Senior dogs may prefer wet dog food
This technique involves training, patience, and learning a new skill, all things that will help keep your dog mentally stimulated, whatever their age. Even better, it turns a normal mealtime into something more challenging, with their delicious bowl of food as a reward.
Put their food into their bowl (making sure they can see you) and slowly lower it to the floor, saying ‘wait’. They’ll probably dive for the bowl before it gets to the floor; if they do this, raise the bowl again and wait for them to stop trying to reach the food. Slowly lower it again, using the ‘wait’ command, and raise the bowl if they try to take it before it gets to the floor. Repeat as many times as necessary – if you manage to get it close to the floor without them trying to take the food, praise them and give them a treat!
The ultimate aim is to keep doing this, giving them a treat every time they make progress, until they can sit in front of their full bowl without eating it. You should then indicate to your dog that they can eat the food, and praise them for their good behaviour.