An exploratory study of a new kink activity: “Pup Play”

Wignall, L.; McCormack, M.

doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0636-8

An exploratory study of a new kink activity: “Pup Play”

Wignall, L.; McCormack, M.

Authors

L. Wignall

M. McCormack

Abstract

his study presents the narratives and experiences of 30 gay and bisexual men who participate in a behavior known as “pup play.” Never empirically studied before, we use in-depth interviews and a modified form of grounded theory to describe the dynamics of pup play and develop a conceptual framework with which to understand it. We discuss the dynamics of pup play, demonstrating that it primarily consists of mimicking the behaviors and adopting the role of a dog. We show that the majority of participants use pup play for sexual satisfaction. It is also a form of relaxation, demonstrated primarily through the existence of a “headspace.” We classify pup play as a kink, and find no evidence for the framing of it as a form of zoophilia. We call for further research on pup play as a sexual kink and leisure activity from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives.

Citation

Wignall, L., & McCormack, M. (2017). An exploratory study of a new kink activity: “Pup Play”. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(3), 801-811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0636-8

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Aug 27, 2015
Online Publication Date	Dec 14, 2015
Publication Date	Apr 1, 2017
Deposit Date	Sep 3, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Dec 14, 2016
Journal	Archives of Sexual Behavior
Print ISSN	0004-0002
Electronic ISSN	1573-2800
Publisher	Springer
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	46
Issue	3
Pages	801-811
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0636-8
Keywords	BDSM, Kink, Leisure, Pup play, Role-play.