Effective Pup Training

It is important to have a clear understanding of the purpose and goals of human pup training before you embark upon on the road to puphood. This is true of either a prospective human pup or a Trainer of one. To be an effective Trainer and competent Owner of a pup you need to have an understanding of what it means to be effective in training - what actually works. Otherwise you are just playing in costume (which in itself is not a bad thing, just not the whole spectrum of what pup play is about). 

For most pups, it is not easy to begin pup training. Playing can be achieved easily, but behaving well as a pup and being a good pup for an Owner is not something a human slips into easily. It is to be expected that a prospective pup has their own vision and ideas of what pup training and pup hood is. Some of that will be negative, and certainly much of it will be unrealistic.  

Generally everyone expects human pup play to be fun, and mostly a BDSM sexual experience. It is seen as being all about feeling good. However, pup training involves more than just having fun in the short term. Without developing significantly as a pup through the training process, a person using pup play to have fun is likely to get bored with it and find themselves limited in puphood. You can't rest on your fun paws to be the best pup you could be. 

A major goal then of pup training is to change the person, to change the behaviour of the prospective pup. An effective Trainer helps a person change into a pup, not simply 'handles' them in pup roleplay. This Trainer seeks to guide the prospective pup in making changes in the way they think of human pup play and the things they do, so that as a pup he doesn't embrace his human patterns of behaviour when acting as a pup. Importantly, an effective Trainer instructs and guides a pup so he avoids negative consequences and outcomes. Your Trainer looks out for you to help you avoid big mistakes whilst pushing you to not rely on what you do as a human in behaviour. The Trainer is the Master of your path. 

Pup play significantly differs from slavery or submission. It isn't helpful to have human pups believe their Owner can solve every problem a pup has, and to expect Master to be there to constantly engage in creating pleasure for a pup. Instead, a pup should be trained to be largely self reliant, empowered so they can behave and make the right decisions in human pup play at any time. Rather than be dependent on his Master like a submissive or slave, a pup is a capable companion, being Masters best friend like a canine dog.

Being an effective Owner of a human pup requires an Owner to "be real", to be wholly himself whenever engaging with his human pup. A pups Owner needs to be genuine, a completed and integrated healthy person. An Owner will find himself in a variety of roles in any given day - Master, student, employee, friend, lover. The critical difference human pup play has to submission, slavery, and other roles in BDSM is that a human pup is your companion, and like a dog, gets to see and experience his Owner in a variety of roles. The human pup can travel and be aside his Master in many spheres of his life, and their relationship be meaningful and fulfilling without causing serious problems.  

To be an effective member of a pack of human pups, whether you are an Owner, Trainer, or pup, it helps for you to develop within yourself a few qualities. 

Self Disclosure

If something is relevant, or could be relevant to pup play, you should be open and forthright and share it with those concerned. The more you conceal, the harder it is to let go and enjoy being in pup play. Sensible boundaries should be established though, so that people's privacy is respected.  

Walk alongside each other

Rather than engage in power struggles, which are better suited to other forms of BDSM, consider yourself a companion who is going on a journey to puphood with another. As a companion, you can share togetherness and be empathetic. You can experience the warm and loving devotion of puphood. 

Treat them as doing ok

At every step of the journey to puphood it's good to approach others involved as if they are doing the best they can. The training is exactly that - training and learning - which everyone does at different speeds. To fully engage in human pup play you should always try to have unconditional care for your pack, your Owner, your Trainer, your pup. Developing and embracing an animal role for one self is best done in a non-judgemental and caring space.  

Pay attention

This means deliberately and intentionally listening to what a pup, an Owner, or a Trainer is saying. Not just hearing the words, but gaining an understanding of where they are coming from. Other forms of BDSM can focus on giving orders and compliance, and naive participants in pup play can assume "roleplaying" a dog will just simply involve following commands. That facile and simplistic form of play as human pups is not effective in developing a whole and fully realised  pup self. To do that requires changing and adopting new behaviours, creating a real and sustainable pup self - which means actively listening and engaging with each other, not just sitting when being told to sit. 

Respect and Collaboration

Pup, Trainer, Owner all work together to create and make human pup play happen. Pups develop and have skills to bring to the experience, as do Owners and Trainers. It's a shared activity best done in an atmosphere of respect and recognition of each others value.