How to keep my senior dog from boredom without too many treats?

[britmark]

Hi all,

I'm watching our family dog (who usually lives in the suburbs with my parents) for the next 4 months. I live in a big city on the east coast, so I don't live in a big apartment. He is 9, so a senior dog (14 lbs). He used to love toys, but now he doesn't have any interest in them except under specific circumstances (if he's feeling super energetic and there are new people to play with). There's a few challenges I face in keeping him stimulated, which I've listed below, along with some things I've tried. Any suggestions to help with keeping him occupied would be greatly appreciated!

• There is the "mystery" respiratory dog illness (ACIRD) potentially going around so I don't want to take him to the dog park
• He isn't interested when I try to play with him with his toys
• He IS, however, constantly interested in treats/food and this seems like his only passion.
  
  • I got 1-calorie training treats and feed him lots of healthy snacks, but he is overweight and shouldn't gain anymore or it may become a problem (per the vet), so I can't be giving him treats all the time
  • He also has bully sticks/other chews, but as soon as I started giving them to him more often, he also got bored of them and lost interest. I am currently trying to rotate them/provide new flavors.
• Despite it being winter, I walk him for 20-50 minutes almost daily depending on how cold it is, but he's very bored the rest of the day
• I've also tried food puzzles and snuffle mats, but these all revolve around treats and calories and don't last too long

Let me know if you have any suggestions, thanks!

 

[gdssldier]

@britmark Look up ACE Free Work.