What Age Do Australian Shepherds Naturally Calm Down?
I love my puppy; she is an Australian Shepherd and full of life. However, her energy seems to be nonstop at times, and I am just curious if that will change.
Curious to know if my puppy’s behavior will change and she will calm down, I decided to investigate this issue.
What Age Do Australian Shepherds Naturally Calm Down?
Australian Shepherds naturally calm down around two years of age when they are more mature and considered an adult at that point. This is not the case for every Australian Shepherd as this breed is very enthusiastic about life and has lots of energy naturally.
Now, this doesn’t mean that they won’t be filled with energy and remain active. The puppy phase will be gone, and they will better be able to control themselves when necessary.
Proper obedience training does help as not all Australian Shepherds calm down.
Some will maintain the overly energetic and curious nature of them bouncing around exploring, working, playing, and having fun. An Australian Shepherd is a complex dog breed that needs a mixture of both mental and physical stimulation for their overall health.
They have lots of energy and zest for life. They love to work, play, be outside, and be close to their loved ones, and their energy level can be exhausting for their loved ones if the wrong family adopts them.
If for some reason, a family is lucky enough that their Australian Shepherd doesn’t calm down by around two years of age, there are things that a family or pet parent can do to help them.
In order for an Australian Shepherd to calm down, they need to have their need for activity channeled.
This requires that they are outside a reasonable amount of time in their day but also that they have a mixture of activities to keep them engaged and stimulated.
Each dog will have their own set amount of activity that helps them calm down at the end of the day, which will be unique to them. If the pet parent or family finds that right amount, the Australian Shepherd will rest comfortably until the next day arrives with a new set of adventures and events.
An Australian Shepherd’s age naturally calms down depends on the individual dog, their home environment, and lifestyle and cannot truly be based on a number as energy can change from day to day and week to week.
The Australian Shepherd is a complex dog breed that is full of life and energy. This makes it vitally important that they are placed with a family or individual who has had experience with dogs before and enjoys being and staying active regularly.
To say that this breed is high energy is an understatement, but when they are placed in the right family, their ability to calm down by the time they are an adult or chill out from time to time is increased.
When this breed calms down may happen around the time they are two years old, but due to their breeding and enthusiastic nature, they may never completely calm down as some dog breeds do.
Training can help in this area as it teaches them what is expected of them, like how they should behave, but their innate nature will always shine through.
As herding dogs, this breed was bred to work, spend time outdoors and be active.
They need to use their bodies and their minds throughout their day to feel satisfied and restful. That is a part of their innate nature and background. It is bred into them and cannot ever be removed entirely.
The Australian Shepherd needs to have lots of stimulation of both the mental and physical kind to thrive and be their happiest.
For this reason, providing diverse toys and numerous exciting adventures daily will have them feeling their best and help them calm down at the end of their day.
Each dog is unique in the amount of activity they require in their day. Some will need more mental stimulation, others more physical in their day, some will change it up from one day to the next.
Many things can factor into how much activity they need to calm down.
The age of the Australian Shepherd, their health, their stress level, lifestyle, and home life, as well as who they are as a dog.
Their breeding will always drive their needs, but these other factors help shape their needs and wants.
How Do I Calm Down My Australian Shepherd?
If your Aussie hasn’t calmed down by two years old, you need to work to meet their needs with lots of activity, excitement, work, and fun. Keeping your Aussie engaged with a variety of positive activities will help calm them down and keep them away from negative activities.
Taking the time to know your dog individually provides knowledge that can help a pet parent shape their life, so the dog feels calm at the end of the day.
It can help the pet parent provide activities in their day that stimulate their mind and body while engaging their curious side and tiring out their bodies with work and playtime.
If a pet parent knows their Australian Shepherd, they will be able to anticipate their needs, respond to them in ways that enrich their lives, and live in harmony with them.
Most often, pet parents of a like mind, who enjoy new adventures and being active, will be best suited to this task as they are like-minded.
Changing things up often can be helpful for pet parents with an Australian Shepherd as this can keep things interesting.
Offering some outside work followed by some fun playtime during a break, and more work, then an adventure trip to the park or the store can keep interest and excitement high for your dog.
This excitement and enthusiasm for life will transition into tiredness at the end of the day, but it will need to be a lot since this breed is highly active.
That is one of the reasons why work is such a good activity. Giving them occupations around the home can keep them busy, give them purpose and exhaust them while the pet parent gets something done.
How Can I Entertain My Aussie Inside The House?
One great job for a dog that loves to work is the “Find It” game. This breed can learn the names of certain household items and learn to find them around the house when they are trained to do so. Find the newspaper, find the leash, find “Sarah,” find the dog treats. The possibilities are endless and as diverse as each family.
Dogs of any breed can learn to clean up after themselves, and they can also learn to do pest control. Herding dogs like the Australian Shepherd will be driven by instinct to herd.
This should be channeled as much as possible because if not, they will do it anyway, which might end up being annoying or hurtful to others in the family.
Your Australian Shepherd could herd the other animals into the kitchen when it is time to eat a meal or locate the family members and herd them to a specific spot for a meeting or other activity.
With this type of occupation, the Australian Shepherd is not encouraged to nip or bite, which they have been known to do when they herd livestock.
This breed loves to do tricks, so teaching them to do tricks can give them a job to do when guests come to the house.
They can be a part of the entertainment committee while the pet parent brings out food or does other things.
There is also the possibility of training your Australian Shepherd to pull a cart of other outdoor equipment, but it is important to make sure that it isn’t too heavy for them and won’t hurt by this activity.
By using small wagons, they can pull a wagon of lightly packed plants to be placed in an outdoor garden, or they could carry things in the house from the car.
It is even possible to use light indoor equipment that they can pull to help you move items around the house.
The possibilities are endless as long as the Australian Shepherds’ physical safety and abilities are considered first.
They naturally love to work, and by providing them with a job to do it will naturally help them calm down and feel calmer not only at the end of the day but also during the day’s activities.
Calming Your Australian Shepherd Down
In order for a dog to calm down, they need to have their needs met so they can feel content. This is especially true for dog breeds like the Australian Shepherd with abundant energy to expel daily.
Provide them with what they need, and they will feel content and happy. This will naturally transition into being more calm and relaxed, even for the overly energetic Australian Shepherd.