Puppies are adorable, but they can also be a little crazy at times, especially at an early age. When do puppies calm down? They do so when they get older and start to feel more comfortable with their surroundings. There is no set time period for when this will happen, as some dogs may grow out of it sooner than others.
There’s no magic number for when puppies calm down. The answer has to do more to do with how your puppy lives and interactions than an exact age range. The Emerald office dog only really calmed down at about 1.5 or 2 years old and all that energy was exhausting.
He got a little calmer at about 6 months and again at 1 year old. It’s not unusual for owners to start to wonder after a few weeks of bringing the pup home when he or she will start to mellow out. But once he’s about 1 to 1.5 years old, you’ve made it through the worst.
Table of Contents
Initial pointers on how to manage
There are some ways that can help keep your puppy calm, and calmer dog is more likely to learn and train well as well. A hyper puppy is not!
A bored puppy is also a naughty puppy so you will need plenty of mental stimulation. In the puppy phase, most puppies will want to test their boundaries, so it is important to teach your puppy (and other family members also) where it stands in the pack and what are unwanted behaviors.
Puppies learn by watching others and by being calmer, so physical exercise is important, as is positive reinforcement of puppy training, starting with basic obedience; with a few basic commands puppies begin to understand who’s boss. That doesn’t lower their energy levels, but it does make your furry friend easier to control!
Many choose to crate train their dogs, although it is important to keep that training up or they will forget. Of course, the same goes for house training too.
Breed
Some breeds, such as border collies, are known to have higher energy levels. Smaller dogs mature much faster than larger dogs. Adolescence in small breeds starts as early as 5 months, while larger dogs can start as late as 9 to 10 months. If your dog is from a breed that is known to be working dogs or sporting dogs, you should automatically expect that your dog will always have a higher energy level compared to those of other dogs in order to be more energy-controlled.
At What Age Do Puppies Calm Down?
High energy levels are to be expected, but at what age do puppies start to calm down? Most puppies will start to settle around the 6-12 months mark. Exuberance will diminish as they approach their senior years, which is anywhere from five to seven years old. Just like us, dogs will always be kids at heart: Puppies always will always show excitement, playfulness, and high spirits may appear throughout their lives.
How Puppy Energy Levels Change
All dogs will follow a similar growth pattern through the puppy stages. As they do through puppy stages, you may notice an evolution in their energy levels. Here is what you can expect as they mature in the puppy stage. All this of course depends on each dog, so it is important to pay attention to them, and to discourage and unwanted behavior or bad behavior.
Ages 10 to 16 Weeks
Puppies at this age go from being the perfect little angel to a pup who tests the boundaries by biting and sometimes disobeying you. During this stage, it is imperative that you consistently work on training your pooch to obey commands. Teething is also when their teeth get too itchy that they start chewing on everything they see, so get some chew toys. Puppies will lose their first set of teeth around this age as well as losing their first pair of teeth. You will also have to start cracking down on any misbehavior such as going into trash cans and tearing up things inside the house.
Sex
Females are known to mature pretty quickly. Most are ready to have babies by the time they are six to nine months old. Males, on the other hand, take a bit longer. By maturity, we mean their energy levels and their reproductive capability. Females generally mature a bit more quickly compared to males. There’s also spaying and neutering to consider, we’ll get into that more later. We’ll get to that later in the day. We want to talk about spaying, neutering and other things we need to look at when a dog is spayed and neutered.
Ages 1 to 2 Years
By now you have conquered most of the challenges of puppyhood. As long as you play with your dog, you have a great relationship with your family and your dog. If you want to have your dog grow up you will be more mature and more relaxed, your puppy will be able to grow up to her age of two or three years old in a year or less of two years. Your dog will soon be growing up to the age of three and it will get better and learn to play with other dogs in a significantly calmer and easier fashion.
Exercise
A puppy won’t go for long walks but they still need to burn off energy with regular exercise. Playtime around a yard can be enough to do this, however, there is still a benefit to walking your puppy as part of its daily exercise. If you can’t walk them then make sure their mischievous eye is directed towards a good puppy toy so that their frustrations are released in a constructive and non-destructive way. The endorphins which are released from having fun and being outdoors are released by playing with your dog.
Crate Training
Many owners view the crate as a form of punishment, but it doesn’t have to be. Your puppy’s crate is going to become a haven. It is a place for naptimes, breaks, and other activities. It’s the perfect place for puppies to feel independent, safe, and calm. It also gives you a tool to instill routine into your puppy’s life. The crate is an excellent tool for puppy owners. It gives them a quiet area of their own to calm down and relax.
Conclusion
Every dog is different, so don’t wish your puppy time away. Give some of our calming tips a try. It’ll make a world of difference for your overly-excited puppy. Each stage of a puppy’s life brings new challenges and challenges, but don’t wish their time away but do actively give them everything they need to grow up properly.
Calmer Puppy FAQs
What age are puppies most hyper?
Ages 10 to 16 Weeks
Puppies are adorable at this age, but their behavior starts to change they start biting objects and get excited. During this stage, it is important to consistently train a pup to do what is expected.
Around this age, puppies will “pop their teeth” and gradually lose a set of teeth as they grow more. They cannot understand that chewing on things or destroying things is not acceptable behavior yet so it may cause frustration with you when they do these types of actions.
How do you calm down a hyper puppy?
There are some techniques you can try to calm an over-stimulated puppy, some more effective than others. Using a holistic approach will be the best method of tackling a puppy who is out of control.
The following tactics can be used to gain control of your crazy pup. The “Place” command is one of the best tools we dog owners have, and is highly underrated.
It can be used when you require your puppy to leave the situation. Whether it’s cooking in the kitchen, when a visitor comes over, or when they need to settle down.
There’s no set amount of time that a dog needs to settle in. Every dog is different and will require individual attention.
The general rule, however, is that your puppy should get about 5 minutes of exercise per month of age 3 times per day until he’s fully grown. But this isn’t a hard and fast rule and some puppies will need much more.
Inquire about the best amount of exercise for your pup with your veterinarian. Working their brains can help curb unwanted behavior.
Don’t use crate training to calm your dog though – the crate needs to be a place of rest and relaxation, not somewhere to curb puppy energy or any high energy behaviour.
Other mind games will also help with mental development – and they will need a great deal of that!
How long does the hyper puppy stage last?
The age of your puppy is a good indicator in regards to his energy level.
As they approach adolescence, majority of puppies have a lot more energy and can be very rambunctious! Some puppies are high-energy from the time they’re born, while other develop this trait as they get older. The pup who has been well trained with obedience training will seem naturally calm later in life.
Newborn to 10 Weeks
When puppies are first born, they need a lot of help from their mamas. They’re essentially helpless and won’t be able to do much on their own! A puppy’s eyes typically take about 10 to 14 days to open.
They can’t hear anything either—a puppy’s hearing doesn’t usually develop until they’re about 14 to 18 days old. When they are this young and away from the nest, a dog will stay calm because of their lack of stimulation out in the world.
As your puppy gets older, he will go from being completely helpless to a little critter who can walk around. They’ll have more energy and get into trouble! That’s why early socialization and physical stimulation are important in the next stage of puppy development but you can work now to start calming them and making them realise that calm is the way forward for any breed.
10 Weeks to 16 Weeks
Your puppy may still be a sweet, tiny little angel up until this point. But once they hit about 10 to 16 weeks (depending on breed), you’ll see a lot more energy and testing of boundaries.
Everything is still very new to your pup at this stage, but he’s learning how everything works by ramping up his understanding and testing your patience!
When it comes to training, patience is key. A puppy’s attention span is usually short, so you must make their training time fun and give them frequent rewards. A dog’s life is full of adventure and so you need to think about how to keep them amused and therefore out of trouble.
16 Weeks to 6 Months
You may be surprised to learn that your puppy has a lot of energy at this point in his life. But don’t despair – he is also starting to socialize with other dogs!
This is really great, because now you can teach him how it’s done as well. When we get your dog back from the vet all vaccinated this is the time for most dogs to start socialisation and meeting other dogs, all types of people etc. It is up to you as the owner to manage their boundless energy with lots of meetings, stimulation and giving your puppy lots of love.
When your pup reaches this stage, you’ll start to notice their personality more. Watch for any signs of aggression. If they’re showing these tendencies early on, be sure to stop them before they grow up! It is important to call out bad behavior as soon as it comes up with your puppy.
During this time, your puppy may go through something called a “fear period.” This is normal, and can sometimes last up to a month or so. Just make sure it doesn’t continue beyond that.
6 Months to 1 Year
By now, your puppy will have a strong grasp on his life and routine, but fortunately don’t count on him staying so energetic. You still need to spend plenty of time each day exercising him if you want to keep things manageable and remember to keep training him in lots of short sessions.
But don’t worry: by the time he is a year old, you will start to see him behave more calmly around people in general. Keep training and socializing your pup as much as possible to help with his behavior! As they get close to their first birthday, they tend to become less anxious
1 Year to 2 Years
Puppies often settle down in their “adolescent” years. Typically, this is between 12 to 18 months old.
Congrats! You made it through the worst of it, and you should find that your dog is significantly calmer now than he was earlier in his life.
You’re raising a well trained loving family member, so keep going.
Will my crazy puppy calm down?
The gaps between sleep can be tough for puppies! On average, they need about 18 to 20 hours of sleep every day to keep growing their healthy minds and bodies.
But during those few hours when they are awake, the puppy will act like there’s no end in sight. They’ll chew on things all over the house, run around endlessly and cause lovable chaos
A calm dog are last words you would use to describe your puppy!
Puppies are quite energetic and playful and a puppy’s energy levels will depend on the dog’s breed and the level of exercise – so find a dog park if you can as that will help with a high energy dog.
Big changes may take place as he grows up and changed into an adult dog, but when? You will find out together!
