Conversio Virium: Puppy Play Panel with Tyler, Maymay and Jeff
This document is the result of the collaborative effort of the above mentioned authors, penned on the dates of February 4th and 5th, 2007, and this work is copyrighted © by the above mentioned authors in 2007.
What is puppy play?
- A role-playing scenario between a trainer/master and a puppy (or puppies) wherein a pup can be trained, disciplined or simply act like a spoiled beloved pet.
- Just as there are many different types of relationships between real pups and their owners, puppy play can take on many different dynamics and incorporate many perspectives as well.
- Puppy play is different for each person involved. For some the pup is completely a pup and relinquishes all human attributes and privileges, essentially becoming a true "pet" and "animal," and for others there remains an understanding that a human pup can still participate in some human activities in ways that "real" pups can't. In other words, the transformation into the pup role has varying degrees of completeness.
- It is also important to note that puppy play is different from bestiality. Since human puppy play does not involve real puppies in sexual activities, the desire to play as or with a human pup does not necessarily signal a desire to perform those same activities with real pups.
- Perhaps Tristan Taormino said it most succinctly in her article Leather Puppy Love. We quote her now:
For some, it is pure role-playing with no erotic component, because when a pup is a pup, there is no sexual interaction. The idea that someone relies on you to feed and discipline them can be another twist on dominance and submission and a turn-on in and of itself. For others, the pup is always a human pup capable of frisky human sexual behavior with other pups or their owners.
- Tristan brings up a good point, and that is that puppy play can also have very strong and naturally present elements of Dominance and submission (D/s), ownership and control, and other traditional aspects of a BDSM relationship.
- So what is puppy play? Well, it really depends on what everyone involved is hoping to accomplish in a scene or relationship; as we mentioned at the start, it can be plain old fun roleplay, it can be a full-fledged alternate persona, it can be a sexual outlet, a submissive or dominant one, or any of a handful of other things.
- Lastly, let's also state a bit of terminology: for many people puppy play is very literally "playing as though one is a canine young," but for others this notion of being a "puppy" is more abstract. For example, we alluded earlier to the notion of human pups sometimes being acknowledged as being human, and in this context the term "puppy" can more generally be called a "pet". Obviously, humans are not actually canines, but both canines and humans can be kept as pets. Later in this talk, we may use these two words, "puppy" and "pet" somewhat interchangeably.
So with such a broad ranging set of possibilities, what does puppy play actually look like? What kind of activities are actually involved?
What kinds of activities are involved in puppy play?
- A lot of things! Think about how you might play with a real puppy, and what a real puppy might do. Pretty much everything is fair game to involve in a puppy play scene or relationship.
- So, for example, activities can range from simply sleeping on a pad on the floor at night (perhaps at you the foot of your Master/Mistresse's bed), to housetraining on puppy pads (a puppy equivalent to "potty training"?), to wrestling with an owner or other pups for fun.
- A lot of what you might do has a direct correlation to how long and how intensely you find yourself desiring to be "in pup space" (that is, to feel like being a puppy). It is unlikely that a more casual trainer will want anything to do with cleaning up after his or her pup when it pees on the floor, but a hard-core trainer might actually expect to have to train his or her pet not to do this.
- So puppy play can also involve a fair bit of "training," which might be familiar to some people if we called it "slave training" or "behavior modification." All these things are basically the same, with the exception being made that what we are training puppies for is not what we are training human slaves for. A puppy is not a human slave after all, and different things are expected of them. What kind of things? All or some parts of the following list could apply (but different strokes for different folks, of course):
- Puppies are on all fours, they do not walk! Another aspect of early puppy training involves getting the pup used to their new body by restricting their ability to stand up on their legs, and to use their hands and especially their opposable thumbs.
- Puppies bark! They do not speak. Early training often involves teaching human pups to bark like real pups. None of that "woof! Woof!" stuffÑwe want real, gutteral, spontaneous barks!
- Puppies respond to simple commands, like "sit" and "stay" or "come" and "beg." And of course, "fetch!"
- Puppies do not eat human food, they eat dog food! Training a puppy thus can also involve concocting specialized meal plans, or at the very minimum, eating habits. Of course, a human puppy and a real puppy have slightly different dietary needs (and desires), so while there are some pups that eat actual dog food, many (I dare say most) are merely motivated by the desire to eat out of a dog dish, rather than at the table, during their time in pup space. This is easy: chop up the pup's portion of whatever meal is being served into bite-sized chunks, and place it in the dish.
- Pups have different ways of expressing and relieving sexual pleasure. Especially in the world of gay dog boys, a big part of puppy training involves enforced chastity, because puppies don't masturbate like guys do, with their hands! They hump things when they're horny, so trainers often find ways (usually through chastity devices) to prevent the male pup from playing with himself in ways he "shouldn't."
- Puppy play as humiliation/ stripping of humanity
- Puppy play and gender -- females can be male pups, and vice versa.
What does a puppy scene look like? From a master's perspective
D/s - Ranging from the games you play with a puppy--to actually playing out parts of a normal day in the life of a "pet owner".
Service - This is an area where headspaces blur for me. Because "fetch the paper" is only so useful to me. "Fetch me that book" is a mix--as you can't expect the puppy to necessarily differentiate between one book and another, and you'd have to give a "real" puppy a lot of training to carry a book in his/her teeth without rather a lot of difficulties.
S/m - "Man bites dog" is never something that interests me with actual dogs. But with the pups in question? ÊAssuredly.
What toys/accessories can be involved?
This is all fun and well, but how do you actually do some of this stuff? What tools can you use, and what should you fill your toybag with to make it an effective one for puppy play?
- Collars and leashes — obvious and fun, just go into a pet store and observe the myriad kinds of collars and leashes available to you. Pick one that matches your mood, that you like!
- Doggie dishes/ shallow bowls — for humans, it is important to get a shallow and wide bowl because our faces are shaped differently that that of real pups.
- Mittens of some sort to restrict opposable thumbs — you can make these easily, or buy ones from BDSM/fetish relailers.
- Cages or other restraining devices — how big of a cage you get depends on how you expect to use it, and how long you want to keep your pup in it at a time. Is it a place of confinement for punishment, or a relaxing personal cove for your pup?
- Squeak toys and other fun accessories
- Knee pads — important for long-term crawling.
- Grooming supplies such as brushes, combs, etc.
- Sometimes masks with muzzles and leather ears — also available at BDSM/fetish retailers, or makeable if you're handy.
- Tails — these can be specialty butt plugs (the best!) or belts with a tail attachment, etc.
- Puppy pads for housetraining
- Treats! — Can be whatever your pup really likes
- Anything else an owner's or a pup's heart desires! Add to this list yourself!
Why do we do this?
- It's fun, it's sexy, and it's a way to enjoy the company of a loved one and play partner.
- Also, while many D/s-practicing folks have loving and playful relationships, it's often hard to create a scene that's just plain playful. ÊYou can do this with a pup without losing the dynamic at all.
What does it feel like to be a pup?
Tyler's experiences:
For me, being a pup means getting into a mindset where I can be wild but also have my mistress watching over me to make sure I don't get into too much trouble. It means being mischievous but also too loveable to punish (to a certain extent, of course). It also means obeying my mistress, or purposely disobeying her. It means pleasing her and getting treats, and curling up with her and making her happy. It also means head rubs and grooming. Being spoiled that way doesn't mean that I don't get punished, it just means I make my owner feel as guilty as possible for punishing such a tiny little animal. Really I think that she treats me how she would treat any real pup that came into the house, with the benefits of me being human enough to get out of puppy space if necessary. For me, this is all probably because I'm more of a frisky lap dog. Some dogs are bigger and of course, have other personalities. For me, a lot of it is age dropping. A mixture of my inner child and my inner puppy.
Maymay's experiences:
A big part of it for me is the feeling of being cared for, and of being free of the typical concerns that I must face every day when I am being a man. Life is really hard as a human for me sometimes, so being a pup or a human pet is frequently a welcome, if temporary, escape. When I'm a pup, I don't have to worry about anything that isn't an immediate curiosity or concern. I can prance around the house and snuggle with my mistress to my heart's content. She will feed me, tend to me as needed, and allow me to relax. It gives me an amazing feeling of being loved, and that's awesome.
Then there are other times, though, when being her pet does cross over into doing what she wants. Because I am her pet, owned and ultimately controlled by her, she has the ultimate say in what I can do--and what I will do. Being a pet, for us, also sometimes involves a great deal of sexual play when she wants to take advantage of it. This usually means my tongue gets put to work, though it can also mean her sadistic side can come out and abuse me, and all I can do about it is whimper and cower, and try to crawl away.
What does it feel like to be a trainer/master?
Go for it, Jeff ;)
Where can I find out more?
or just a regular old google search.