Kinky November Day 12: Puppy Play
Nov. 17th, 2014 06:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beta_vulgarisAnimal play is one of those kinks that I have that I was kind of embarrassed about exploring at first. I'm still a bit reticent about it mostly because it has such a bad rep and it's such a comforting kink for me that I don't like feeling defensive about it, even moreso than other kinks.
So, there are lots of styles of animal play. Apart from the type of animal one is, there are, to my mind, different methods of/interests in embodying that animal. I can't speak to a lot of those desires, needs, or identities, so I'll just talk a bit about where I am and who I am when I'm a puppy.
A lot of times when I'm with someone and we're having an energetic time, I get kinda beasty--I love biting, nipping, growling, roughhousing, whining, crawling on all fours, pouncing. This is something I've always naturally done and it's about play and fun. Sometimes I do these things with friends, sometimes with lovers, depending on the situation--it's part of my self-expression and it's a way I feel when I'm comfortable with someone. I think of this as on a continuum with but distinct from puppy roleplay. For me, being a bit of a beastie and being a puppy have different meanings, I'm seeking different headspaces.
I am really deeply lucky enough to have a play partner who straight up offered to do this kink with me the way I wanted to do it, at my pace and level and without involving sex or sexual feelings in the scene (which I very much did not want for this kind of roleplay). Sadly for me, this play partner does not live near me, and it's been a really long time since we've seen one another in person :( However, we have gotten to do some play in the visit time we've had, and I have been encouraged by per to write about it here.
For puppy play I wanted to try to really delve into roleplaying as a puppy, to be treated like a pet. For me, being a puppy is a headspace about being absolutely in the moment, of worrying only about things a coddled pet would worry about, about gnawing on a toy or being held taut for calm long periods of time with a choke collar and leash (nb. the choke collar is not the safest toy but I really like it and other forms of breathplay and have negotiated with partner I trust to only tug it gently and not to yank or otherwise harm me with it. Risk Aware Consensual Kink! Also, this should go without saying, but... don't perform breathplay on actual canines or any creature that cannot consent to it.)
I tend to follow a pattern with my kink exploration, and that pattern is fascination/emotional upheaval as I fit that newly acknowledged desire into my self-map/research/play. A lot of my research into puppy play showed me how broad this kink can be. As with other areas of submission, I am not interested in humiliation though it's clear that others use animal play as part of their humiliation kink. I'm also not particularly interested in animal costumes or hoods or other similar expressions--a lot of them are really cute or appealing aesthetically but I would find them somewhat distracting from the headspace I want. I also knew that for me, the specific headspace/kink I was looking for and which I'm calling "puppy play" was decidedly non-sexual (as opposed to being a bit of a beast/monster/cat, which comes out sometimes in sexual situations but is not the same kind of headspace for me).
In our negotiations we talked about a lot of things that could come up, from practical considerations (we agreed that I would manage my bathroom needs the human way) to psychological (we decided not to do anything that would require serious punishment, or do much in the way of puppy training). My partner's personality and what I was looking for in the headspace together led us to lots of napping on her feet, puppy snuggles and kisses, spoiled puppy treats, lavished praise, indulgent pats and toys. Very calming, and particularly given the stress I was feeling at the time, the opportunity to let go of my human cares and worries and just focus on being this creature in this way with this person was really needed.
I keep the puppy leash and collar and stuffie toy at home. For me, this is a headspace I love doing with this partner, and knowing we have this connection is enough for me even though we don't get to actually DO it very frequently in person. I don't feel the need to practice this kink with other partners, and I would definitely not like to do it in a public setting. For me, it's about a specific kind of roleplay filling a specific kind of need to let go and indulge, and it's very sweet and special to me for that reason.
So, there are lots of styles of animal play. Apart from the type of animal one is, there are, to my mind, different methods of/interests in embodying that animal. I can't speak to a lot of those desires, needs, or identities, so I'll just talk a bit about where I am and who I am when I'm a puppy.
A lot of times when I'm with someone and we're having an energetic time, I get kinda beasty--I love biting, nipping, growling, roughhousing, whining, crawling on all fours, pouncing. This is something I've always naturally done and it's about play and fun. Sometimes I do these things with friends, sometimes with lovers, depending on the situation--it's part of my self-expression and it's a way I feel when I'm comfortable with someone. I think of this as on a continuum with but distinct from puppy roleplay. For me, being a bit of a beastie and being a puppy have different meanings, I'm seeking different headspaces.
I am really deeply lucky enough to have a play partner who straight up offered to do this kink with me the way I wanted to do it, at my pace and level and without involving sex or sexual feelings in the scene (which I very much did not want for this kind of roleplay). Sadly for me, this play partner does not live near me, and it's been a really long time since we've seen one another in person :( However, we have gotten to do some play in the visit time we've had, and I have been encouraged by per to write about it here.
For puppy play I wanted to try to really delve into roleplaying as a puppy, to be treated like a pet. For me, being a puppy is a headspace about being absolutely in the moment, of worrying only about things a coddled pet would worry about, about gnawing on a toy or being held taut for calm long periods of time with a choke collar and leash (nb. the choke collar is not the safest toy but I really like it and other forms of breathplay and have negotiated with partner I trust to only tug it gently and not to yank or otherwise harm me with it. Risk Aware Consensual Kink! Also, this should go without saying, but... don't perform breathplay on actual canines or any creature that cannot consent to it.)
I tend to follow a pattern with my kink exploration, and that pattern is fascination/emotional upheaval as I fit that newly acknowledged desire into my self-map/research/play. A lot of my research into puppy play showed me how broad this kink can be. As with other areas of submission, I am not interested in humiliation though it's clear that others use animal play as part of their humiliation kink. I'm also not particularly interested in animal costumes or hoods or other similar expressions--a lot of them are really cute or appealing aesthetically but I would find them somewhat distracting from the headspace I want. I also knew that for me, the specific headspace/kink I was looking for and which I'm calling "puppy play" was decidedly non-sexual (as opposed to being a bit of a beast/monster/cat, which comes out sometimes in sexual situations but is not the same kind of headspace for me).
In our negotiations we talked about a lot of things that could come up, from practical considerations (we agreed that I would manage my bathroom needs the human way) to psychological (we decided not to do anything that would require serious punishment, or do much in the way of puppy training). My partner's personality and what I was looking for in the headspace together led us to lots of napping on her feet, puppy snuggles and kisses, spoiled puppy treats, lavished praise, indulgent pats and toys. Very calming, and particularly given the stress I was feeling at the time, the opportunity to let go of my human cares and worries and just focus on being this creature in this way with this person was really needed.
I keep the puppy leash and collar and stuffie toy at home. For me, this is a headspace I love doing with this partner, and knowing we have this connection is enough for me even though we don't get to actually DO it very frequently in person. I don't feel the need to practice this kink with other partners, and I would definitely not like to do it in a public setting. For me, it's about a specific kind of roleplay filling a specific kind of need to let go and indulge, and it's very sweet and special to me for that reason.
