Border Collies will typically calm down around the age of six. As they mature, they will start to relax but keep in mind that it can vary from dog to dog. Border Collies are known as a naturally hyper breed and some may not calm down until they are much older.
Is your Border Collie acting crazy, and you’re wondering how long this behavior will last? As many Border Collie owners have the same concern, you are not alone. Border Collies are a naturally intelligent, energetic, and hyper dog breed. You can expect this behavior for most of their life.
However, once your dog reaches around 6 years of age, you will notice a decline in their hyperactivity as they will no longer be a young dog. Is your Border Collie still high energy even though they are getting older? If your Border Collie is still full of energy after 6 years of age, it might have to do with your dog’s unique personality.
They might just be more energetic than other dogs their age, which is still expected for Border Collies. In addition, if your Border Collie has ever been trained to remain calm, they will be more energetic than you might expect. With the right balance of exercise, mental stimulation, social activities, and training, you can improve your Border Collie’s behavior and have a better understanding of when do Border Collies calm down.
How Do I Get My Border Collie to Calm Down?
To understand a Border Collie calms down, it is essential first to learn how to help your pup calm down.
Attention
If your Border Collie does not receive enough attention, it will cause them to become anxious and hyper. Border Collies are naturally an energetic breed but are even more active when they don’t get the attention they desire.
Whether you play a game of fetch, take them for a walk, or just pet them and play with their toys, you will notice a positive difference in your dog’s behavior.
Best Calming Aid to Help My Border Collie Calm Down
A calming aid is a supplement you can give to your Border Collie to support a calm mood. If you give your dog a calming aid, like Harmony, you should notice a difference in your dog’s behavior.
Harmony is a fast-acting supplement that supports a healthy stress response in your pup’s body and will help alleviate their anxiety.
It is entirely natural and contains Ashwagandha, L-theanine, and Relora, which will help promote a stress-free mindset for your Border Collie in less than 90 minutes.
When you purchase Harmony, you will need to select your dog’s weight and whether or not you want to subscribe to receive the calming aid or make a one-time purchase continuously.
Routine Exercise
Border collies were bred originally to herd sheep in all types of weather conditions and terrain. Their ancestry makes them an energetic breed today, enabling your Border Collie to excel in canine sports. Since Border Collies are high-energy pets, they need a routine exercise schedule.
You should allow your Border Collie to get up to 90 minutes of exercise daily, as long as your dog’s vet says they are healthy enough. This exercise can include canine sports like flyball and agility, a game of fetch, or going for a walk or a run. Routine exercise will allow your Border Collie to let out their abundant energy to feel calm throughout the day.
Mental Stimulation
You can do many things to help keep your Border Collie mentally stimulated. However, it is challenging to keep such an intelligent breed mentally stimulated. Essentially, your Border Collie needs exercise for its brain to feel calm.
A working dog like a Border Collie needs their minds to be worked as it is part of its ancestry, and it is how its mind works. If your dog doesn’t receive enough mental stimulation, it might be destructive, anxious, hyperactive, disobedient, and have chewing issues.
You can stimulate your pup’s mind by having them use their sense of smell to find a hidden treat, exposing your dog to other dogs and people, playing with an interactive puzzle toy, playing hide and seek, or doing agility training. Another fun thing to do with Border Collies is to name their toys since they are great at successfully identifying dog toys by name.
Timeline of Typical Border Collie Development
Newborn
Newborn Border Collie puppies weigh anywhere between 7 ounces and 14 ounces. It is usual for them to lose water weight after birth. However, they will gradually begin to gain the weight back. When Border Collies are born, they have no teeth, are deaf, and are blind.
0-3 Weeks of Age
This stage in your Border Collie’s life is the neonatal period. You will notice that your Border Collie puppy will have doubled their weight after its first week of life. It is usual for your Border Collie puppy to sleep most of the time, and they will still be reliant on their mother for warmth and milk while they are developing. Border Collie puppies will weigh around 3 pounds at this point.
2-4 Weeks of Age
At this age, your Border Collie puppy will be able to hear, open its eyes, stand, and even begin to walk. Once they reach 4 weeks old, you should start feeding them some solid food but still allow them to drink their mother’s milk. You will notice your puppy is trying to explore more and want to play with its siblings. This is a transitional period for your Border Collie.
4-12 Weeks of Age
You will notice that your Border Collie will depend less on milk from its mother and will want to eat more solid foods. Your puppy will become more social and should begin socializing more with other dogs and people.
Around 8 weeks old is when you can take your puppy home. You should continue practicing socialization with your puppy, and you can begin basic training at this point. During weeks 4,5, and 9 of your Border Collie’s life, they will start receiving vaccinations from their vet. At this age, your Border Collie can weigh up to 12 pounds.
3-6 Months of Age
At this age, your Border Collie will be in the “juvenile stage,” and you will notice your puppy trying to test you. This is a great time to set rules for your puppy and teach them those rules consistently. At this age border collies typically begin to slow down when it comes to gaining weight but will still have a good appetite because of their high amounts of energy.
However, it is important not to overfeed your dog, so it does not become overweight. Your Border Collie’s baby teeth will begin transitioning to adult teeth at this age. Your dog will likely weigh somewhere between 12 and 26 pounds, depending on its gender.
6-16 Months of Age
At 7 months of age, your male Border Collie will become sexually mature, and a female may go into heat around 6 months old. At this age, you should consider speaking to your dog’s veterinarian about getting your dog spayed or neutered.
You will notice that your dog will bond with you and your family by this point and will recognize you as the leader of their pack and your family as the rest of the pack. Your dog will have lots of energy at this age, and you need to make time for them to get the exercise they need to thrive.
16-36 Months of Age
Your Border Collie will be highly active during this stage of their life. By 24 months old, your female Border Collie is considered an adult, and your male is regarded as an adult at 36 months old.
Your dog will reach their adult weight by the time they are 18 months old, which can be anywhere between 26 and 52 pounds, depending on its gender. Most Border Collies are medium-sized dogs. A male will reach a maximum height of 22 inches, and a female will reach a maximum height of 20 inches.
How Active Are Border Collies Compared to Other Breeds?
Border Collie dogs are high-energy, intelligent, fun, and intense compared to other dog breeds. Due to their ancestry as herding dogs, it is natural for Border Collies to be more energetic than most breeds and have an intense activity level. However, other dog breeds behave very similarly to Border Collie dogs. These breeds include:
- Australian Shepherd
- Bearded Collie
- German Shepherd
- Icelandic Sheepdog
- Miniature American Shepherd
- Old English Sheepdog
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Polish Lowland Sheepdog
- Great Pyrenees
- Briard
- Puli
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Collie
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Belgian Malinois
- Australian Cattle Dog
These breeds are energetic and intelligent, active dog breeds that require lots of mental and physical exercise. Most of these breeds are herding dogs from icy regions. Herding dogs, like Border Collies, have a natural-born instinct to be on the go constantly, are highly trainable, have a sensitive personality, and are loyal to their owners.
Your Border Collie will display a much calmer attitude once they reach the age of 6, becoming more mature at that age. Your dog can become calmer at a younger age, but Border Collies generally take a few years to calm down.
When Do Border Collies Calm Down After Being Neutered/Spayed?
Border Collies do calm down after being neutered or spayed, showing almost immediately. Your male dog will become less aggressive, and your female will no longer go into heat.
However, neutering and spaying your Border Collie does not entirely make them calm. Since this breed is hyperactive by nature, your Border Collie will still be energetic and will still need to have a lot of activity in their lives.
How Do I Get My Border Collie to Settle?
To help your Border Collie settle, you will need to incorporate a regular exercise schedule into their daily life. In addition, you can also help your Border Collie settle down by giving it lots of attention, agility training, mental stimulation, and you can give it a calming aid.
The more active your dog is, the more energy your Border Collie will be able to let out so it can become calmer and settle down.
How Long Does the Puppy Stage Last for Border Collies?
Border Collies are the size of a puppy until they reach between 8 and 12 months of age. Once they get to that point, they will lose their puppy fur, go full size, and become sexually mature. Even though your Border Collie will appear to be a fully grown dog, they will still behave like a puppy until about 2 or 3 years of age due to their energetic nature.
Are There Any Calm Border Collies?
All Border Collies can become calm, but Border Collies are generally high-energy dogs. Border Collies will not be calm naturally. You might notice other calm Border Collies, but it is likely due to them getting plenty of exercises, mental stimulation, training, and attention.
How Do You Calm an Anxious Border Collie?
Border Collies are prone to experiencing separation anxiety, and they do not like being left alone for long periods. In addition, Border Collies are a very active dog breed and cannot handle being kept indoors for a long time. Between being apart from their pet owners and being kept inside all day, they can suffer from severe anxiety.
To help ease their anxiety, give your pup plenty of attention, take them on walks, and play games with them. You should also try not to leave them alone for too long and allow them time to run around outdoors. Doing these things will help calm your anxious Border Collie.
How Do I Help My Border Collie Get Rid of Pent-Up Energy?
There are many ways you can help your Border Collie get rid of pent-up energy. The best thing you can do for your dog is to allow them to get lots of exercises outdoors and get in some playtime.
Play fetch with your pup or even let your dog socialize with other dogs. You can find some brain-stimulating toys for it to play with, like a dog puzzle. Play hide and seek with your pup or engage in a fun game of tug a war. As long as you are allowing your dog to be active and giving it the attention it needs, you can help your Border Collie get rid of some pent-up energy.
Are Female Border Collies Calmer Than Male border collies?
There is not much of a difference between males and females when it comes to calm behavior. Both genders are full of energy, playful, and love attention. However, male dogs of this breed are more stubborn and like to bond with family members.
Female Border Collies take a while to become loyal to their owners but are generally happy and attentive to their surroundings. Both genders tend to have the same energetic behavior, but there is a difference in how long it takes them to become used to their owners.
Why Are Border Collies So Nervous?
Border Collies are very in touch with their surroundings and react to visual cues, which enables them to become nervous and anxious. This is because of their genetics and their surroundings.
Are Border Collies Nervous Dogs?
Yes, Border Collies are nervous dogs. Border Collies might be nervous if there is a lot of noise in your home, if humans around him or her are arguing, or if they are left alone for a few hours. Border Collies are naturally nervous, but can easily be calmed down with some love and attention.
Is a Border Collie a Good House Dog?
Yes, Border Collies are great house dogs and family pets. They are loving, intelligent, extremely loyal, and good-natured. They are generally good with children and they make a good family watchdog. Border Collies are not aggressive by nature and are typically a happy, energetic, and loving breed.
How Do I Get My Border Collie to Stop Biting?
You can do a few things to train your Border Collie to stop biting. You should stop biting while playing with other dogs so they know not to bite humans. Do not be afraid to use your authority voice, so they quickly understand that you are serious and are not playing.
You should try to be as consistent as possible with your rules to stop the biting, so they learn to understand that biting is wrong. Also, if you allow your dog to get the exercise they need, it might not be as prone to biting.
Do Border Collies Like to Cuddle?
Yes, Border Collies like to cuddle. They are naturally an affectionate breed and always want to please their owners. Often, Border Collies will show their affection towards you by cuddling up next to you at the end of the day. Border Collie dogs thrive through close relationships with their owners, and cuddling is a considerable part of that relationship.
At What Age Is a Border Collie Fully Grown?
Border Collies reach the size of an adult dog around the time they are 12 months old. However, females can take longer to get their adult size and may take until 15 months old. You will notice that your Border Collie has fully grown just around a year old but will still exhibit puppy-like behavior until about 3.
Are Border Collies One of the Most Intelligent Dog Breeds?
Yes, Border Collies are considered one of the most intelligent dog breeds. Border Collies are an intelligent breed because of their ancestry, which helped to herd sheep on the border of Scotland and England in the 1700s.
This breed is one of the most eager, intelligent, and alert dogs. They earn very quickly and will do anything to please their owner. According to this dog breed list, The Border Collie is ranked as the number one most intelligent dog breed compared to other species.
Conclusion
When do Border Collies calm down? While the Border Collie is a brilliant, energetic, sensitive, and hardworking dog, they will never be completely and naturally calm (this is a breed trait). However, there are many things you can do to help them remain calm throughout the day.
As long as you give your Border Collie great attention, be sure they get plenty of exercise, play mentally stimulating games, and train your pup, you will help your dog stay calm throughout the day.
