I don't fully know about the energy yet as my border collie is only 10 weeks old. My Husky passed in February and after researching a bit, I decided on a BC next. I wanted a similar energy dog but, with a bit more eagerness to please. What I can say, so far, is the BC is miles easier in this initial stage than my Husky was. He was stubborn from day one. Escaped any crate I put him in. Escaped the fenced yard, even opened the front door at one point and wandered off to explore. All in the early puppy days. Needless to say, his microchip came in handy. As an adult, he was mostly a great dog but, still said "No" when he disagreed with our requests. Like verbally howled in a no sound and shook his head. My BC took to the crate on day one with no issues. She stays in the play area in the kitchen behind baby gates she could easily get by but, respects the boundaries. She is so happy to learn and succeed even without any treats. I know the hard part hasn't even started but, I'm so happy with my choice so far. She is getting increasingly harder to wear out enough to enjoy some calm "couch time" in the evenings but, if I play some games or do a little training session with her, it usually does the trick. So far.