My little guy is almost 7 months and just refuses to settle down and sleep at night. He gets extremely hyper in the evening. Seems that even with a mile long walk and play with toys he's still full of energy. Currently he is sleeping in his travel crate which he seems to like better. It's just getting extremely hard to get him tired lately. How can I get him to settle down at night and go to bed better?
What kind of activities do you do in a normal day? And when do you walk and play with him? I would experiment with the timings on everything from walks to feeding and I would not do any exciting play like tug or fetch or similar at night. At night I would let him do things that tire him more mentally, like learning new tricks, nose work or an activity toy/game. Maybe try and give him something to chew or lick when you want him to settle down, because that is soothing and relaxing.
Sounds like a bored puppy. You need to do more activities with him. A mile long walk is not long enough. Especially if he is not getting much exercise or activity during the day.
Since there are tons of threads about bored and under-exercised dogs (and how to fix it), I am going to close this one. Feel free to read up on existing threads and continue the conversation there if needed. :)
Casey, with Bella and Nola, hanging out in the mountains of Virginia. I Wander, I Ride