Puppy (or pup) play is a type of role-play behavior in which adult
humans adopt the characteristics of dogs (puppies, in particular)
(Wignall & McCormack,
2017). It emerged out of—and is still in large part related to—the broader BDSM/leather community (Lawson & Langdridge,
2019; Wignall & McCormack,
2017), although there is some debate over the exact origins (see, for example, St. Clair,
2015, for a community perspective on the origins of this activity).
Footnote 1
More specifically, puppy play is an activity which takes place within
the broad category of dominant/submissive (D/s) interactions, the
defining feature of which is the relationship between one or more
“pups,” humans who take on the persona and attributes of dogs for the
duration of the scene, and either a “handler,” who remains human but
takes on the role of dog owner/dominant, or with other “pups” (St.
Clair,
2015).
