Woof! & Grrr!

WOOF… GRRR…!!!

By bondageboyhk

“The human dog or pup is a unique creature – part boy, part dog; part companion, part servant; protective yet in need of supervision – a playful guardian to his Master. Add a compulsion for leather and kink and the mix becomes even more rewarding – and complicated.”

                                                    ~ Michael Daniels ~

This is a book series of two written by Michael Daniels. Published in 2003, WOOF! was the first book dedicated to the topic of erotic care and training of human dog, and its successor, GRRR!, came a year after as the first anthology of erotica involving human dogs and pups.

             The book, WOOF!, arrived at the time of an ever growing K9 phenomenon back in 2003. In view of the lack of organized literature to serve the growing community of pups and Handlers, the author decided to summarize some of the contributions on his K9 website, the once well-known and bygone leatherDOG, and put together into an introductory K9 book. It is a handy reading material for beginners and it opens the door to curious two-legger folks who would like to explore a little more about K9. Even though the book may not be teaching an old dog any new tricks, it could definitely get you a wicked smile when recalling “one of those early days”. In fact, this is a guide book written mostly from the angle of a gay male Handler. The author consolidated the point of view from various contributors online and complemented with his experience from his K9 family and of cause, his biological dogs. So you want to be a pup? is one of a few interesting contributions in the book which this article aims to wake up some 24/7/365 wannabes by sharing some practical experience of prolonged endeavours in pup mode. WOOF! is a collection of knowledge covering an array of topics from the types of K9 to the selection of bowls, while it is not a bible on K9, it is a good reference to understand some of the core principles.

The book begins with an empirical accent on the ethnics in K9, as it is unmistakably important to be cautious about the safe, sane, and consensual guidelines in any scene of BDSM, K9 included. The author also emphasized that the key of a successful and robust pup-Handler scene or relationship relies on the basis of honest and constant communication, whereas discount on mutual communication would mark the scene or relationship a critical fault. The author then attempted to clear some common misinformation or misconception about K9, in particular, some inaccurate associations with mandatory sexual interaction, humiliation, or bestiality.

Daniels suggested that human dogs inherit many qualities of the instincts from biological dogs, adding to their human side of their mind, it is a complex mix of instincts and attitudes. The synergy of human mind and puppy heart blossoms into a very complicated but rewarding K9 experience, creating totally different headspace than of boy, slave or other roles in the sphere of BDSM. Human dogs also do well in expressing sophisticated communication talents with rich vocalization and non-verbal communications. Even the most iron-hearted Handler could hardly ignore or resist the sympathetic eye contact, the most excited wagging, or a warm and flexible tongue that wets His face, errrrrr… or His bone.

It is a matter of fact that every Handler wants His pet to look at its best, so the author gave a good coverage to talk about dog care and tips for gearing up human dogs. Pup play has a wider selection of gears and toys than most other BDSM scenes. Thanks to the biological dogs, pups and Handlers could have economy choices from local pet stores to some other more dedicated K9 accessories available at leather or fetish stores (with a bigger price tag, of cause). The section listed out different options for K9 toys and gears, such as collar, muzzle, mitt, kneepad, tail, bowl, and cage, recommendations for alternatives materials were also explained for reference. Furthermore, remarks were made for people who want to ink their dogs. Marking and tagging is an important symbol to show the ownership of dogs by their Handlers. Sexy and hot idea, but tattoo could also be a lifelong marking, the author called for through consideration before any permanent marking.

PupTim once told in the pupumentary PUP  that most dog foods he had tried taste terrible and dry, but there must be exceptions, chicken jerky for canine, for example, smells sooooo good that you have got to struggle which mouth to put into when giving treats to family dogs. However, the author expressed his concerns to the feeding of real dog foods which are usually made with animal by products from slaughterhouses and contain extremely high level of fat for the different dietary needs of biological dogs. It was suggested to use some human can foods, many of them have a very dog food-alike look and texture if served at room temperature. We should never forget the fact that domestic dogs traditionally were fed with table scraps, not the fancy dog foods until advertised on TV.

             As any K9 guidebook would not be completed without a chapter about dog training, the author started from some basic concepts of training, and then further elaborated the reward and discipline system to correct human dog behaviours. Training commands were suggested to Handlers from the basic sit and stay orders to more advanced commands and tricks. The author especially stressed the importance of simple and direct order, as command should be in a form of word, not wordy sentences. As simple as “some on, sit down” itself, could already involve three commands in a short sentence. Last but not the least, the author introduced different scenes in K9, the diverse play scene between pups and Handler could just be as calm as scratching the pup’s ears into asleep or could be as overwhelming as hopping in the middle of a mosh pit.

The book WOOF! is wrapped up by a K9 fiction titled A Dog’s Tail by pup don, allowing readers to wander a bit further in the world of K9. The fiction story also leads to the introduction of the second book of its series, GRRR!, which was published in 2004 as the first anthology of erotica involving human dogs and pups. The book GRRR! portrayed 11 K9 fiction stories, each telling a journey or erotic adventure of different human canines. From the legendary leather bar owner and dog Handler to the solo dog act at friend’s empty backyard, GRRR! displays the desires that a human dog may ever dream of. The book is definitely not for educational purpose, but it is a bedtime dessert after taking your Hander’s treat.