matter what the age. But besides just feeding the bottomless belly your dog, will love anything that involves spending time with you, lots of praise and attention and fun. Spending quality play time with your dog is one way of reinforcing or actually training your dog to certain behaviors, but the dog won’t realize that it’s a class; it’ll just be play time with his favorite person!
Unfortunately, dogs do tend to lose their sharp vision and hearing as they get older, but one thing that stays strong as dogs age is their sense of smell. To set up a game that will reinforce your dog’s scenting skills and help keep his mind sharp, just gather 6 or 7 small boxes and put a treat in one box. Spread them around the room and then call your dog in. You may want to give him a piece of a treat so that he has the smell and taste then you can watch him wander the room looking for the source of the smell. You can always change the hiding places and even eliminate boxes completely as your dog gets used to the game and knows that there is a treat to be found.
Reinforce hunting skills
To set up a game that will reinforce your dog’s scenting skills and help keep his mind sharp, just gather 6 or 7 small boxes and put a treat in one box. Spread them around the room and then call your dog in. You may want to give him a piece of a treat so that he has the smell and taste then you can watch him wander the room looking for the source of the smell. You can always change the hiding places and even eliminate boxes completely as your dog gets used to the game and knows that there is a treat to be found.
Teach new commands
Another way to use food to keep your older dog active and playful is to get a fillable dog toy such as (affiliate) Kong brand and put a treat or peanut butter in it. You can use the toy to lead your dog through a series of commands such as sit, roll over, fetch etc. Making sure to pet and offer a lot of praise when he does what you ask. As a reward let him enjoy getting the tasty treat out of the toy. If your dog doesn’t usually perform “tricks” it may take a bit of repetition to get him to play along consistently.
It may sound simple when you stop and think that your dog will do just about anything for a treat, but if your dog has not been trained before you will find that you need a lot of patience. That’s where the food comes in to entice the grouchy old pooch to play with you!
Take your time and try to have fun with it yourself. This is a very good time to bond with your dog and it will be crucial that you try to make it a pleasant experience. It will be good for both of you and it can be an experience you both remember for a long time.
