Handling a puppy requires it’s own set of skills

An interview with Hoodie, a dominant pup about pups, handlers, masters and dominant pups.

MasterMarc: Hi Pup Hoodie. You are a real petplay lover but you you’re living a not really common position in the pup world. You’re a dominant dog. Can you explain us, what a dominant dog is? 

Pup Hoodie: I’ve gotten this question a good amount.  I consider myself a puppy, but one who is solely dominant.  The regular response is ‘so that makes you an Alpha pup’.  While that’s true, I don’t solely define it as such.  I would be classified as an alpha pup, but in my opinion, that can still suggest that I’m open to taking the collar of a handler or other dominant pet play kinkster, which is not the case.  As an expansion on that, we all have our definitions of what an Alpha pup is, and Alpha is the term that I prefer to use within my power exchange dynamics as opposed to Sir/Master/Handler/Owner.  Simply, I take on dominant roles only in the things that I participate in.  That’s not to say that there are not times where role reversal is involved in scenes that I do, because role reversal can be very fun and hot.

MasterMarc: That sounds for me as you would have erased the handler/master, the human part of the pet play, and that it is a power exchange game just inbetween pets, like in the wilderness. But of course  the pack out in the nature lives a hiearchy too. Is that more or less the approach to your way of pet play?

Pup Hoodie: I don’t quite think that I’m throwing out the human part of the play.  I generally assume the parts of the role that include the human aspects of puppy play.  I help guide my puppy’s decision making when necessary, and handled pups at events, moshes, and acted as a handler in many different situations.  I also get down on all fours and pup out amongst all the other pups around me, though that typically leads to many pups trying to take me down and tackle me.  I tend to take on the role that encompasses the dominant to the submissive puppy in a dynamic or scene, regardless of what I am called or labeled.

MasterMarc: And what is the pup part of you? In which aspects are you a pup too and not a handler?

Pup Hoodie: That’s a good question.  The common assumption is that being a pup equates with submission on some level.  I don’t believe that they are necessities in relation to one another.  There are tenants of pup play that do not require submission to another, like using it to get into a headspace and allow yourself the freedom to romp around.  I do these things like many other pups… bark my greetings at others, drink out of bowls at our local kink bar (The Cellblock), and pup out amongst other pups.  I love having my head scratched and playing with toys.  I also mount pups as a dom, which definitely has a place in the natural ‘order’ of dominance/submission.

MasterMarc: If you like to go to kinky bars and parties you will also meet pups with their handlers. So if you are playing with the pups, how is your relationship to their handlers/masters?

Pup Hoodie: Yeah, interacting with handlers and pups requires a little bit of navigation if you’re unsure of the dynamic or relationship that they have.  Assuming the pup that I’m interacting with is collared or in a relationship in the first place, some pups are open to do as they please when at events, parties, and bars, and have a much more relaxed dynamic.  Others have relationships that are strictly adherent to leather protocols or their own rules, which require open communication between myself and other Doms.  Part of being active in the community means that I often do have discussions with others regarding what certain things mean, what level of openness that couples or power exchange dynamics have, and much more.

MasterMarc: What is in your eyes the essence of the petplay fetish?

Pup Hoodie: We can trace pet play to earlier leather protocol, in which being made to act like a dog was a form of humiliation utilized by Dominants to further ‘break’ or just flat out show superiority and dominance.  In the development of that tactic, it was learned that some submissives actually enjoyed this form of play at the most basic and primal level.

I can only speak to the development and essence of puppy play, because I am a puppy and have little experience with kitten play or pony play, so I’ll stick to what I now.  Puppy play in itself has developed from that original humiliation into it’s own entity, and is fully rooted in the idea that you can play and live in a carefree way while within a certain part of you.  The development of a headspace and the ability to let go, allowing yourself to be at your most primal form, are the centerpiece of the fetish.

Explaining from the dominant/handler perspective (as discussed in previous answers and not always a necessity for playtime), you become a caretaker of sorts.  Handling a puppy requires it’s own set of skills and, in my case, that takes on a very loving and protective sort of headspace in which my puppy is my responsibility.  A submissive puppy that sees you as their dominant trusts you with their world while they are within their headspace, and that creates a bond between you within your dynamic and potentially outside of it, depending on your encompassing relationship with your pup.

MasterMarc: Wow, that was a great explanation! As you are an independant and dominant pup you’re next answer could be interesting too, because you have an outside perspective. What makes a good handler, and what are characteristics of those handlers?

Pup Hoodie: There are many different versions of handlers out there.  It really depends on your puppy as to which characteristics you need to properly interact with them.  In some dynamics, a puppy requires a handler who wants to use him sexually and fulfill his kinky desires with his puppy as the subject of those scenes.  In others, your puppy may not even utilize sex as a part of their puppy persona, and want a loving caretaker who can make them feel safe and at home at all times.  Most dynamics that involve a pup fall somewhere in the middle of the two in terms of what’s needed, it just takes a lot of communication to see where the balance is.

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MasterMarc: For how long are you living your kinks and what have been your first steps in the kinky world?

Pup Hoodie: I’ve been doing kinky stuff since I turned 18, so about 5 years.  My very first kink was public play.  After that, a development of my own puppy self started pretty quickly and stuck, because it made sense to who I am and I was able to continue to learn and develop that while still participating in the activities that the kink presents.  Soon after, I started diving into many different kinks which I love, including rubber, impact play, breath play, consensual non-consent play (which often includes some intoxication play), and a lot more.

MasterMarc: You’ve told us before, that there are many different charactaristics puppies can have. What would you commend to a young newbie pup, how to explore the type of pup he is and how to find the right handler for himself and his needs?

Pup Hoodie: Well first, I have to stress that you don’t need a handler or a dom to be a puppy.  Seeking out a handler/Dom solely because you feel like you have to have one will often end up with either one or both of the parties involved getting hurt.  Honestly, I just recommend trying new things.  Going to moshes, events, or bars where there are the opportunities to interact with pups and other kinky folk are a great way to develop yourself and learn more.  I started as a puppy on my own, barking at myself in the bathroom mirror of my apartment.  Many pups have started in that same way.

MasterMarc: But what if a newbie doesn’t live in a big city with fetish bars and pup meetings?

Pup Hoodie: The best thing for any new pup is to connect with others in the community in online forums and do research on puppy play.  There are tons of places to interact with people in the community.  Fetlife, Recon, Tumblr, and many more are valuable resources, not only for pups, but for all kinksters just starting out to have a forum to ask questions and see what others that participate in their fetish are doing.

MasterMarc: Thank you, Hoodie, it was really interesting to get more information about your way to enjoy petplay and I am sure, we will continue our chat very soon.