Help! My Senior Dog Is Bored!

Physical exercise isn’t the only way to stimulate your dog—engaging his mind works, too.
bored senior dog

Dear Bark:

My 12-year-old Bulgarian Shepherd, Gus, has never been very interested in play. He struggles to play with other dogs and is not interested in fetch, tug or chase with me. He loves long walks and going to the dog park, but now that he’s older and has arthritis, my vet has directed me to keep our walks and visits to the dog park (disappointingly) short. Since I started working from home during the pandemic, Gus has been very restless, fussing for attention throughout the day. His behavior is making it hard for me to work. All the barking, scratching and licking my feet makes me think he’s frustrated by a lack of activity, but I’m at a loss! How do I get my quirky boy to play with me and work off some of this energy?

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Enrichments
dog behavior
dog training


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