It is important to know when a border collie is an adult to be able to give your dog the care it needs, depending on its age and the stage it is in. Puppies and adult dogs have different nutritional, emotional and social needs, which we must know and adapt to. To explain when a border collie is an adult, we will review the different stages of its life and their characteristics.
Life stages of the border collie
Newborn
The first three weeks of a border collie’s life correspond to the neonatal stage. Babies are totally dependent on their mother: they need to be fed, cleaned, stimulated to relieve themselves and given warmth and protection. These days will be crucial for the puppies to grow up healthy and strong.
In the third week they begin to open their eyes and listen. From now on they will gain confidence and autonomy and will not be so dependent on their mother. At 20-25 days after birth, border collies will be curious and will explore their surroundings, but still with maternal help. In this first stage we can begin to establish contact with the puppy, in short periods of time and with great care, to accustom it to our hands and improve early socialization.
Socialization of the border collie
From the third week to three months, puppies start playing, chewing and inspecting everything they find. When the border collie is about a month or a month and a half old, it is time for socialization. This is the most important and decisive part in the dog’s life, it will depend on him to grow up without fears, with a good character and with a good relationship with people and animals. You must expose your puppy to all possible situations that may occur in the future: different environments, strangers, cars, noises, other dogs… everything you can think of. In this way you will prevent him from developing fears as an adult and you will get him to have an unbeatable character.
Border collie puppy and adolescent
Between 7 and 9 months the border collie puppy reaches sexual maturity. It is a complicated and changing stage in which the dog is interested in everything, wants to explore, has a lot of energy and requires attention and education. As in humans, it is the most rebellious age and we must offer stimulation, exercise and entertainment to avoid inappropriate behaviors.
Adult Border collie
Medium-sized dogs, such as the border collie, become adults between a year and a year and a half. At this time the dog undergoes physical and psychological changes: their sexuality and character are fully developed and they stop growing, reaching their adult size and weight; on the other hand, their desire to play and explore is reduced, their nerves and energy diminish and they become bored more quickly.
When a border collie is an adult, you should change the puppy food progressively, mixing it for a week. The puppy food formula is higher in calories and has more energy so that they can develop and grow strong and healthy. If we change the food before time, it can damage the growth and present future diseases in their bones and joints; at the same time, if we feed the adult border collie with the puppy food, it will get an overfeeding and will put on weight.
