If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're currently staring at a puppy who should be exhausted but is instead bouncing off the walls like they just drank six espressos. I remember those evenings vividly. My Golden Retriever puppy would be perfectly fine one moment—calm, sweet, almost angelic—and then 8 PM would hit and suddenly she was a tiny landshark with no off switch. She'd tear through the house, bite my sleeves, bark at nothing, and absolutely refuse to settle. I'd think, "How is this dog still not tired? We went on two walks today." Turns out, I was asking the wrong question. The real question wasn't "How do I tire her out more?" It was "How do I help her wind down?" Nap time preparation games are short, low-energy mental activities you do with your puppy right before they go down for a nap. They work because mental exertion tires a puppy's brain more efficiently than physical exercise alone. The goal ...