At What Age Do Australian Shepherds Calm Down?

Adopting our Australian Shepherd was a lot of fun. To start, Aussies are some of the cutest puppies you’ll ever find. They have beautiful coats and striking eyes that will have you going “Awww” non-stop.

On top of that, these are playful, curious, and smart dogs that never cease to entertain. But since our family is used to owning dogs, we expected our Aussie to eventually calm down after a couple of months. But that never happened.

In fact, we actually thought that our pooch got even more hyper as they got older.

This got us wondering what age Australian Shepherds usually start calming down.

And when doing the research, we found a lot of helpful information that we’re sharing with you today. This article will find out when your Australian Shepherd will start calming down, along with a couple of tips to manage their energy levels.

So, before we do that, we first have to figure out why Australian Shepherds are so hyper in the first place.

Why Is My Aussie So Hyper?

To understand why your Aussie is so hyper, you need to take a look at the breed’s history. Despite the name, Australian Shepherds actually originated in the Basque region of Spain before people brought them to Australia and the United States.

Originally, these canines were bred as working dogs. Since they were naturally intelligent herding animals, breeders chose dogs that would function better in the fields. This is why most modern Australian Shepherds have a ton of energy to keep them going all day.

Your Aussie isn’t weird if they are hyper. In fact, it would be concerning if you adopted an Aussie, and it wasn’t hyper at all.

So, don’t get mad or annoyed if your Aussie is acting really hyper; this is their natural state. They can’t help but have a lot of energy, and it’s your responsibility as a pet owner to figure out the different ways to manage this energy.

Why Aussies Remain Hyper for Longer

Have you ever noticed that puppies are more playful than adult dogs?

Well, this is present in most dogs, and it’s crucial to their development. And while most dogs only stay in their hyper puppy stages for a couple of months. However, Aussies are different. You may not know about these dogs because they actually stay in puppyhood for much longer than other breeds. For most breeds, puppyhood only lasts 18 months. But many Aussies remain in puppyhood until they are around two years old, which is the only time they may start calming down.

How Old Are Australian Shepherds When they Calm Down?

Before you start wondering what age your Australian Shepherd has to be to start calming down, your first need to understand what calming down actually means. If you’re expecting the dog to calm down and be as relaxed as large breeds like St. Bernards, you’re going to be let down.

Aussies remain pretty hyper for most of their lives. This is because they are bred this way. Generally, a dog’s energy level starts to level out when they reach adulthood, which is around 2 years for an Australian Shepherd.

However, it’s important to remember that not all dogs calm down when they reach adulthood. While most dogs won’t be as hyper as they were as puppies, they will still be pretty active, seeing as Aussies were bred to have a lot of energy.

So, if your Aussie has reached adulthood and hasn’t calmed down, you can expect them to be like this for most of their lives. Instead of waiting for them to chill out, your best bet is to follow some practices that can help you and your dog manage their energy levels.

Tips on Managing Your Aussie’s Energy Levels

Here are some of the things you can do to manage your Aussie’s energy:

Regular Exercise

Your Aussie needs a lot of exercises. If they aren’t getting exercise and using their energy, your Aussie could become even more hyper. This is why we highly recommend taking your Aussie out on regular long walks that will benefit both your and your dog’s health.

Proper Diet

You need to make sure you feed your Aussie the right food. Generally, they need a lot of high-quality dog food with animal protein, fatty acids, and other nutrients to sustain their lifestyle. Remember that Spot & Tango is one of the best dog foods for Australian Shepherds out there, if you want to give it a try. However, if you feed your dog too much, it could also have too much energy.

This is why you need to build your dog’s diet around their lifestyle, breed, tastes, and personality.

Space & Entertainment

Lastly, you need to make sure your Aussie has lots of space and entertainment that keeps them away from boredom. You can give them a backyard to run around in with a lot of toys they can use to entertain themselves throughout the day, which is the go-to method for a lot of Aussie owners.