Im a little frustrated

Question
A little bg on my dog. He's a little over a year old and he's an American Bulldog mix. I rescued him (or he rescued me, it's a cliche but it is true) from the local humane society back in February. He's neutered (if that matters for my question) and he has a very high play drive. I hope I have broken him of his issue of tearing up things when I leave but that's not the issue of this question. For the most part he seems well socialized and I have seen no aggression or anything like that.

I do a lot of work from home and a lot of work on the computer. The other day I had two back to back important phone calls. One was on skype and the other was a regular phone call. But they were expected and they were important that I be left alone.

But Pete (my dog) had other ideas. All the while I was on these calls he wouldn't leave me alone. He was bringing me toys, trying to get me to play with him. He wouldn't take no for an answer. Like he'd drop a pull toy at my feet and when I ignored him he started barking at me. I eventually just let him out to my fenced in back yard where he just dug a huge hole. It's as if when I'm home and not playing with him he wonders what is wrong. If only he'd give up and go take a nap!

How can I fix this? How are some ways I can teach him that "now's not a good time. I'm busy. Leave me alone." Sometimes I think a smack on the nose would work but I don't want to be that owner.

Any advice? FWIW, I tried crate training but it was a total failure as I was never able to get him in the blasted thing.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your response.

Answer
Ryan, be sure Pete is well-exercised before you start work in the morning. A year old Am Bulldog needs to run and play and get tired before I would expect him to settle down and sleep.

He should also get getting his meal in food dispensing toys or frozen Kongs while you are on your calls. If you don't know how to freeze a Kong, here you go: Get Kongs big enough to hold an entire meal. My Am Bulldog eats 1.5 cups of super premium food twice a day. Put the kibble in the Kong, wet it just a little, top it with peanut butter or yogurt and freeze. It will take the dog time and effort to clean the Kong out. You can google "food dispensing puzzle toys" for other ideas on how to get the dog to work to get his food.

You should also have a supply of long lasting chews, like bully sticks or beef tendons, that Pete will only get while you're on a call.

Also teach Pete how to settle on a mat. Here's an article with step by step instructions: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/3308

Implement a "work to earn" program with Pete, so that in all interactions he's getting what he wants by being polite and patient, rather than pushy and demanding. Read this for ideas: http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

Please let me know if you have questions about anything I've recommended. Good luck!