Bloodhound Perks.. Is there a concensus?

[Mr.Viking.Jack]

I decided to get a Dog!! and it seems to have its uses...
But i have no idea what perks are best and wich just sound better.

Also is there a way to Turn down the volume of the dogs waling and shinanigans?
I play with headphones and this dog is Louder (feels louder) than DOOM Aliens of full blast...

[DopaTrain]

Ive not really noticed them doing anything. The Dog follows a blood trail. Thats all you need it for really.

[Buckshot]

Ive learned also that they can follow animal droppings too, but that may be something that comes on as the dog gets more experience.

[Haildodger]

You can always train another dog if you want to try something different.

[BJWyler]

It seems that half of the skills are cosmetic things, and the other half help improve the usefulness. I went for useful before kennelling him for being so annoying.

[James]

- Once you happen to cross an animals path, the dog can pick up (scent of) droppings, yes.
- It also warns you if you're about to spook an animal nearby.
- Obviously, it tracks wounded animals really well.
- Also if blood trail stops, the dog still can take you to the animal (tracking prey).
- It helps when fending off attacking predators.

It is a very good complement if you play with all visual clues off.

I would also like to see (hear) the audio (stepping sounds) being tuned down a notch. He/she sounds like an elephant in dense woods... Not sure something happened there with the new patch? Maybe he got fed lead or something, now weighing 150 kg?

[Cathulhu]

Didn't know that dogs can pray. What religion do they follow?

[James]

^^ haha, they truthfully follows the sacred barking of Dingoism!

[Buckshot]

I have found for some hunts, its best to leave the bloodhound in a kennel. The dog is just too noisy sometimes, especially when you want it completely quiet so you can hear preys footsteps. Ive had a much more kills of blackail deer, for example, when I leave the dog in the kennel. It is super annoying at times when you are hiding in or under or behind some trees and bushes being as quiet as possible and the dog walks around whenever you turn you head to look around. You command your dog to sit or lay down and all you hear is grunting and half barks coming from the dog.

[misfitsailor]

The consensus may be that the dogs are not worth it. I fully developed a hound only to find that he would often lose the trail or simply lose interest in the task. If I got too far ahead of the dog while he was tracking, he would simply quit, as if to say, "fine, you track it." Giving dog treats and petting the dog are fun at first, but become a chore over time. Yet I did get used to having the dog around, and only reluctantly began leaving him in the kennel. The best attribute of the COTW dog is that he warns you of wolves and other animals that can mess you up!

[Buckshot]

Originally posted by misfitsailor:

The consensus may be that the dogs are not worth it. I fully developed a hound only to find that he would often lose the trail or simply lose interest in the task. If I got too far ahead of the dog while he was tracking, he would simply quit, as if to say, "fine, you track it." Giving dog treats and petting the dog are fun at first, but become a chore over time. Yet I did get used to having the dog around, and only reluctantly began leaving him in the kennel. The best attribute of the COTW dog is that he warns you of wolves and other animals that can mess you up!

I am finding the same things. My dog has saved me from injuries or death a couple times, while hunting mountain lions. I was grateful for the dog growling. Other than that, I really dont need my dog, except for the odd time my 7mm doesnt drop they prey right away and runs off so my dog has to track it. Yes, just like you, my dog has lost the scent or given up a few times. All in all, as annoying as the dog can be at times, the good outweigh the bad. Besides...my dog is not quite fully leveled up yet.

[Shizanketsuga]

There is no real consensus about the dog's traits which may have something to do with the vagueness of the traits' descriptions. That said, no trait is powerful enough that not having it would make the bloodhound significantly less useful, so it's probably not worth stressing too much about it.

I went with the following:

Level 5: Shortcut - for skipping annoying loops and circles.
Level 10: 6th Sense - for a chance to spot animals I would have spooked otherwise.
Level 15: Howl - for fun in multiplayer, alternative to "Praise", resets dog to idling (untested with recent patch but used to work that way).
Level 20: Sharp - for a dog that doesn't give up on a trail.
Level 25: Poop-Dar - for an additional chance to find nearby animals that I would have otherwise missed.
Level 30: Brave - for doubling down on a main reason why I bring a dog - the barking warning me of animals going aggressive - and not having to delete need zones in self-defence against a pack of wolves.

[maenoferren22]

I love my flash... i really just pick things that seem useful. To be honest though he has killed me twice by pushing me off a cliff. His barking does let me know when I am about to be flattened by something angry. i just wish that when he whined to say an animal was in range that he would look in the direction it is in.

[Phylogenus]

It is a good animal, apart from the noise it generates while walking, otherwise "lying down" is enough to make it stop any unwanted noise.
The only downside to me is that it does not start a track from a track pat.
What about a game retriever dog?

But otherwise yes, less loud the noise of the dog while walking, it does more than the hunter.