Touchscreen games could keep older dogs mentally fit

Dog lovers, take note! Scientists have developed educational touchscreen games for older pooches that can slow down mental deterioration and help create positive emotions. Spoiling old dogs in their twilight years by retiring them to the sofa and forgiving them their stubbornness or disobedience, does not do our fourlegged friends any good, scientists say.

Regular brain training and lifelong learning create positive emotions and can slow down mental deterioration in old age. Physical limitations, however, often do not allow the same sort of training as used in young dogs. Scientists led by those from University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni) in Austria propose computer interaction as a practical alternative.

In the training lab, old dogs responded positively to cognitive training using educational touchscreen games. The aim now is to get the interactive “dog sudoku” ready for home use. Lifelong learning is not just good for people, it is also good for dogs, researchers said.

Unlike puppies or young dogs, however, old dogs are almost never trained or challenged mentally. Senior dogs are usually perfectly integrated into our lives and are often forgiven for disobedience or stubbornness. Simple mental tasks on the computer, combined with a reward system, can replace physically demanding training and still keep the animals mentally fit even in old age.

The training works using computer-based brain-teasers. It does take some preparation to get the dogs used to the touchscreen, but once the animals have got the trick they turn into avid computer gamers. “Touchscreen interaction is usually analysed in young dogs. But we could show that old dogs also respond positively to this cognitive training method,” said Ludwig Huber, from Vetmeduni. “Above all, the prospect of a reward is an important factor to motivate the animals to do something new or challenging,” said Huber. Using simple tasks that can be solved through touchscreen interaction, followed by a reward, even old dogs remain willing to learn.