October 2007
Part 3
10/25/2007 LEATHERBEAR ARTICLE 14: PUP PLAY
LEATHERBEAR is a weekly column dedicated to the diversity in the Bear, Leather, and BDSM communities. For this week’s article, we will focus on “pup play”.
Disclaimer: I am not the gurus of puppy play. This is only our personal experiences and knowledge gained from my journey and shared with my by "pup ed" and "pup dak". Other pups may have other knowledge and experiences and beliefs.
Edward Urbany “pup ed”
From Comstock Park, Michigan
E-mail: gazer_ed@yahoo.com
Dak Aldrich “pup dak”
From Lansing, Michigan
E-mail: dak@pupdak.com
The information contained in this article is from one perspective. It is in no means the only way to experience pup play. A good resource for anyone interested in pup play is the book Woof! Perspectives into the Erotic Care & Training of the Human Dog. Some other sites that are available for one to learn more about pup play include pupzone.com, leatherdog.com, and thedoghouse.org
A human “pup” is just an individual who identifies with a pup personality; which is the young, innocent, vibrant, playful, perky, and the other characteristics you see in an animal puppy. Pup play is just the interaction of pup and handler and pup with other pups. You would treat a human pup like you would an animal pup. It’s all part of an instinct in the human pups. In pup play, it’s all instinct and is not controlled by the human side of the human pup. If the pup is comfortable with you, he will give you signals to that effect. Sometimes a pup never warms up to an individual, or another pup. Sometimes pups can be quite rowdy and aggressive, in play.
For “pup ed” and “pup dak”, nothing about pup play is ever sexual as sex is not in the nature of their pup sides. They don’t think about it during their pup playtime. There are two basic types of pups. There are those that reach that pup headspace, like “pup ed” and “pup dak”. There are also pups to which it is more of a scene thing. They don’t really reach that pup mentality, but they enjoy being treated like a dog and caged, and often times it involves sexual acts as well. Pup play is different for each. For “pup ed” and “pup dak”, where they go to a headspace, pup play is simply puppies playing and frolicking and having fund doing what pups do. For the more scene oriented, the scene itself would be the pup play.
There is all kinds of gear that can be involved with Pup Play. Typical gear involved includes many items, but all items are not critical. Something familiar to the pup and the human side of the pup is a collar of sorts. Mitts are important for protection of the hands on hard surfaces. Kneepads are very important. Pup Ed proclaims he has skinned his knees more than one can imagine. Masks and body suits provide an added effect for those watching (both of which can be made by various vendors, and can be made of rubber or leather, and are quite expensive at times). A Leash restrains the pup during walks. Boots and socks are optional, but help protect during play. Tail plugs are often used as well. Some handlers or owners get elaborate with chain that connects to the pup’s balls and feet to keep their feet pulled up close.
For “pup dak”, he explains his basic gear is his leather puppy collar, his mitts (to emulate more of a paw than a hand), his bowl and TOYS! LOTS AND LOTS OF NOISE, SQUEAKY TOYS! Also, Scooby snacks, so I can do my cookie on the nose trick. Sometimes handlers will have hoods, but those usually are not for the “head space” pups. They impede their ability to really act and do things like a pup. You can’t eat or chew on things through the hoods. Most times, those are used for the “scene” type pups. Check out the cutest pup gear ever at http://catalog.leathermasters.com/category/?id=1031
Let’s get to know a little bit about “pup ed”.
His favorite quote is “Remember, it’s all about me”. He is pictured above in the purple shirt on all fours, wearing a collar and playing with his squeaky bone toy. He loves to wag his tail a lot. He is from Comstock Park, MI. a northern suburb of Grand Rapids, MI. His owner doesn't have a name for him just yet, and everyone that knows him, knows him as “pup ed”. His owner recently thought that “Boston” would be a good name for him. One new pup started calling him “Button” cause he thinks he’s as cute as a button. In the meantime, we’ll just refer to him as “pup ed”. He is currently an unemployed puppy, and has been unemployed for about a month now. Previous to this unfortunate incident, he was a truck driver, with a class A CDL. Talk about a pup on the move! He is 31 years old, but pupwise he is 4 months. His hobbies include chatting online, online gaming, walking in state parks whenever I can, country line dancing, music and sci-fi movies.
This pup has always considered himself as a cub and identifies in this way because he says he is small but furry, but he enjoys the older bearish companions and friends, for the most part. He has been in the leather community since 2001. He took a break from it in 2004 and went on the road as a truck driver, but recently got back involved in leather in May of this year. He has been apart of the bear community for seven years. Started in the bear community involvement in Columbus Ohio in 2000. He has only been a pup only a short amount of time, since June of this year. In that time, he has come to learn a great deal about his own personality. He is always learning new things about himself. His current owner isn't well versed in puppy training, so no real training from him, although he does train him. He has great friends in Lansing, MI that has helped him learn about himself as a puppy. His friend Spot is very versed in pup play and has put him in pup space for the first time about three months ago. It was a very unique experience that he can't really put into words. He trusts Spot completely to train him to be the best puppy he can be. He tries to get over to Lansing to spend time with him and dak at least once a month.
He views a leatherpup as one who enjoys wearing leather and understands what the "pup hierarchy" (like a wolf pack). There are pups and alpha pups. Alpha pups are those dominant pups that protect the little ones from danger and damage. He’s anxious to obtain in the near future, a leather pup suit. The reason he feels he has been brought to leatherpup is because he enjoys structure, both as a boy and a pup. He says it’s one of the few constants between the two. He also enjoys discipline, even though as a pup, you couldn’t really tell as he elaborates about headspace. He explains headspace as a frame of mind that one gets into when he/she feels comfortable in his/her surroundings and feels free to just let go of what it is that makes them rational human beings for a certain period of time. Pup space, to “pup ed”, is about pure instinct relying on whatever you feel to do whatever you want.
There have been many leather events “pup ed” has attended recently. One in particular is the Grand Rapids Rivermen Leather Run at Campit in Saugatuck, MI. Campit is a gay campground that he says is the centerpoint of the bear/gay/leather community in West Michigan and throughout the state. He also attended numerous bar nights with the Rivermen, also the pup play event at Rumors just recently with the leather group Nimbus, the GLLA (Great Lakes Leather Alliance) in Indianapolis, and Mr. Michigan Leather Weekend at the Dunes Resort in Douglas, MI.
He views a leatherpup as one who enjoys wearing leather and understands what the "pup hierarchy" (like a wolf pack). There are pups and alpha pups. Alpha pups are those dominant pups that protect the little ones from danger and damage. He’s anxious to obtain in the near future, a leather pup suit. The reason he feels he has been brought to leatherpup is because he enjoys structure, both as a boy and a pup. He says it’s one of the few constants between the two. He also enjoys discipline, even though as a pup, you couldn’t really tell as he elaborates about headspace. He explains headspace as a frame of mind that one gets into when he/she feels comfortable in his/her surroundings and feels free to just let go of what it is that makes them rational human beings for a certain period of time. Pup space, to “pup ed”, is about pure instinct relying on whatever you feel to do whatever you want.
There have been many leather events “pup ed” has attended recently. One in particular is the Grand Rapids Rivermen Leather Run at Campit in Saugatuck, MI. Campit is a gay campground that he says is the centerpoint of the bear/gay/leather community in West Michigan and throughout the state. He also attended numerous bar nights with the Rivermen, also the pup play event at Rumors just recently with the leather group Nimbus, the GLLA (Great Lakes Leather Alliance) in Indianapolis, and Mr. Michigan Leather Weekend at the Dunes Resort in Douglas, MI.
This pup explains he has not entered into any bear or leather competitions as of this date; however, he is considering entering the Michigan Leatherboy competition next year. He says he has decided not to enter any competitions up to this point, because he felt he wasn't ready to hold a title since it means a great deal of responsibility with the community looking up to its title holders and he wants to make sure he is 100% ready for all that comes with any title.
He has had vast involvement with the Leather Community recently. He attended Pride events in Grand Rapids and Lansing this year, dressed in Leather and supported the community by being present. I have plans to attend Bearfest 4 in Grand Rapids during the first weekend of November. He has attended a few pup play demos and while he wears some of his pup gear and plays with his pup toys, people do ask questions, which he is always glad to answer.
If you ask anyone who knows “pup ed” about his personality, they will tell you, he is a pure puppy. He has short attention spans at times, is very playful, always making people smile. He is always in constant motion, even when he is sitting, and he can be obedient at times. He tells us a handler is someone who trains you to be a good puppy, but beyond that, they are your best friends who have only your best interests at heart and would never do anything that would allow you to be hurt in any way. Handlers are someone the pup trusts 100%, and therefore can give themselves 100% to the handler.
To “pup ed”, obedience in the pup lifestyle (even though, to many pups, its not a lifestyle, its who they are) means everything, it means being able to build trust and confidence for both the handler and the pup. The handlers have their work cut out for them with early pups because we early pups don't obey very well, and have to be trained. He elaborates that pups do... well, whatever pops into their little puppy brains at any given time, whether its to roam around the room, or to sleep on the floor, romp with another pup in the area, to drink water from a bowl, to play with a toy in the area or just explore the surroundings. A pup will only come to its given pup name, and human pups need to be treated just like animal pups. I don't have a kennel yet, but talking to my owner, you would think he would love to put me there for a night, if he had one. He has chew toys that his owner bought him and that friends have given him. He likes the MilkBone brand toys because they SQUEAK! As far as food or water bowls, he has one. It resides in Kalamazoo with surrogate handlers Dave and Ken. Those two are like brothers to him, and he is honored that he knows them. His owner bought him a treat bowl with a puppy bone lid on it.
I met “pup ed” at GLLA when he saw a kitten run past the pool. He wags his tail and tells me that he’s surprised that I still remember that story. He says it was a spontaneous experience during GLLA in Indianapolis when he was watching the slave auctions with a very close group of friends. He was standing near his owner when all of a sudden; a slave female went on stage and went into kitten mode. She got down on all fours and started taunting and teasing the audience. Without realizing it, “pup ed” went on all fours, hunched forward and began growling at her, eyes fixed and would not move or blink. After a short time, his owner realized he was acting weird and tried to pull him out of pup space so as to not do anything drastic out near the pool. His owner talked to him and called him by name numerous times to get me to snap out of it. It wasn't till after the kitty left then stage that he could actually be brought out of it. The experience was a rush of pure raw animal instinct. He tells me he never intended to drop to all fours and growl at her. It took him a few minutes to snap out of it completely. Spot was there to help him, since he had more knowledge of these sorts of events than my owner. Once he was back standing on two feet, he felt comfortable he was not going to slip back into pup mode again and run off chasing the kitty. He says he still remembers it from time to time, even though it is a bit hazy because for the most part, when you are in pup space, he explains you don't honestly remember much of anything, its like a drunken haze. It's really exhilarating.
Many different things can set a pup off into pup mode at any given time. It could be the sight of a human kitty or an animal kitty. It could be the fresh air riding in the car. It could be head scratches or belly rubs. Learning about pups is like learning about any other type of creature on the planet, its fun and enjoyable and purely experimentation. This pup loves to pounce, lick, wag his tail (even though it may be invisible), get head scratches, and belly rubs. He’s working on obtaining those things that would help him further his development as a puppy, including gear and so on. He will always be a puppy no matter if he’s standing or sitting or on all fours and hopes others enjoy this little side of himself and the pup community, as he perceives it.
Now let’s get to know a little bit about “pup dak”
Pictured on the left is “pup dak” in his green wrestling suit in a pup play session. He tells us “This yard was made for ME!” He also used to say, when he was collared and his puppy tag would clink against his collar lock: “Puppy bling bling go ching ching”. He is from Lansing Michigan. He is 28 and works as a Network Administrator for the College of Music at Michigan State University. His hobbies are music (singing or creating), dancing, and computers. He has been in the pup and leatherthree years now.
For him, the pup is very much a part of who he is. It’s natural for him. The “training” was more acclimation than anything. It was a challenge for him to get used to a new owner and new surroundings when he is in pup space, and that sort of thing. He explains it’s just like when you take a real puppy home for the first time, it takes them a while to get used to their new surroundings and owners.
His first introduction to the pup world was at IML, several years ago. He went with some friends and saw some pups and how they were acting and just really knew that’s what he was. So many of his personality traits stem from my inner pup. It took little convincing from friends to see it and to investigate and become. To him, a leatherpup is just that – a leatherpup! Pups and boys are not always synonymous, though they often are. In his case, they are. He lives the leather lifestyle and is a pup.
The pup “head space” is a mentality and thought process. When he’s in that pup headspace, he acts, thinks, and does just as a puppy would. He does not understand human words or have a sense of time. He’s only worried about what is happening “NOW!” For example, “HERE’S THE BALL, WHERE’S THE BALL... THROW THE BALL THROW THE BALL... If he sees something he wants to chew on or investigate, then he does. It’s his handler’s responsibility to keep him out of trouble and from doing things he shouldn’t be doing.
This pup has been to IML, in Chicago. Says they have a GREAT puppy gathering there. Also, CLAW, in Cleveland. Last year was the first time they had a puppy get together and it was really nice. He’ll be in Tampa at the Florida Fetish Weekend doing a Pup Play 101 class as well as a Leather Care class with his previous owner and current handler. He says Mr. Michigan Leather (MML) in Saugatuck is a great place, though not really anything pup related there. He’s been to many smaller leather events and get-togethers outside of the puppy context, all over the country.
He explains he does not view himself as a cub. He is drawn to the bear crowd, but says he is fairly hairless. Says he has a little, but the Native American blood is sort of limiting my body hair. As far as the competition circuit, he competed for Great Lakes Bootblack, but says he did not win. He explains the competitions really have nothing to do with his pup side. Other than that, he has not held any titles and has not competed in any other events. For him, the pup is part of who I am not something I play on stage.
Again, it’s a headspace. The easiest way to tell how far he goes is by how ticklish he is. He is a VERY ticklish individual. Often times, you don’t even need to touch him to get him giggling. Just look at him with those “I’m gonna get you!” eyes and it’s all over. He’s on the floor rolling. When he’s in pup space, he is not ticklish at all. It amazes most people. For him, pup time is a time to relax and get away from life and the real world. It’s a time for him to have fun for himself and let someone else worry about his well-being. It is not a sexual thing for him. The quickest way to bring him out of that headspace is to try and get sexual with him.
This pup shares that his previous Sir and current handler have worked with groups like LIFE Detroit to educate the community in the pup world. They have done bar nights in Grand Rapids and Detroit. They are also bootblacks and travel to different leather events and conduct bootblack and leather care. They will also be doing a leather care demo at FFW.
Most of his boot blacking is fund raising. In general, he will take enough out of my tips to cover some basic expenses for the weekend, and the rest go to whatever charity or group he is boot blacking for. Booboo, Spot and he were at the Conductors run in Nashville, Tennessee, last year, and raised over $1300 for their charity, just the three of them. He was selling raffle tickets (on his knees... says it’s what he’s good at as he laughs) and friends Spot and Booboo were boot blacking. He also bootblack on the last Friday of the month at the Aut Bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and his tips go to a local charity out there.
He tells us that a Handler is simply the individual who can trigger a pup into headspace, take care of them while they’re there, and bring them out. There is a great deal of trust that a pup has to have for their handler. The handler keeps an eye on them and makes sure they don’t get into things they shouldn’t. They play fetch and feed or water their pup. It’s just like any other canine puppy owner.
In reference to obedience, he shares with us this is, again, where training comes in. A human pup, like a canine pup, rarely starts off with obedience. They have to learn, the same way a real pup does, what they can and cannot do. It may mean swats on the nose or rubbing a pup’s nose in a mess they’ve made. But it will be learned. Some learn faster than others. It all depends on the breed.
He tells us pups have fun and do what they want to do! They act on instinct. If they want something, they go get it! He, personally, does not have a kennel; though it is something that he would like and knows several pups do have them at home. He has plenty of squeaky toys and chew toys that he plays with on a regular basis. Though he does not have any rawhide bones or anything to speak of. He does have his own water dish, and the food bowl that he uses belongs to his friend Spot.
He tells us that you never know what a pup is going to do or when he’s going to do it. Many pups can be identified when they are in human space, or as we generally call it, a biped (moving on two legs, not all fours). When he is happy, his “tail wags”. Either his rump is shaking a bit, or if his butt can’t move, his legs are. It is very easy to tell when he’s happy. A lot of pups are very energetic in their daily life. Some are not, but a lot are. He, himself, says he is ADHD.
Let me share that Florida Fetish Weekend the last weekend in October, the Pup Appreciation Weekend in Chicago the first weekend of November, Mr. International Rubber the 2nd weekend of November, Mid Atlantic Leather in DC in January and IML in May. You might see him there in his collar and mitts. He explains that by the time his handler places his puppy mitts on my paws, he is already partially into pup headspace. Then he will put my puppy collar on, which is a specific collar that is used when he is in pup space. After that’s on, that’s it. He’s totally down in pup space and off he goes!
Most of his boot blacking is fund raising. In general, he will take enough out of my tips to cover some basic expenses for the weekend, and the rest go to whatever charity or group he is boot blacking for. Booboo, Spot and he were at the Conductors run in Nashville, Tennessee, last year, and raised over $1300 for their charity, just the three of them. He was selling raffle tickets (on his knees... says it’s what he’s good at as he laughs) and friends Spot and Booboo were boot blacking. He also bootblack on the last Friday of the month at the Aut Bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and his tips go to a local charity out there.
He tells us that a Handler is simply the individual who can trigger a pup into headspace, take care of them while they’re there, and bring them out. There is a great deal of trust that a pup has to have for their handler. The handler keeps an eye on them and makes sure they don’t get into things they shouldn’t. They play fetch and feed or water their pup. It’s just like any other canine puppy owner.
In reference to obedience, he shares with us this is, again, where training comes in. A human pup, like a canine pup, rarely starts off with obedience. They have to learn, the same way a real pup does, what they can and cannot do. It may mean swats on the nose or rubbing a pup’s nose in a mess they’ve made. But it will be learned. Some learn faster than others. It all depends on the breed.
He tells us pups have fun and do what they want to do! They act on instinct. If they want something, they go get it! He, personally, does not have a kennel; though it is something that he would like and knows several pups do have them at home. He has plenty of squeaky toys and chew toys that he plays with on a regular basis. Though he does not have any rawhide bones or anything to speak of. He does have his own water dish, and the food bowl that he uses belongs to his friend Spot.
He tells us that you never know what a pup is going to do or when he’s going to do it. Many pups can be identified when they are in human space, or as we generally call it, a biped (moving on two legs, not all fours). When he is happy, his “tail wags”. Either his rump is shaking a bit, or if his butt can’t move, his legs are. It is very easy to tell when he’s happy. A lot of pups are very energetic in their daily life. Some are not, but a lot are. He, himself, says he is ADHD.
Let me share that Florida Fetish Weekend the last weekend in October, the Pup Appreciation Weekend in Chicago the first weekend of November, Mr. International Rubber the 2nd weekend of November, Mid Atlantic Leather in DC in January and IML in May. You might see him there in his collar and mitts. He explains that by the time his handler places his puppy mitts on my paws, he is already partially into pup headspace. Then he will put my puppy collar on, which is a specific collar that is used when he is in pup space. After that’s on, that’s it. He’s totally down in pup space and off he goes!
Pictured above are “pup dak” and “pup ed” demonstrating their leather pride in public. We’d like to take a moment and thank “pup ed” and “pup dak” for taking the time to share more information about “puppy play” with the Readers of West Virginia Queer News. LEATHERBEAR is a weekly column dedicated to the diversity in the Bear, Leather, and BDSM communities.
In Leather Bear Pride,
Steven Tompa
bravenet.com