What games are good for dogs with limited mobility?

For dogs with limited mobility, puzzle feeders are brilliant mental exercise as they figure out how to get to their tasty treats. Low tech and cheap, dogs love scatter feeding, where you grab a handful of kibble and scatter it around the floor or even out on the lawn. Stuffed feeders, special toys you can fill with food or treats, encourage slower feeding and keep their brain busy as they lick every scrap out. Hide and seek with treats or toys is also a great option, where you get your dog excited with their favourite treats or squeaky toy, make them sit and then hide them somewhere nearby. Gentle lead walking on flat surfaces will still provide lots of mental stimulation for your dog with low impact on their joints. Swimming is also a low-impact, safe exercise for dogs of all ages, from puppies to elderly senior dogs, and 20 minutes of swimming can improve mobility in dogs with joint health problems. Dog safe chew toys can keep your dog busy for hours and are a great way to keep their brain and body active.

Dogs with limited mobility for any reason, including age, can still enjoy a good game as long as it takes their abilities into account, rather than any disabilities. If short walks (or no walks at all) are all your dog can manage, they still have a brain that needs to be kept active. Dogs will always have their sense of smell, so hide some treats (or a portion of their dinner) among some scrunched up old newspapers in a cardboard box and let them have a good rummage around. A shallow box works well for dogs who may want to play when lying down, for smaller dogs, get a big box and cut a hole so they can get right in. Hiding food in your dog's blanket can do just as well, but use dry biscuits so they don't go mouldy if they aren't found. Float a treat or a toy that your dog loves in a bowl of water and let him work out how to fish it out - then let one sink and have him learn to dip their nose in. You can also create tasty ice-cubes by putting a small piece of hot dog sausage, tuna, or anything else your dog likes into ice-cube trays, covering with water and freezing. These can then be scattered around the garden, left in a bowl, or again, dropped into water so your dog can learn to dip his nose in to fetch them.