I have a crazy, 16month old GSD.  He is totally 'on' constantly.  He has basic obedience and attends classes but he has the concentration of a gnat!  He gets major over-excited by anything and everything from the other dogs to the kids and he bounces about like a loon, bashing everyone and jumping over the little dogs.
I'm trying to teach him to 'settle' indoors but have no idea how to keep him calm?  Does anyone have any clues?
He gets plenty exercise (he runs with me) and gets off-leash running so it's not an 'energy' thing but I really need to work this boy's brain.
Please help before he wrecks my home!

Apart from games to teach him to make him use his mind, like hiding a favourite toy or treats and teaching him to find then, what about simply things that will take some time to eat? That way he is lying down (hopefully calmly and quietly) while eating them. I coat the inside of a kong with beef dripping, my youngster will literally spend hours trying to get every last bit out. I also have puzzle balls and treat balls but they last 10 minutes max. a marrow bone is good for an hour or more.

Could he be getting too much exercise, making him hyper? What food is he on? That's the two obvious things I would think of to start with. I had a friend whose GSD bitch never settled indoors, it made you dizzy just to watch her, and she clearly did over exercise her. But having said that, can I just say SNAP -except mine is a 4 year old spayed Malinois bitch, and I can't remember seeing her lay down in her entire life.......She never settles indoors, well I suppose she does at some point during the night, but not other than that. And she is raw fed etc, it's just the way she is. She does concentrate on my cats though -a bomb could go off and it's still ALL she is interested in. Her two litter sisters are completely different to her. We always say I named her correctly by calling her Dot as she is utterly dotty.....

Some dogs can be this way as a means to gain attention, they don't get any attention for being quiet and resting, but get loads of it for their ott antics, even if it is negative attention, for some, that's better than no attention at all.

In my case we've ignored it for years, but yes it is a good point.

Hmm, no for the exercise, I would say.  Upping the exercise is a recent thing cos I don't know what else to do.  But lead walking tends to tire him more than off-lead.  Obedience class seems to tire him more which is why I think I need to work his brain? Physically he is getting plenty but needs more mentally?
He has been fed a crappy dry diet until very recently when he has been switched to raw.
He seems to want someone to wrestle with (puppy like play?) and is trying to tempt the girls and the old cat into play, which is getting him into bother as he is quite rough with his playing and unintentionally hurts everyone so we are stopping this behaviour with everyone including the animals.
He is just a hug daft pup!
He has a good 'leave' and will stop immediately when told and slopes off all sheepish so I don't think he's looking for the attention.  Because I am doing so much training with him at the min, he is maybe wanting the opposite from me!lol  A bit of peace!
I'm sure I watched a Victoria Stilwell program a while back and she was working with a dog with SA and she taught the dog to self-settle on a bed? Can anyone remember how she started this? Was it a command? Or did she just feed on the bed and ignore for a period?  This is the kind of thing I'm thinking.
Also, we tried to get him to find things last night to hilarious results!! Poor boy had no clue what I wanted and I think I may have made the game too hard for him!!lol  Suppose I expected the 'spaniel' in him to come out but he's only a GSD! :)  Basically, if the rag was further than the end of my finger, he couldn't see if and desparate to please me, he got all over-excited and jumpy instead.  Was fun though and I'll say that for him, he's got barrel-loads of fun and personality!

Kikopup has a couple of good vids for this.  It's easier to show you than try to describe it :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesm2OpE_2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oeOUZ8kls

What about a brain training toy ?.
I think your right in that he needs his brain worked, rather than his body.

Have a look at Talking Dogs Scent Work Starter Kit, very simple to follow.

Could he be getting too much exercise, making him hyper? What food is he on? That's the two obvious things I would think of to start with.

These are areas I'd explore too.   And get him into a more structured day - a time for him, and a time that's NOT for him.   Concentrating on getting his needs sorted out first!!   A tired dog is usually easier to live with.   And it's true that sometimes a dog gets used to you reacting as far as exercise goes.   When my husband was 'between jobs' at one point, he started taking our lot off after lunch.   Once he got back to work, obviously that ended, and I wasn't available to take over either.   Result - they were looking for that walk for some time, until the realised it wasn't coming!!

We also had one, who we called Havoc (big mistake!!) and havoc she was.   We were into H -names at the time although she was registered as Emily.   In the end, as she was stirring everybody up, the final nail in the coffin for her was when she came into season and had to be confined.   Nightmare.   She was bought in as a show/brood so spaying wasn't on the agenda.   Eventually, for the sake of the others if not my sanity, I made the hard decision to home her with some people who had one of our puppies, and who fell in love with her.   Clearly she needed more individual attention than I could give within our small pack because she settled in with her companion and new family just fine.

I have taught my dog to 'settle down' on a command, but this was when she was a tiny pup and first came home with me. I imagine it would work with an older pup.
When she was naturally lying down and about to go off to sleep (took a bit of patience waiting for the right moment), I would say 'settle down, good girl, settle down' several times as she was dozing off to sleep. Now I can tell her to go and settle down and she will, although she gives me a long look as if saying 'do you really mean that'.
It might be worth a try with your lively pup.

Mental games do tire a pup out more then long runs, so worth pursuing. Perhaps some training and then follow it up with the settle down training afterwards. Timing is everything with this initially so he understands that he is supposed to lie down and doze off (hopefully).

I know what you mean.  My nearly 2 years old collie just comes wide awake in the evenings when we want to chill out and watch tv.  It is learnt behaviour I think.   When he was small I used to do things with him to keep him occupied and stop him going off and weeing over things or chewing. Now he thinks that going into the sitting room with the tv is play time and he tries his best to get our attention.  He will settle for a while depending on how much his brain has been used during the day but then he is up and dropping his toy dripping with saliva as usual into our laps.  Or leaping up beside us and staring into our faces.  If he really won't settle down I take him out - I refuse to play with him when I want him to settle.   I have only got to come to my computer instead and he just chills out.  The other day we had visitors and he just wouldn't settle - he kept taking his ball to my friend and being an absolute nuisance.  I put him in his crate and he immediately switched off.   That is the secret - the switch off button - finding it!   I tried Emily Larlham's settle down method when he was small - put him on the lead but he only chewed and worried and tugged on the lead - it just made him worse.  I have tried t-touch when he has been particularly hyper after training - which worked, but on an ordinary day the only thing that works is to take him out of the room - I have offered him chewing things but he now isn't bothered, he just drops them and leaves them for Meg.  - He bothers her too - goes up and sniffs her bottom trying to get her up and playing.   He can be a devil dog in the evenings!   But when he does chill he is the cuddliest dog around :-)   I like to do some hide and seek around the home to tire his brain if the weather has been bad.   Then try to settle down.

My last GSD never settled, he was even worse away from our house. When we started caravanning, I left him in the car in the evening, he would settle in there, but was terrible in the van. He 'whittled' as I called it. Even when he got older, when he settled, it was under my feet and the second I moved, he was up. Have you thought about agility? My GSD loved it. After 12 yrs with a dog reactive GSD, sadly no longer with us, I now have a standard poodle. Very different to a GSD, he can settle, but he also prefers to play with other dogs, more than me! No dog is perfect. I would put him in the kitchen and try to give him time alone. Use a kong, or one of the toys that dispenses food. I also used to leave large marrow bones, Zak also loved a plastic milk carton with a couple of dog biscuits in, obviously supervise any chewing though. Also, children wind dogs up too, I see a big difference when my grandchildren visit. I would also start and ignore him if you can. Give him attention on your terms, not his. 

Could you look to get him on working trials classes or scent work classes? Something which an active GSD is likely to enjoy.

Amazing - after moaning about my youngster earlier he has been good as gold this evening.   I wish I knew the magic formula but I don't think today has been any different to yesterday. 

Nikita, those vids were great. OK, maybe a bit obvious but they really help when you are 'stumped' but you really know the answers.  They've made a huge difference already.  I've been using the 'treat' method when he is sleeping/calm on his bed and he knows already.  I've also put a stop to the 'racing' through the house.  Basically, if I leave the room, all the dogs follow me(downstairs) which isn't a bother but he seems to speed things up and it ends up a rabble.  Now, when he starts to do this, I just stop dead and say 'calm'.  The 'entourage' disperse and things are much settled. :)
Also, consistantly using the leave command while out walking is working too.  He's not herding so much with a solid leave command and it makes walks much more enjoyable.
All in all, he's a very clever boy.  He's picking up so many commands literally straight away.
I think I will look into getting some agility equipment for us to use.  The nearest club is quite a bit away.  I fancy the working trials too.