Before we move on to the F.A.Q, we felt it was important to clarify the following three forms of dog slaves. The names for these different groups are somewhat arbitrary, but for the purpose of this article it was important to define them.

Puppies

Puppies are “incidental dogs”. Essentially these are slaves who, for a variety of reasons, assume the dog role occasionally. In other words, they are not permanent dogs, but they will be (used as) puppies on occasion. Mind you, this is not to say that this is any value judgment. It is merely a way to help you identify the differences. To make matters worse, not every woman on a collar and leash is a dog slave. Usually this incidental puppy role is assumed as a way to mildly humiliate the slave. Some aspects of dog play are adopted (collar and leash, eating from a bowl and sometimes being on all fours). However, this form is not about the very intense and serious animal role training other forms of dog play are identified by.

Dogs

The next two groups are an entirely different matter. The essential difference between puppies and other dog slaves is in the fact that these next two groups are about the full scale (more or less 24/7) dog role with all bells and whistles.The dog-role is chosen, usually by both partners and as such a way to express submission in a stricter (and more demanding) format. The slave in this case will first and foremost be a dog as good as she can and her position will predominantly be that of a pet. Although demanding, the dog-relationship is a loving and caring one, adopted and embraced by both partners.

Bitches

Bitches are not about choice and are not about a chosen situation. This is edge play where the slave is deliberately, usually with the intent to deeply humiliate and dehumanize, kept, used and trained as a dog, whether or not she actually wants to be one. She will usually be kept under very strict and often harsh conditions and there will be quite a lot of (mental as well as physical) sadism involved. The slave is not allowed any choices and will be kept on a very strict regime with very little human aspects at all. The demands for bitches are high, whether or not she wants that. A bitch-owner situation is best compared to Total Power Exchange within BDSM and quite often a bitch situation is actually an advanced form of TPE.

Like all animal role play puppy and dog play require two things: intense team work and endless training. It is important to try and establish the boundaries of the dog role, before entering into the long – and demanding to both – training sequence that is required to make any form of puppy role play a success.

Let’s start with a few words about why it is so demanding. Unlike most other forms of role play, animal role play requires the slave to learn an entire different role, much of which is non-natural – i.e. non-comparable to human behavior. This requires training, a change in mind set and determination.

From the dominant it requires a lot of patience, endless repeating (punishments will usually get you nowhere – understanding, support and endless training will) and strictness in the sense that he must be observant to every detail, no matter how futile. Doms with any experience in the area of animal role play – puppy, pony or otherwise – know that it takes even a very determined sub many years to be able to master an animal role with grace and reasonable perfection. Dog owners will know it sometimes takes ages to teach a real dog a trick – now the sub needs to learn to be a dog and THAN she needs to learn the tricks.

First things first

It is entirely possible to live like a dog in almost every aspect, even for a human being. Actually, there doesn’t have to be very much difference (apart from a few practical things, such as walking in the park). What is paramount however is that both partners determine how much and exactly what will and will not be part of the dog role (repeated evaluation is advised, since much of the original perspective will shift as training progresses).

The first important thing to establish is if – and if so how many – of the dog role will be part of every day life? Confused? Well, let us give you an example. If your sub is to be a German shepherd and she happens to be blond, it is more than logical that her hair needs to be colored and maybe even trimmed (since a German shepherd doesn’t have long hair). Poodles are blond/white and have curls. Other dogs are black and longhaired. Most dogs are multi-colored! The variations are endless, but most of this will have an impact on her every day appearance and hence should be discussed (By the way, long hair can very quickly become very impractical in a dog role).

Learning to be and crawl around on all fours for a longer period of time and with some grace requires long and intense training, actually daily training. The sub will need to learn to relief her knees, strengthen her back and shoulders and will have to learn to crawl gracefully. That is an every day training requirement and time and space should be incorporated in her – and the dominants’ – every day life.

You will soon find other things become part of every day life as well, so talk about it and make a plan. Any successful animal role play does not have a chance without one.

The role itself

Let us help you by trying to take you through the aspects of the dog role and examine some the possible dilemmas and difficulties.

Communication is the first obstacle, you will run into. Dogs don’t talk. They bark, waggle their tail, drool and have all sorts of other non-verbal ways to communicate. The question is, do you want that. And if so, how do the two of you establish communication (you need at least a safety signal to allow the sub to – temporarily – step out of the dog role in order to be able to communicate).

Secondly, dog owners do not endlessly discuss items with their dog – they teach them to respond to commands. This may be very hard. Commands need to be clear and easy to understand. But it is also very tough to only respond to “heel”, “down” and “sit”, especially in the beginning. This may be frustrating to the slave as she needs time to adjust to that, again if all this is to be a long time success.

A dog whistle won’t work, because people can hardly hear them. If the dom is planning to use whistle commands, he needs to buy a whistle the slave/dog can hear.

From the maximum perspective

While it is, of course up to the two of you how much real dog behavior will be part of the role, we will talk you through a couple of aspects that are important and require decisions. Let’s do that with the help of a FAQ-list.

Can a human live like a dog on a 24/7 basis?

Yes – technically there is no problem with that. Of course some adjustments will need to be made, but from a technical point of view it is entirely possible. Whether or not that is a healthy situation is another story. It cannot be done in a situation where there are children around the house. You will probably also need to think about subjects, such as “what to do when others, such as friends and family, are around” and “what about work” as well as “who is doing household tasks and other duties” (dogs do not fill out tax returns or wash dishes).

Prolonged lack of communication especially will have a serious mental impact on the slave and may cause permanent mental damage. You will need to allow for “communication time”.

It is usually easier and more practical to live like a more or less 100 percent dog for the weekend, during a day each week or for several hours a day.

What will prolonged dog play do the slave’s physique?

That is something to take into account, especially if you the two of you are planning for serious training and longer role play. Being on all fours for longer periods of time will have an effect on the knees (kneecaps and tissue), wrists and hands. Expect skin-hardening, tired joints and painful knees, especially in the beginning.

The advice is to be careful with the number of times, the puppy actually has to crawl about on a hard or a rough surface. Do not let her do that all too often. Better let her kneel on a special cushion and – if there are places she has to stay for a longer time – allow for soft carpet or a mattress. Also, let her lay down frequently, instead of keeping her or her (hands and) knees too long.

A posture on all fours also is very straining on the back and spine and she will need to do exercises to strengthen the muscles in her lower back and shoulders.

Protect her knees by letting her wear thigh highs or “bed boots” (soft leather leg covers that resemble boots) and protect her hands by letting her wear gloves when having her on all fours for longer periods of time.

Are there any minimum requirements, as far as the puppy role is concerned?

While everything is entirely up to the partners involved, it does make sense to at least impose some standard rules to make things real.

Some of these can be things like wearing a dog collar at all times, don’t use any furniture but stay on the ground, no talking and waiting for the owner to “walk the dog” (i.e. take her to the toilet). Fetching things such as shoes and newspapers, apporting balls or sticks, sitting up, licking boots and learning to “sniff out a trail” can be fun things to incorporate in the game as well, as well as having to beg for cookies (and do a trick first).

Where does my dog sleep?

If the sub is petite a very large dog basket or a large size dog cage can be an option. If the dog is not supposed to be on or in the bed (no dog usually is) a dedicated mattress or blanket will do nicely as well. Do be aware however that sleeping naked is not something most humans can do (depending on the local temperature) so it is a good idea to allow for a (simple or rugged) cover. Humans lose about two liters (half a gallon) of sweat while they sleep, so that is another reason why a mattress and a cover are a good idea.

The other thing to take into account is the human spine. Prolonged sleeping on a very hard surface (such as the floor) with insufficient support may lead to serious spine injuries. Again a dedicated mattress will take care of this.
How do we intensify the situation and make it more realistic?

The most successful way to enter into puppy training is to first of all pick a specific dog race. Each race has different specialties, characteristics and behavior patterns. This helps the dog to identify with her role. Let her read books about that specific race, search the internet for information, maybe join a discussion group about dogs in general or that particular race, collect news items and pictures and study them at pet shows. Next, you can try and match the specific color of the race through her clothing and hair color. Let her run frequently – physical training is a must anyway.

Can I give my puppy a flea-collar?

No. A flea collar contains chemicals that – in a larger dose – are harmful to humans. Constantly exposing the puppy to these, by making her wear a flea collar, is a health-risk. If you are planning anything in that area, make a fake one.

Is eating dog food a health risk?

Some is and some is not. Canned or fresh dog meat for example is not a good idea. Dry dog food or “dinner” dog food is an option. However, both usually contain a high dose of salt and dry food especially swells in the stomach. It won’t do any real harm, but the advise to keep it down on quantities. Allow for a lot of water to protect the kidneys from an overdose of salt.

Real dogs are – although meat eaters – actually also omnivores (meaning they’ll eat anything). A real dog menu consists of grain, rice and veggies next to the meat. In general you can have her on a human nutrition scheme, but presented in a different way (from a bowl, largely uncooked, etcetera).

All articles are provided for informational or entertainment purposes only. We are NOT responsible for any injures or other results that participating or partaking in such activities might cause. Everything you read on this page is based on the personal opinion of the author and does not always reflect those of the owners and / or staff of Wasteland. If you try anything found in this article, you do so at your OWN risk!

Always remember! SAFETY FIRST! and please use common sense.

The above article is a reprint from our information/educational site Kink Culture.
A joint project between Wasteland and PowErotics
Copyright © Hans Meyer