When Will My Puppy Calm Down?

Although puppies are small, they possess lots of energy. From following you everywhere to waking you up at the early hours of the morning to using your clothes as a chew toy – puppy energy may seem endless. 

As cute as your furry friend is, you might have wondered at some point, ‘When will my puppy calm down?‘ 

All puppies are different, but there are common factors that influence when they eventually settle down and become less hyper all the time. 

Before we get into these factors, we need to understand why puppies are so energetic in the first place. 

Why Do Puppies Have So Much Energy?

As puppies grow up, they go through growth spurts. These growth spurts come with lots of energy that needs to be let out. This leads to lots of running, barking, jumping, and all the other playful actions your puppy gets up to. 

Another reason why puppies have so much energy is that they are curious about the world around them. Puppies love exploring their surroundings and seeing where their curious little minds take them next. 

Now that we know why our furry friends have so much energy let’s take a look at some of the factors that influence when they will calm down. 

Factors That Influence When Puppies Calm Down

There are many factors that influence when puppies start to settle down, such as age, gender, breed, and training. Let’s take a deeper look at each of these factors.

Age

As your puppy gets older, they will lose some of that energy they once had. Dogs that are older are better able to control their excitement than younger pups. This is a natural part of their maturity. 

Once they begin to mature, puppies learn and understand how to act around people and other dogs.

Gender

On average, female dogs finish growing before males. Females have been shown to mature at a quicker rate than males as well. This is not always the case, though. 

Once puppies finish growing, they stop getting those growth spurts that we discussed previously. Without all those growth spurts, they become calmer and begin to relax more often. 

Since female puppies usually finish growing before males, they may start settling down before males.

Breed

Typically, smaller breeds of dogs reach full maturity before larger breeds. Small breeds usually stop growing after 10-12 months, while medium breeds take about 12-15 months. Large breeds take longer to finish growing, usually 16-18 months. Extra-large breeds can take anywhere between 18-24 months before they finish growing. So, the smaller the puppy, the sooner they will lose that young pup energy. 

Training

Puppies do not know what ‘calm’ means. Calm is something that needs to be taught to them. This is where training comes in. Training your puppy to behave properly is an important part of keeping them calm. One of the best ways to train your puppy to be calm is through impulse control training. The ‘not calm’ behaviors of puppies are usually just a lack of impulse control.

An energetic puppy may seem like a lot to handle sometimes, but keep in mind an active pup is a healthy pup! 

While there is no definite answer as to when puppies calm down, training will always help put them on the right path. 

Most importantly, have fun with your energetic puppy because they deserve it – and you do too!