Satisfying animal needs

Hello,

As a general disclaimer, my theriotype is wolf so my writing will be a little biased, but you can obviously apply this knowledge to other theriotypes as it applies for you.


One of the noticeable parts of therianthropy is that we therians "inherit" some of the needs of our animal theriotypes. What traits are "inherited" in this way depends on the theriotype obviously, as well as on the person. While some people may very intensely experience an animal need, others with the same theriotype may not.

So, certainly it is not required if you are a wolf therian that you have every single need that the wolf has. It's just something that applies to certain people. For example, I experience a strong need for hierarchy within my friend group (kind of like how it is in wolves or sled dogs), but many other people who are also wolf and dog therians do not experience this at all.


Many therians have theriotypes which are forest animals, so there are obvious needs like for example... deriving a sense of comfort and security, from something like this:


Of course even plain humans who are not therian at all, feel attached to an environment that shows sun, fresh water and signs of life, because this (surprise) is where humans can naturally live. But a forest animal might feel something more, like a need to sniff around or get the sense of layout of the woods. These are things that you cannot really get from a picture on the Internet, you have to go to the woods and experience it yourself.

A wild animal in it's natural environment would be guided by impulses that lead it to it's next meal and the experience for therians is not much different. Even though we don't have a need to hunt, etc, we might derive joy from doing things that we feel driven to do.

I imagine something similar applies no matter what your theriotype's natural environment is...


Disclaimer: Please be cautious, alert and familiarise yourself with what humans need to stay safe in your wild environment of choice. Regardless of your therianthropy, you are a human and you have human needs and limitations. Wild prey animals can defend themselves and can incapacitate you, and it is completely possible to slip, fall and hurt yourself (I speak from experience!), etc, so be sure to keep a lid on your drift through the animal mindset and keep your human ass safe!


Many therians experience social needs of their theriotypes to some degree. It may well be one of the reasons that wolves are so present in the community, because many of us feel the need to stay close with some kind of friend group on a daily basis.

But this is not something that we intentionally, purposefully do. It just sort-of turns out that way.


Feel free to add comment and describe some of the animal needs you experience in replies.

LP,
Dusty

Hi,

This might be relevant:
https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-Longing-For-Your-Habitat

LP,
Dusty

In addition to experiencing some of the environmental needs of our theriotypes and kintypes, we may also experience the need to indulge in certain behaviors that are commonly observed in wild species or considered typical of our kintypes. I would like to elaborate on a few of these points and offer some examples. I am canine of course and I have spent a lot of time around cats, so these are the behaviors which I am most familiar with.

I also experience the need for a sense of hierarchy among those who are part of my life. When I perceive others and engage with them socially, I am compelled by instinct to always be aware of my 'place' in relation to them. I have learned that dominance and submission operate on two levels at once: the individual level and the situational level. I also experience the need for my theriotype to have a large amount of territory, patrol it and defend it from strangers. This has been a very strong trait in me since I was old enough to stand upright and tear down new wallpaper in my bedroom which I resented!

I am constantly driven to revisit places which I feel connected with and I think of these places as part of my personal territory. This can cause problems of course, because in human terms none of these places are actually mine! That means when somebody changes or destroys something in my 'territory' I take it as a personal offense, even though in human terms I have no right to do so and I can do nothing about it.

On a lighter note, there are many other more simple behaviors typical of canines that I feel the need to indulge in sometimes. I wag my tail of course, but I also bow low and bat the ground with my forepaws when I'm feeling playful and sometimes I want to chase my tail when excited. I lower my head and my phantom ears droop when I'm feeling sad or uncertain, sometimes to the point where my neck hurts.

I am constantly 'scanning', turning my head back and forth, lifting my muzzle to the wind and twitching my phantom ears as I read the environment around me. Sometimes I feel the need to pant, usually when I'm happy, stressed or just plain tired. When I first lay down or stretch after waking up, I often need to let out a low pitched, grumbling sound in my throat which I call the 'canine moan'.

I do not experience Dragon shifts very often but when I do, I notice some subtle changes in the needs that I feel. I become extremely defensive, far more so that I usually am and I feel the overwhelming need to strike out at anything that even remotely threatens me or those I care about. Compared with my canine mentality, my Dragon mentality is far more anti social. In terms of environment, I find myself drawn to wide open places, especially those with some elevation above the surrounding area. This stands out in my mind because normally, I want to avoid places with little or no tree cover.

Unlike the Therian part of our community spectrum, the Otherkin do not have the advantage of being able to study the environments and behaviours of their kintypes here in the material world. At this time I have very limited knowledge of Dragon lore and I have no idea what if any community consensus exists about what is typical of Dragon needs and behavior; therefore I won't elaborate too much. I will say that for those of us trying to understand the Otherkin side of our world, this consensus is all we have to compare our own unique experiences with.

In summary, it is important to learn as much as we can about the needs of our non human selves and find healthy ways of meeting those needs as we navigate through life in the human world.

The biggest needs I feel are companionship and freedom. I have a small group of friends, but I constantly want to be around them and having fun with them. I like to think of them as my pack, because I also like to mix friend groups. The more of my friends in one place, the better. With freedom, I like to be able to move around the world without feeling like something is dragging me down. The best way for me to escape that feeling is running around in nature-y areas like the woods. I feel like I can go anywhere and like I can be myself without worrying if others will think that I’m weird.

There are other needs I feel, but they usually seem smaller. One example of this is chewing. I love to gnaw on things, and I wish I could safely chew on one of those rawhide bones for dogs. Another of these is just being on all fours. I used to do it a lot when I was young, but after awhile it became ‘weird’ and I stopped. I first did it again a few months ago, and it was the best feeling ever. I felt like I could finally experience the world the way I should be able to.

I remember talking to friends about how I can run faster in dreams if I’m on all fours, and they thought it was weird. I guess I finally know why that happens!

I’m new to these forums, so hopefully it’s ok to post this here.

(2020-08-07 23:40)GreatLakesWolf Wrote:  I’m new to these forums, so hopefully it’s ok to post this here.

By all means! Thank you for your post.

LP,
Dusty

This thread here has turned into a very nice example of satisfying the need to immerse myself in the environment of my theriotype:

Summer Walkabout



Blayz

(2020-04-19 10:56)DustWolf Wrote:  Feel free to add comment and describe some of the animal needs you experience in replies.

i always feel the need to climb a tree or hide behind tall grass .

I feel the need to express my likes to my friend by making noises, such as chirp, howl and screams. I also want to just- C H E W.

Yep, there's lots of animal needs I have that I tend to have. Blayz mentioned that he's always aware of where he stands socially, almost in a hierarchal way, and I've realised I might subconsciously do a similar thing with lots of people. (notably my friend group.) Generally, I'm social, but prefer to stick to the side, and not be the centre of everything. Sticking to the edge of the pack or the flock, I suppose.

I also get annoyed whenever things have been disturbed by people in 'my' territory. Again, a little bit problematic since I obviously don't own anything and no-ones actually done anything wrong.

other urges and needs I have are chewing constantly, collecting all manner of shiny things and trinkets, being up in high places and climbing, etc :]

As a wolf therian, I relate a lot to what's been mentioned here - notably the urge to explore and wander when out & about, as well as a keen awareness of social standings. It makes me uncomfortable when I can't tell how someone feels about me, but thankfully I usually read people fairly well. I haven't really thought of those traits as stemming from my wolf nature, just as odd human quirks, but it makes much more sense now that I consider it that way.

One particular thing I've tried to describe to friends is how when I'm in the woods, paths and trails almost "highlight" themselves to me. I just have this...sense of where I want to go, I guess, even if it's not a trail in the human sense of the word. Maybe some of you can relate to that?

Other overarching wolf needs or traits I've encountered include being possessive over my food, experiencing a heightened sense of empathy, forming very strong family/social bonds, and needing to play or burn off excess energy. I also have more everyday wolf experiences such as wagging when I'm happy or excited and the urge to bite/chew - particularly my partner when we're cuddling or playing