written by Wolf_puppy – Please check out more of his great articles about Pet/Puppy by visiting his profile at: https://fetlife.com/users/25820
I have been working on what it means to be a pup from my perspective. I have tried to break it down keeping in mind knowledge of pup play and money for gear. Keeping it cheep and simple to start with and getting more complex and expensive as I get more into pup play. If anyone would like to add to it I would love to get a different perspective.
I would suugest for both Trainer/Handler and pup go through this guide and my Being a Trainer/Handler guide
Being a pup
Not everyone has it in them to be a puppy. You must have the desire inside you to be a puppy in order to fully come into the role. If you are unsure if you want to be a pup, the best idea is to try it for an hour. I will describe lower how one should start out puppy play.
It doesn’t take a lot to be a pup, however, there are tools and ideas to make it either easier to be a pup or help the pup to delve deeper into pup mode.
Starting out:
When starting out as a pup, keep it simple. No equipment is needed, it is however a good idea to buy some cheap kneepads. Your hands should be kept in fists, knuckles on the floor. Since you will probably not have any padding for your knuckles yet, stay on carpeted floor. Since you will probably not have any padding for your knuckles yet, stay on carpeted floor. Even if you do happen to have padding the knuckles can quickly wear out and begin to get sore. It’s important to take short breaks, putting the knuckles forward and resting on the bone of the wrist. This is, however, only a rest position. It makes the fingers vulnerable to being stepped on or hurt.
As for speech, you should start barking instead of talking. Finding the right bark for yourself will take time, but it will get developed the more you do it. To be able to have speech still keep it to 1 bark for yes, 2 barks for no. So to sum up:
- Environment: Inside on carpeted floor
- Body: On hands and knees. Hands kept in knuckles with knuckles to the floor. Feet are barefoot, in socks or in boots.
- Equipment: Cheep kneepads
- Speech: Barking only: 1 for yes, 2 for no (other sequences of barks may be developed as well. For example: 3 for your safe word, 4 to go to the bathroom, etc.)
Intermediate:
After a couple hours in the “Starting out” faze you should now know if you enjoy pup play or not. If you would like to take it further for longer periods of time I would highly suggest better kneepads.
The biggest problem with most knee pads is they aren’t actually meant for kneeling on for long periods of time. Almost of them get bunched up behind the knee and begin to hurt a lot in that soft area. The best kneepads I have found are tiling kneepads that have straps above and below the knee. There is also a strap on the knee, but I never use it to avoid bunching.
I would also suggest padding for the knuckles, so you may be able to go on hardwood floors and even outside on a warm day. You can get something cheap to start with, like boxing gloves.
You may want to consider a tail at this point. You can make a homemade tail that wraps around the waist for cheap.
Speech again should only be kept to barks. To further your pup mode, take away 1 for yes and 2 for no since real puppies and dogs don’t know how to do that. Begin thinking like a dog, what a dog would do for food (bark at the fridge/ food bowl), go to the bathroom (bark at the bathroom), or go outside (bark at the door). To sum up:
- Environment: Inside on all surfaces (as long as you have knuckle protection) and outside on a warm day.
- Body: On hands and knees. Hands kept in knuckles with knuckles to the floor. Feet are barefoot, in socks or in boots.
- Equipment: Tiling kneepads or equivalent and Boxing gloves for knuckles or equivalent. Home made tail.
- Speech: Barking only (no sequences for meanings in barks)
Advanced:
Now if you don’t have the money to spend I would suggest staying in the “Intermediate” faze. The advanced faze is for those who want to really start looking like a puppy/dog.
To help with the kneepads and the overall look of your body as a pup I would suggest getting a body suit. A body suit gives your knees a layer between your skin and the knee pads. It also covers your skin and makes you look less like a person. Depending on what breed you are, or what colour puppy you would prefer to be, you can them for a fair price in multiple colours.
Next is to get a better tail, either attached by butt plug or around the waist. The butt plug tails come at a hefty price, but look really good.
As your knuckle padding, I would suggest moving up to lockable fist mitts. Again, this is expensive, but worth the money since now your body will be covered from the neck down.
Lastly is the head. Probably the most expensive thing to get is a puppy mask. There are many different styles and types of masks to choose from, so you’re bound to find one you like. Some things to look into when buying a mask are can your head still be scratched with it on, can you still eat with it on, and does it look confortable enough to wear for long periods of time. If the mask gets in the way of one of these things and you really want to still do that thing as a pup, I would suggest finding a mask that works for you or opt to not have one.
The final sum up:
- Environment: Inside on all surfaces with knuckle protection and outside on a warm day.
- Body: On hands and knees. Hands kept in knuckles with knuckles to the floor. Feet are barefoot, in socks or in boots.
- Equipment: Tiling kneepads or equivalent, body suit, fist mitts knuckles, butt plug tail, and puppy mask.
- Speech: Barking only (no sequences for meanings in barks)
Thanks for reading =D
Extras!
Breed:
A pup may end up identifying with a type of dog breed. The one they choose will reflect their personality as a person and as a pup. If you are having trouble choosing a breed I suggest going through Google and looking up different types of breeds.
It is not necessary to pick a breed to be a pup. It is only to help you into your pup head space more. It helps helps to describe what kind of personality you have to other pup’s and trainers.