Dark Castle - Sin 
BDSM Canada & Training

by Aramock Nanuck

     February 1993

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Many Dominants like to use Pet Play to introduce slaves new to the lifestyle. Unlike the regular play, this occurs over several days, drawing upon successively more complex attributes to develop bonds while establishing protocols and obedience. Who slaves were previously, their goals, aspirations, and even desires were unimportant in their new lives. Their focus should be on the service, obedience to and the satisfaction of their Dominant. What better way than becoming a human pet?

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Building Connections

Power distance with emotional connection creates a powerful bond within the master-slave dynamic. Many Dominants play on aspects of the Stockholm Syndrome to form emotional bonds during intimate sessions. The slave begins to identify with and attach to their Master during the process, forming bonds that are much tighter than steel restraints. Properly instituted, the slave will attempt to appease their Dominant while exerting no effort to change their status or escape. Slaves start giving up and realizing it is easier to surrender their will to their Owner. They tend to shift loyalty from themselves to the Dominant, becoming unwilling to detach from their new reality. The key to making this happen is treating the slave humanely, provoking positive feelings towards their Owners and making them grateful for the care given. Most Dominants couple this with very limited or nonexistent access to outside input and communication during the initiation phase.

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Beginning the Process

After being collared, the slave enters the Dominant's household for the first time. There is a rush to experience in many that quickly gets out of hand. The more experienced Dominant takes their time and introduces the slave to their new life in a well-orchestrated manner. The primary objective is to establish superiority and control from the outset, thereby setting the power distance and defining the rules of engagement.

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Training Collar

Initiation with most Dominants involves placing a collar on the necks of their slaves. The symbolism is evident in that it renders the slave as chattel. Some Dominants put bulky collars, meant for training Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers, on their slave, while others ramp it up with shock collars to reinforce obedience demands. A tiny portion of owners take this to the extreme by introducing drug-injecting or exploding collars. As a rule, it is highly recommended NOT to take it to extremes.

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Shedding their Old Life

Particularly with novices, they must shed old conditioning. The act of undressing a slave is key to this. The slave should never undress themselves the first time. The clothes they wear should be roughly removed or cut away, shedding them of their dignity and humanity. The Dominant clearly gains ascendancy over the slave, making them an object rather than a person. The first recorded connection between this act and control is in the Talmud and the Old Testament. The troubling symbolism of undressing an individual is unmistakable. Nakedness tends in Judaic-Christians to be shameful and denotes a lack of decency or self-worth. Having this thrust upon a slave relegates them to being little better than the beasts in the fields. The contempt an Owner shows to the slave by forcefully stripping them removes any contentment and joy from the slave. The rending of a slave's clothes indicates the moment the relationship and perception changed. Tearing of clothes is a sign of profound disrespect.

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Scrubbing away the Past

Many Dominants will then douse their slave and wash them, again as an act of power. Besides ensuring the slave is free of odours, perfumes, make-up or other funk, it presents them in a sanitary state.

 

The hosing down a slave with cold water cause mild to intense electrical impulses to your brain. The effect is to jolt the slave to a state of increased alertness, clarity, and energy levels. It can also cause endorphin release, specifically in those with a predisposition to masochism, a wake-up call to the slave's new reality. Ancient hydrotherapy suggests that cold water boosts metabolism and alleviates many chronic conditions, triggering the healing process.

 

Other Dominants take a less harsh approach by using the age-old practice of warm (sometimes bubble) baths to induce relaxation and soothe aching muscles. Having the Dominant introduce pleasurable activities relaxes and unwinds the slave, allowing them to gently connect to their new Owner and ground their spirit in the moment and new existence. However, during the initiation, a Dominant should NEVER join the slave in the bath as it denotes familiarity and egalitarianism.

 

Both methods have value and, at different times, elicit the desired effect, whether it is a punishment or a reward. However, allow a clear separation of days between the two activities to avoid introducing confusion into the slave's mind concerning the nature of the relationship.

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Inspecting the Animal

The act redefines the slave no longer as an individual but as an animal. The elevation of their status to a pet happens in later processes. For now, the slave undergoes an equally demeaning inspection. The Dominant handles the slave's body to check its suitability. Shortly after taking possession, some slaves exhibit unappealing or different changes in behaviour. Timing can be a pure coincidence; in other cases, a skilled Dominant would uncover it sooner. The physical inspection can quickly reveal the range of movement, flexibility, standard and abnormal lumps and bumps, and masses. The loose skin and fatty nature of a slave are clear indications of the owner's overall health concerns. The act of checking the teeth is equally demeaning and a good indicator of the slave's general hygiene. Well-flossed gums, few cavities or fillings and bright white teeth all indicate attention to diet. Checking the genitals for responsiveness (does a male harden or a female get moist at touch) and the sexual proclivity of a slave. All of this sets the order within the relationship.​

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Crate Training

At this point, tired and emotionally depleted, the slave needs to rest.  The Dominant also likely would benefit from a respite. The question then becomes how to let a pet relax. Crate training is a good way to teach the dog proper boundaries and behaviours. It reinforces the fact that the slave is devoid of human rights and relegated to the position of a beast. However, to avoid restlessness and discomfort, the slave needs to be in a large enough crate that they can turn around. And ensures that they can curl up to take a nap or sleep. Also, do not leave the slave for more than a couple of hours alone in a crate.  Prolonged isolation can be distressing, like prisoners in solitary confinement and cause them to withdraw or become emotionally aggressive.

In the long term, build the slave a comfortable place on the floor, complete with a cushioned mat and blanket for sleeping. Place this in the space used by the Owner, reinforcing the tie to their Master and not yet having earned the right to use furniture.

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Obedience Training

Slaves need to focus on the immediate consequences of their actions. The arduous process of obedience and protocol training starts altering the mind from submissive to that of a genuine slave. Foremost, Dominants want respect from their slaves and the unwavering execution of instructions without challenge or forethought. Dominants will employ either aversive or reward-based methods. Many will subtly combine these in the "carrot-and-stick" approach. The use of harsh scoldings, derogatory remarks, and forceful corrections denotes displeasure with the pet's actions. While gentle terms of endearment, cuddles and light petting all reward good behaviour. The objective is to have the pet develop mixed feelings towards its owner.  Reassuring warm feelings demonstrate affection and care, while the slave avoids unpleasant emotions and punishment by evading upsetting their Owner. If the goal is a loving and responsive slave, a reward-based approach, while limiting aversion-based obedience training, is essential. If, on the other hand, you want blind obedience, then aversion-based, with limited reward-based instruction, ensures that fear responses are foremost.

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Reality with Rewards

On successive days, little rewards contribute to the feeling of worth and care from a Dominant towards a new pet.

 

The first luxury given to a pet is removing a training collar and replacing it with something far more appealing. It becomes a graduation from the position of a beast to that of being a cherished pet. This simple act stimulates pride and bolsters the affection felt by the slave towards their Owner.

 

On a subsequent day, the issuance of fetish garb (ears, snout, masks, etc.) all begins to beautify the pet, transforming it more into the reality of its role. The addition of straps and restraints, emblematic of pet harnesses, complements the image as it develops.

 

The addition of printed silk garb emulating the look of the animal hide further adds to the persona of the pet. Finally, one enhances the aura rendering by adding make-up and body painting.

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