Sunday was so freaking hot outside. I mean, we're talking triple digits. Titan can't stand the heat. He would go out for 5-10 minutes and then want inside. The hubs wasn't outside long either so that didn't keep him outside. So he spent most of the day inside, lounging around. Yeah, a LOT of pent-up energy waiting to explode.
The hubs had a morning play session with him (bed wrestling) and I had a couple chasing, pulling game type play time with him, as well as his usual mini-walk around our property which takes about 10-15 minutes, depending on how many times we stop to pee, stare at something, etc.
So when it came time to go to bed, the KING of the house was not ready. We go to bed, the hubs had gone in earlier, and I thought all was going to be ok. All of a sudden, Titan is up in my face wanting to play. Yeah, try pushing this 80 lb'er out of your face. Oh yeah, it's LOTS of fun! NOT!
So several bouts with him egging me on to play with him in bed. THE HUBS IS TRYING TO SLEEP. Titan is like a child provoking another child. You've seen it. The usual kid touches other kid; kid yells "Mom he's touching me"; kid touches back kid; fight starts.
That's pretty much how this went for about 10 minutes last night. Titan kept nipping at me, provoking me, wanting my attention. Due to his underbite, his nips leave bruises. :( No biggy really. He's just a kid, right. So I put his ass outside, he knocks to come back in. I tell him "Nite nite" (this is our keyword). He knows it's time to go to bed.
Back to bed and he starts his provoking again. Argh! I keep a rolled up newspaper on my nightstand. I've never hit him with it but he associates that with Momma's mad, I better listen. So I grab it and motion with the newspaper for him to get his ass outside again. "Go run zoomies in the yard Titan and come back when you're ready for nite nite!"
He knocks again to come in. As we are walking from my back door (opposite end of the bedroom), I tell him. "If you continue to act up, you're going to sit outside the bedroom door!" Back to bed and he starts again! Wholly bejesus, really?
Got his ass outside the bedroom door. Now we have hardwood floors (big mistake with a clumsy oaf pit bull). We've had to lay rugs on the hardwood so he doesn't slip and fall or bust a leg or worse, his hips. (We've had too many gimp leg issues already). Back to the bedroom door....there is a new rug I put there so he won't slip when jumping off the bed and ZOOMING out the bedroom door.Aha! I park his ass on the rug. This is outside the bedroom door. I tell him "Sit" and he does. I tell him "Stay" and he does. A lil whimper. I head back into the bedroom and sit on the bed...watching him. He starts to come in. "STAY". He is disgruntled now, lays down on the rug outside the bedroom door and whimpers a lil. The whole time he is starring at me while I'm sitting on the bed and eventually make it under the covers.
I make him STAY there for 4 minutes. Then I tell him "Come." This is yet another keyword. Everything is about keyword/trigger words with Titan. It works well. He gets up and comes into the bedroom but instead of jumping up on his bed or onto my bed, he goes over to his "safe" spot by the bathroom and lays down on the floor. He looks up at me and I say "I love you, nite nite". O
Off to sleep he goes, the hubs goes, and me.....well I spend the rest of the night watching True Blood on HBO and then The Borgias on Showtime. :)
Point of my story is, Titan TRIED desperately to be the Alpha. He provoked, I pushed back. He provoked more, I pushed back again. Finally I got it RIGHT, and he understood his place. Now some might say, he should have listened from the git go. Umm, possibly BUT as a child will try new things with their parents; a dog will too especially if they want to be the Alpha of the house.
Unfortunately, there is only room for one Alpha Pack Leader in my house and that's ME! :)
On a good note, I am proud of the 4 minutes that Titan stayed where I wanted him to and didn't budge until I told him it was fine too. If you know anything about American Bulldogs (stubborn, hardheaded) and American Staffordshire Terriers (bullheaded, wannabe Alpha), plus the 80 lbs., then you know what I battle with at times. :)
I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love my baby boy! :)
Yes, its blurred cause he's chomping on this thing
like he's an alien or something :)
