In pup play we have to acknowlege that we are really enjoying a fantasy life. Let’s face it I know I’m not a dog. I know I will never “transform” into a dog but while I am down on all fours, I love the experience.
For me human pup play comes from a core desire. A desire that allows me to explore my canine self. A desire to be loved, a desire to protect, a love to be a mentor to other pups.
While this desire is great it doesn’t lead to a full “pup experience”. To really enjoy and go deep into my pup self I needed to explore what sort of dog I am.
Thanks to my training I’ve been able to develop a good idea of who I am as a pup…
If this all sounds confusing I highly recommend you check out the persona training at Sirius Pup Australia.
First collar persona starts with you developing an idea, a picture of who you think you are as a young puppy.
We will begin with some creative visualisation when describing your emerging pup self.
Imagine it is the dog inside you. You, the human, always hold that dog in your arms.
At this stage you certainly can’t express your pup self in a way that doesn’t involve your humanity.
So visualise yourself as cradling that young dog, that is your pup self, as a puppy in your arms.
Hold your puppy up and let him rest on your shoulder so he looks backward whilst you as a human are facing away and not communicating. That’s how the two of you are to be forged this early stage.
You control your puppy self and protect him as you learn your lessons in your First Collar Training, whilst you as a man, face away and let him look and explore. Imagine your puppy self as being loved and cared for by you.
Second collar persona goes deeper where you can explore more of your pup personality…
This act of making a unique pup self is a creative task, and the benefit of being a creative pup is that it helps you as a human as well; your Genius leads your whole self to feeling fulfilled, accomplished, and having meaning to your life. So following your Genius pup spirit is very important!
At this point it’s vital for you to recognise that a Genius spirit is an imaginative construct of yours. Perhaps it has a spiritual dimension for you, but that is not necessary for puphood and is your own personal choice. The creative visualisation is the paramount action, the main thing for you to focus on.
As part of the creation of my full pup self I needed to create a story:
- How did I come to be a pup?
- How did I come to be owned?
- What sort of pup am I?
For me this was a bit of a struggle but over time I came to get a better understanding of who I was. I know that I am definitely a German Shepherd, strong, protective yet 100% devoted and loving to those who are close to me.
Over time I started to imagine, “how did I come to be with this pack?”.
Below is a small video created at our Pup Pride Down Under week here in Australia…
We each created a video of our pup self. I found the challenge fun and a good chance to enjoy showing how I could create a history and back story for me, Gpup Alpha, as a pup.
Gpup was being trained as a police dog but his temper was a little too short so he was expelled. After some time alone, lost he was fortunate to be found by Pup Boss and their bond was to be strong from that day forward.
While it felt a little silly I’m happy to have a persona that’s been fleshed out a little. Knowing where I have come from helps explain my pup persona and personality.
So what is your story pup?
Hugs and tugs,
Gpup Alpha