The 7-Day Puppy Play Challenge: A Week With Your Handler
For the next seven evenings, you're their pup.
You come when they call. You steal their sock and wait to be noticed. You find them when they hide. You put your head in their lap when you want more. They feed you dinner. They keep you beside them while something plays on the TV.
Your Handler learns what gets you excited, what makes you stubborn, and where you like to be scratched. They give the orders, join the games, and make room for you beside them.
This is one complete puppy play challenge for two adults, written out evening by evening: the commands, the words, and what happens when play ends. Set aside around half an hour. Bring a toy. Your Handler will take it from there.
Before the First Night
Choose your pup name, what you'll call your Handler, and the praise you like hearing. This article uses “good pup.” Change it to whatever works for you.
Agree on the touch, commands, and mischief you're both happy with, plus a clear way to stop. You can always speak normally, change an uncomfortable position, or end play. Food, water, and bathroom breaks stay available.
Find a private room with space to move. Put a blanket or mat beside your Handler's chair. Use padding for time on the floor, and walk or sit whenever that is more comfortable. Carry toys in your hands. A collar is optional and is never used to pull you around.
Before each evening, check that you both want to begin. When play ends, your Handler says so clearly. Take off your collar if you're wearing one, get comfortable, and check in with each other.
The seven evenings
Day 1: Learn Three Pup Commands
Today's challenge: Spend 20 minutes as your partner's pup, practising three commands together.
Put your blanket beside your Handler's chair and choose a soft toy for tonight. Your Handler should explain these commands before you begin:
- Come: Go to your Handler when they call your pup name.
- Paw: Put your hand in their open palm.
- Settle: Get comfortable on your blanket.
As the pup, respond to each command and wait for the next one. As the Handler, give one instruction at a time and praise your pup when they get it right. Use the words and touch you agreed on earlier.
Practise each command a few times, then mix up the order. Keep a little play between rounds: offer the toy, give your pup some attention, then call them back.
For the last few minutes, use “settle” and relax together. Tonight is about getting used to being each other's pup and Handler. Three commands are plenty.
Day 2: Steal Your Handler's Sock
Today's challenge: Play a stealing game with one object your Handler has agreed you can take.
Use a clean sock or another soft, unimportant object. Leave phones, drinks, and anything breakable out of it.
Handler: put the sock within reach and pretend to be busy. Give your pup a chance to steal it, then make a fuss when you notice.
“Excuse me. Is that yours?”
Pup: be a little cheeky. Hide the sock behind your back, retreat a few steps, or offer it before pulling it away again. Give your Handler something to react to.
After a little back-and-forth, your Handler should call you over and ask for it back. They can offer your toy as a trade. Return the sock when they give the agreed command, then enjoy some praise or a quick game together.
Play two or three rounds, changing where you leave the sock. Finish by putting it away. Your Handler gets their belongings back. You get the attention you were causing trouble for.
Day 3: Find Your Handler
Today's challenge: Play three rounds of hide-and-seek with your Handler.
Choose two or three rooms to use. Keep doors unlocked and leave stairs out of the game.
Pup: wait on your blanket while your Handler hides. Start searching when they call your name. Walk around and follow their voice. There is no need to crawl or pretend you can track a scent.
Handler: make the first hiding place easy. Call again if your pup needs a clue. When they find you, greet them warmly and give them a scratch in their favorite spot.
Choose a trickier hiding place for round two. For the last round, take the toy with you and reward the discovery with a few minutes of play.
Let your pup actually find you before moving on. No sneaking off to another room every time they get close. The fun is in finding their person, not being kept searching forever.
Day 4: Get Spoiled
Today's challenge: Spend 20 minutes being fussed over by your Handler, using a pup gesture to ask for more.
Choose the attention you would enjoy tonight: hair strokes, head scratches, gentle brushing, or simply being held close. Pick one gesture to ask for it. Resting your head on their knee or placing your hand on their leg both work.
Handler: get comfortable and invite your pup beside you. When they use the gesture, give them the attention you chose together. Take your time with it.
Pup: settle close and let yourself enjoy being looked after. If your Handler pauses and you want more, use your gesture again. You can still speak normally whenever you need to.
Leave training for tomorrow. Tonight, your pup does not need to perform a trick every time they want a little affection.
Day 5: Complete a Training Session
Today's challenge: Learn “wait,” then put it together with the commands from your first evening.
Start with a few easy rounds of “come” and “paw.” Then introduce the new command.
Handler: put the toy within your pup's reach. Explain that “wait” means leaving it alone until you say “take it.” Ask them to wait for three seconds, then give the release.
Pup: leave the toy where it is until you hear “take it,” then pick it up. Your Handler should praise you and give you a little time to play.
Repeat a few times. If you both enjoy it, try a five-second wait. Then practise this short sequence:
- Come to your Handler.
- Give them a paw.
- Settle on your blanket.
- Wait while they place the toy nearby.
- Pick it up when they say “take it.”
Give each command separately. If something gets muddled, demonstrate it and try again. After two or three rounds, finish training and spend a few minutes playing with the toy together.
Day 6: Eat Dinner as Their Pup
Today's challenge: Have dinner together with your partner taking care of you as your Handler.
Choose a meal you both enjoy. Handler: serve your pup's food in a clean bowl and arrange a comfortable place beside you. A tray works well. Keep everything easy to reach, and use cutlery as usual.
Call your pup by name when dinner is ready and show them their place.
Pup: join your Handler and keep the role going through the meal. Respond to your pup name, stay close, and ask your Handler when you would like more. You can talk normally. There is no need to make eating awkward.
Handler: take care of the serving and refills tonight. Check whether your pup would like anything else, and include them in your attention while you eat your own dinner.
Afterward, clear the dishes and spend a few minutes together on the sofa or beside their chair. Use yesterday's commands only if you both feel like it. Dinner itself is tonight's challenge.
Day 7: Spend an Evening at Their Feet
Today's challenge: Spend one short TV episode in your pup role, keeping your Handler company.
Choose something around 20 to 30 minutes long. Put your blanket beside the sofa, with your toy and water nearby. Sit somewhere comfortable and change position whenever you need to.
Before starting the show, your Handler should call you over, ask for a paw, and give you a few minutes of play. Then use “settle” to invite you to your spot.
Pup: stay close during the episode. Use your gesture from Day 4 when you want petting. If you fancy a game, offer the toy and see whether your Handler wants to play.
Handler: keep including your pup. Stroke their hair, use their name, or pause the show for a little attention. Watching something together should not mean ignoring them for half an hour.
When the episode ends, finish the pup role as you have on the other evenings. There is no final test. You have simply spent a comfortable evening as their pup.
Make the Week Your Own
Keep the parts you both enjoyed. Your pup name. The greeting. The sock you are apparently incapable of leaving alone. The way your Handler's hand opens when they want a paw.
You might repeat the whole week, or keep just one evening as a regular thing you do together.
For more ideas, browse Collared's pet-play task gallery. Add a task when you have a use for it. Your favorite evening might already have everything it needs.
Run the challenge in Collared
You can build this puppy play challenge in Collared and run all seven evenings from the app.
In Collared, use:
- Habits for the pup name, the Handler's title, and the praise you agreed on
- One-time tasks for each evening's assignment
- Photo proof only if both of you want a picture from the week
You can also replace an evening with one of Collared's 282 submissive tasks, stay inside the pet-play gallery, or run a different week from our eight BDSM challenges for couples.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is puppy play?
Puppy play is a form of pet play in which one partner takes the role of a human pup and the other becomes their Handler. It can include commands, toys, affection, mischief, and care. This week uses those things across seven short evenings. It does not require gear, crawling, barking, or sex.
Do we need a hood, collar, or other gear?
No. You can try this week with a blanket, a soft toy, and somewhere private. Add clothing or gear because you enjoy it.
Do I have to crawl or bark?
No. Walk, sit, and speak whenever you want or need to. You can keep the pup role through your name, your games, and how you ask your Handler for attention.
Is this challenge sexual?
The seven evenings here focus on play, obedience, and affection. Sexual activity is not required.
Does this work for long-distance couples?
Not this week. Hide-and-seek, a stolen sock, dinner at their side, and an evening at their feet all need the same room. If you are apart, pick a different challenge — or wait until you are together.
What if we miss a day?
Pick up where you left off. Seven evenings together can happen over a week, a fortnight, or whenever you have time to enjoy them.
Start the Challenge in Collared
Build this puppy play challenge in Collared and do it together. Try Collared free on iOS or Android.
