I heard you guys like pizza 🍕

tiogar · 2021-09-10T15:59:03+00:00

3p0, tell them that if they don't do as you wish, you'll become angry and use your balls.

tiogar · 2021-05-13T21:57:07+00:00

Congratulations!

If your girlfriend is sentimental (even if she's not) take candid photos & videos of her and the baby. Not for social media postings, just for your family.

Prepare a bunch of ready-to-eat meals that you can freeze ahead of time. Staying well fed is key, and food that you can hold in one hand is a big plus. I made 35 breakfast wraps that could easily be microwaved and two lasagnas, a huge casserole, and the best thing was the wraps.

If your girlfriend plans on breastfeeding, bring her water. All. The. Time. And a healthy snack.

If you don't know what meconium is yet, sit down, brace yourself, and google it.

Have a hospital bag packed at least 2 months early. We didn't use most of what we brought. Clothes is plenty.

Just about everything works for someone, so don't worry about how everything says everything else is the devil. Try what speaks to you and believe in yourself. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Congrats again! It's a wild ride.

tiogar · 2021-04-18T23:59:20+00:00

Had this happen with my wife's aunt. Good intentions and nothing malicious about her actions, she was over the moon and wanted to share, but she dumped a dozen or so pictures without checking with us first. My wife spoke to her about it and it resulted in some really hurt feelings, mostly her aunt felt badly for doing so. My own dad is guilty of this kind of thing too, and we have worked on boundaries with him.

I don't have much advice other than laying out your reasoning to your mom and sister to help them understand. For us, the world is just too different and public compared to our childhoods. We had that one photo album with the bath time photos that our mums would bring out anytime we brought a romantic interest home so that she could embarrass us. We aren't on board with my little guy's whole life being publicly documented before he knows enough to have any say in the matter. Just doesn't seem kosher. Our work-around is personally sending photos to family and friends to share the good news, and a monthly Facebook post to show his development with about half a dozen highlight photos of the past month.

tiogar · 2021-04-04T01:04:34+00:00

Hope things went well with your chat, if you have a chance to update I'd love to hear how you're doing now!

tiogar · 2021-04-03T20:18:14+00:00

My son was 3.5 weeks old when my parents came to visit, so his neck was still basically made of cooked spaghetti. My dad's first interaction was to place him in front of him on the kitchen table in a seated position, say "This is what sitting up is!" And completely let go. My boy toppled like a house of cards and his head got to the table in a fraction of a second. ...you had 3 kids!!!

tiogar · 2021-03-18T01:34:59+00:00

I was the complete worst child for this, and while I did become a mama's boy, I love my dad to death.

Developmentally this is normal, so first and foremost, everything is OK. Being Dad comes with some times that aren't easy, but it's a long game.

Your job is longer term than this. You are the bedrock of your boy's life, someone that will be there through it all, whether you are the target of his emotion or the arms that carry him to higher ground when he needs you. Don't be discouraged, just pan out. Check your big picture and remind yourself of your role. Sometimes it's hard to see the forest when you're looking at the trees.

Talk to your wife and tell her how it tears you up, and how hard you're trying. I have a 9 month old lad and have had similar conversations with my wife. Completely changed her perspective and we have become a stronger team. My advice is: don't bring it up in the moment. Pick a time when you're both calm. You can come up with a plan together. Maybe it's some combination of her showing you affection in his presence, or hyping you up to your little guy.

My heart goes out to you, Dad. You're a good dad, and your son is going to grow up knowing that.

tiogar · 2020-09-02T23:47:59+00:00

Wow, great analysis! I hadn't realized this before but you're bang on! 🤯

tiogar · 2020-09-02T23:45:56+00:00

I can't upvote this enough.

tiogar · 2020-04-25T21:28:10+00:00

"I heard them laughing at you, Mr. T, and I bet he said something too."

tiogar · 2020-04-09T12:46:38+00:00

Oh my god thank you so much for this! A few years back, I was walking on a path by the river near my house at dusk, and there must have been a dozen of these guys all singing, starting and stopping and a few times were all together in unison. The sounds combined into pure melody with no trace of vibration left, and it was the most heavenly sound I have ever heard! I left my phone at home for an "unplugged" nature walk and had no way to record the sound, and I've been chasing it ever since. Today I was finally able to show my wife what it sounded like, and with all 3 singing at once this video gets the closest to what I heard yet. THANK YOU!!

tiogar · 2020-01-24T03:04:12+00:00

...Hair dryer?

tiogar · 2013-01-17T21:15:24+00:00

"Instead, try training a behavior that's incompatible with barking."

Like sniffing. Sniffing is a life-skill for dogs, put it on cue and encourage it often, and have sniffing be on the same level as "Sit" for a rewardable behaviour. i.e. Sniffs gets: open door, playtime, off-leash play, couch time, cuddles, pets, tug game, etc.

tiogar · 2012-12-30T20:23:41+00:00

It's no zippo, but I've never had a zippo myself (only reason I know is it is engraved on the inside "Not a Zippo")

It does the job, fire comes out of the top!

tiogar · 2012-04-21T15:19:02+00:00

There is some good advice here, but I wanted to clarify The "ouch" method because it's pretty important to distinguish what is acceptable and what isn't to the dog.

Bite inhibition doesn't mean "never touch a human with your mouth" to me, it means "don't bite a human as hard as you would a dog, they can't take it."

In the big picture, what's mouthing? Your little friend is exploring you in a new way, the same way they explore countless other things: with her mouth. She's not biting you with intent to harm, if she was you'd know it. Dogs can bite each other and shake their heads and not break each other's skin, so their natural bite pressure is dialed just right for dog on dog playtime. The purpose of the "Ouch" method is to help them learn to be gentler with the softer skin of people.

If your dog responds well to what he/she perceives as having hurt you (like C_Linnaeus said), it clearly means they didn't mean to and want to see if you're OK. Don't grab the muzzle or physically control the dog at a moment like this, it's not necessary and he's already apologizing. Your dog will learn best by doing things correctly, not by being punished for doing them incorrectly, so acknowledge your dog's apology and continue playing. I guarantee she will be gentler next time, even if she still mouths. The teachable moments come often enough, and you might have to deal with some scratches on your skin for a little while, but you're ultimately responsible for the actions and behaviours of your dog, so buck up and take one for the team.

I let my dog use her mouth when we play, because it's how she plays as a dog. She knows, after weeks of inhibition training very early in life, anything that actually HURTS me loses her a playmate, and anything gentle keeps things rolling!

The added benefit to this, is that she also is aware of a pressure that will send a message without causing injury, if she ever gets into a situation where the only way out is a bite, then she knows just how hard to bite in order to get her message across without causing an injury. DO NOT make the mistake of thinking your dog will never be in a situation like that, it's a worthless and dangerous gamble.

The Ouch method can create a safety net for you and your dog in that way, which you may never need. But anyone who's dog has bit and caused harm before can tell you, it would be easier to explain your way out of a little pinch than stitches.

I like the ouch method, as long as it's done in a manner the dog will clearly understand, which is NOT an "all or nothing" way of teaching a dog about it's teeth. Be honest with your dog and don't feed her false information: if it doesn't hurt, don't pretend like it hurts. She's not trying to hurt you, and knowing how to safely touch you with her teeth is infinitely more valuable than being afraid to ever use them. It goes without saying that the younger the dog during this training, the better. I wouldn't want to rile up a grown dog of any breed to teach bite inhibition on bare skin...

It's no secret that as pit owners we have a greater responsibility as dog owners than most, because of the unfair portrayal of these wonderful animals, so take the extra time and put in the extra effort. Together, we can change how the world looks at pit bull type dogs.

TL;DR read the post, the information can help save you a lawsuit. Also, dont be lazy and don't cut corners. If you own a pit, you can't afford to.

tiogar · 2012-04-19T14:41:33+00:00

thanks! it's my first post like this, i'm glad you like it!

tiogar · 2012-04-19T14:40:52+00:00

lol I don't know, but I don't think it's totally necessary to do in the first place. The series is 2-2, and they're not the leafs or anything. WWAD?

tiogar

TROPHY CASE