What Age Do Boston Terriers Naturally Calm Down?

All that bouncing puppy energy in your Boston Terrier is a lot of fun…for a while….

But once they start to get a bit bigger, you may start to look forward to your Boston Terrier maturing and, hopefully, calming down some.

But when is the magical age when you can expect your Boston Terrier to naturally start to calm down?

What Age Do Boston Terriers Naturally Calm Down?

Boston Terriers naturally calm down sometime before reaching a year old or shortly after. This answer can be hard to determine as each dog is an individual with their own personality, temperament, and home environment.

Many factors can also play a role in determining at what age a Boston Terrier will naturally calm down. 

The puppy phase for every dog breed is riddled with a mixture of behaviors, some good, some hard to handle.

As a Boston Terrier puppy grows into adulthood, they go through various stages that can be challenging for the puppy to handle physically, emotionally, and mentally. 

These stages of puppyhood are normal and not something that should be changed.

Issues like teething can bring discomfort, making it hard for the Boston Terrier to settle down. 

The reproductive organs developing and the male or female Boston Terrier completely developing can also bring various behaviors and challenges.

Once the Boston Terrier is past those and other developmental milestones, sometime around nine months or older, they will naturally calm down.

For any dog to calm down, regardless of breeding, they need to mature and grow out of the puppy phase that has them curious about life, the world around them, and how they fit into it. 

Maturity doesn’t completely happen for a Boston terrier until they are about a year old.

Individuality is also a factor in maturity. 

Who the Boston Terrier is will determine how fast they grow out of the puppy phase and accept their adult dog life.

Even then, they might never completely be calm as Boston Terriers naturally have an overabundance of energy and zest for life.

Who the individual Boston Terrier is, makes up a huge part of maturity. 

As with humans, breeding only plays one part, and each dog will mature on its own timetable like children.

One of the best ways to help the process of maturity and naturally calming down for a Boston Terrier is to socialize them enough during this first year and begin obedience training as early in their life as possible.

Training is the basis for good behavior, and while there are many ways to provide obedience training, it should never be overlooked as a method for helping any dog learn to calm down.

Life is exciting and new, and the Boston Terrier is curious about the world when they are little. 

The problem is that when they are little, this behavior may be normal, but when they get older, it is not okay for them to act hyper and wild all the time.

Obedience training teaches them much like a human child learns things in school. 

This training teaches them what they can do and what they shouldn’t.

A professional trainer can do training if financing allows, but the parents don’t have time to do it themselves. 

However, a pet parent can obedience train their Boston Terrier at home if they are secure and confident that they are in charge.

The parent should be prepared for any setbacks and have a patient but no-nonsense attitude about the process of obedience training to be successful.

How can I help my Boston Terrier settle down?

How you can help your Boston Terrier settle down is to calm yourself down and create a calm household. 

If you notice that your Boston Terrier has had an especially busy day and they are wild and out of control, you can begin by creating a calm home.

This can mean reducing distractions, loud noises, and anything that does not feel calming to you.   

It can be hard at this point if you have also had a busy day or your dogs’ wildness is graining on your last nerve.

You can put on soothing music and provide your dog with a few treats and some soothing touch. 

Giving them a belly rub, sitting and petting them while reading, or watching a feel-good movie can be good for you both.

Calming down happens in stages for humans, and it’s the same thing for a Boston Terrier; just like you, they need gentle unwinding. 

Doing it together can be good for you both. 

If that is not possible, for instance, your dogs’ energy is stressing you out, take a few minutes to relax and unwind yourself away from the dog.

Once you are calm, you can create a home environment that will help your Boston Terrier calm down and spend some time helping them do that.

Like other dogs and even cats, pets thrive on our attention, so another part of this settle-down process is not to make eye contact. 

This lack of eye contact can be hard to do, but when your Boston Terrier is fired up and ready for more play or fun, the last thing you want to do is engage them.

Your eye contact can increase their energy because they may think you want to keep playing and having fun too. 

Therefore, it is helpful to share soothing moments with them, slow down, and not make eye contact.

It seems odd, to be sure, but casually handing them a few treats while you are getting yourself something, then sitting down on the couch with them but turning them away from you so they can’t look into your eyes will help.

You can talk to them in a soothing voice and share loving pets without making a big deal of it. The key is to be boring as if you were going to take a nap.

How long it will take to accomplish the task of settling your Boston Terrier down depends on the unique dog. 

It may take more than one try, and it may not happen at all on a given day with some dogs and situations.

At the very least, this time will provide you with a bit of settling down and self-soothing too.

Is it safe to give my Boston Terrier supplements to help them calm down?

It can be safe to give your Boston Terrier some supplements to help them calm down, but this must always be discussed with their veterinarian first.

Giving your Boston Terrier any supplement for any reason is not advised until their veterinarian has been consulted. 

Some supplements can make dogs sick; others can be harmful if taken with certain medications or if a dog has a preexisting health condition.

Final Thoughts

Boston Terriers are naturally full of energy, but calming the down is possible.

Usually, they calm down when they are around nine months to a year, but it depends on the individual dog.

Patience and understanding are important as a Boston Terrier grows into adulthood and expels puppy energy.

Eventually, the puppy phase will pass, and they will have some calm days. 

Accepting who your dog is and planning accordingly in the day is the first step in loving and accepting your dog into your life, even if they never calm down!