11 month American Bulldog, great temperment he has. His energy level is very high. Trying to solve an issue of me and or family trying to sit and watch tv or chat he seems to ALWAYS want to play, bark and generaly roughhouse. He does get plenty of excersise. Like now I am on my laptop and he is sitting here barking at me. He listens very well with all his commands, sit stay,come,down. Just seems not to want us to relax...am I making sence? I put him in his crate and 80% of the time he then calms down. But I dont want to have to keep him in there while the family and I are here ......thanks for your help!

I bought several of the books on training Ed recommends. The most detailed and instructive book is "The Thinking Dog" by Gail Tamases Fisher. In her appendices she supplies information on a number of websites.
In general you can reward silence and reward the desired behavior of your dog. Time out in a crate is not a bad thing either. I too have a problem with barking and playing in the house with my dogs and the crate gives me a solution while I'm working up training strategy based on my reading. What I haven't done yet is get either dog trained on the "Place" command and Ed has a discussion on one of his videos on this. I get some relief on the down command and stay command.

I highly suggest the "place" or "go to your bed" command. Personally I think "stay" tends to get overused and thus under-corrected when it is broken. (when the dog breaks the stay) The "place" is taught to included maintaining the designated spot (bed, crate, etc), but not necessarily the position (sit/down/stand, etc). Plus - if you are putting him in a down/stay to get him out of your hair you are probably frustrated and the dog knows it. He will then begin to associate the frustration w/ the stay.

You need to teach him to amuse himself. The kong toys are great but also teach him where to get his toys, name them, teach him to put them back. Even if you are putting him in his crate to calm him down, he is probably just calming b/c he has no other option. It's kind of like that person that gets on his phone and starts sending random text messages b/c he strives to receive some interaction, then the battery dies so he has no choice but to put the phone down.

He is pestering you b/c he is bored. He doesn't know what to do w/ himself.

You said he gets plenty of exercise. What about direction (mental exercise) and introduction to new commands? Same old ones, but from a distance...with your back to him, in a different environment, out of sight, etc. Does he ever get to play with other dogs? They really need this type of interaction.

 Quote: tom allen

I put him in his crate and 80% of the time he then calms down. But I dont want to have to keep him in there while the family and I are here ......thanks for your help!

Repeat after me. The crate is your friend; the crate is his sanctuary. You can always move the crate into the area the family is in and you can all relax together. If all his needs are met then time in his crate is not a bad or irresponsible thing whether the family is home or not. You have a puppy; he needs constant supervision; he also needs boundaries and direction on what is appropriate house behavior. In my opinion the crate is a tool beyond compare; used appropriately it makes for a happier dog and owner.

Maybe I'm reading your post wrong but I was picking up that you don't feel right about crating him when you're home because he is crated when you are gone?

I agree work on the place command and I don't think there is anything wrong with the crate being the "place".

Now to ensure he is getting the proper exercise and mental stimulation; what does his typical day consist of?

Thanks for the help guys/gals. His Kennel is in our family room. I guess I do feel alittle guilty about crating him while we are at home. I do get frustrated at the time I put him in his kennel. Never thought of it before that he is picking up on that. I will try give him some more commands to work his mind. Any suggestiond on some things to do to work his mind? Typical day would go something like this:
7am feeding out to go potty
Noonish kids let him out to go potty and let him play for awhile in house (under supervision)
Back in crate from 2pm ish till 4pm ish. Out to potty aroung 4pm and left to roam house (under supervision). I come home 5pm and feed him. Shortly after I feed he goes for a 1.5-2 mile walk/run. Back home he is let to roam around in house under my supervision till 9:30 10pm then its bed time.

When do you work or train your dog? I can't tell from your post. If you want relatively inexpensive advice, get The Thinking Dog book I recommended. Plenty of clicker training links in that book that you'll find very helpful. Go to the link for Michael Ellis school and listen to his lectures. If you spend more money, then get Ed's latest video with Micheal Ellis. He's got lots of videos for sale, but the latest one I think is the best of the five I've purchased. Train your dog every day. And the suggestion about the place command others have made is dead on target.

 Quote: george yingling

... get Ed's latest video with Micheal Ellis. ....

I'm with you, George, except that for a beginner marker-trainer, I'd recommend this purchase first: http://leerburg.com/219.htm

And I am also 100% with you, George, on daily fun training.

Even if the O.P. has only a few minutes, a little basic ob with markers can be done, and, in fact, will leave the dog really wanting more. Short frequent sessions are best! If you have 5 minutes, you have the time for a basic ob session.

Just get some high-value rewards and start! In fact, if you want some beginner training while you wait for a book or video, there are a couple of threads here (at least a couple!) that we can point you to that will get you started, from loading the marker to teaching the "sit." (Re-teaching with markers is a VERY GOOD THING. I promise that you will not regreat going back and brushing up every basic ob command using markers, and the dog will loooooove it.)

Also:

 Quote: Angela Palance

... What about direction (mental exercise) and introduction to new commands? Same old ones, but from a distance...with your back to him, in a different environment, out of sight, etc.

Depending on the individual dog, you may find that you want to do the power walk first so the dog is not over-the-top bursting with energy for his ob training. (OTOH, I have a senior whose energy level is perfect for training sessions before his physical exercise.)

 Quote: Tom Allen

Shortly after I feed he goes for a 1.5-2 mile walk/run.

I walk my dogs about 4 to 5 miles a day for about an hour and half or two. It is harder to keep up with my dogs at first, but after a long walk or jog, they were able to slow down with their pace. Soon as we get home, they are hanging their tongues out and relaxing nearby a water bowl on tile floor.

From all I'm reading, I'm going to guess the dog is bored.

AND...so I'm not misleading, there is nothing wrong with utilizing the crate for some quiet time. Even if I only have 5 hours with my dogs after work, they're still going back to their crates to eat and rest afterward.

Try making the crating in the evening more as a preventative (with reward) rather than once you've already become frustrated.

On Sundays I get off when it's still daylight so I take them with me to get Mexican take-out. The ppl love talking to them and they get to practice some manners and socializing.

Other times I've taken my dog w/ me after work for a drink and snack. The restaurant/bar has a patio we (w/ my coworkers) sit at. No one else really comes out to the patio since it's so hot still (Houston). But... they get to see/hear ppl and practice their table manners. It has done wonders for my foster who was fearful at night.

And something I suggest to my students - don't just take them on the same ol' walk. Throw them in the car, drive a few streets away and then walk. You don't have to walk longer to go new places. I like to do a lot of obed practice on the walk. I love watching my neighbors cringe when I put them in a stay and walk away! (of course e-collar in hand and after I've scoped out the surroundings.)

Oh, you might want to change up your evening routine if you notice him being restless after the walk.

Try taking him just to potty, crate, then walk, then free time b4 bed.