Tips about dogs?

[Kyo]

Well, ever since I was suggested to get a dog, i went far north, to the Owl-Tribe Lands and got myself a dog, so, I was afraid of some things, like, my house is on a land surrounded by water, so I'd have to bring my dog swimming, and I'm afraid it drowns or freezes to death, or something bad happens to it, I just wanna make sure what should I know about my dogs and what should I avoid from happening to my dog, I'd appreciate your help, thanks.

[Kyo]

HOW DO I UNTIE MY DOG WHEN I TIED IT TO A TREE?

[Privateer]

HOW DO I UNTIE MY DOG WHEN I TIED IT TO A TREE?

 {Pickup from adjacent}
; then the direction of the tree

[Kyo]

HOW DO I UNTIE MY DOG WHEN I TIED IT TO A TREE?

 {Pickup from adjacent}
; then the direction of the tree

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Meanwhile I was waiting for a reply i had to cut the tree down XD

[Kyo]

My dog just got wounded!
How do I heal it???

[Privateer]

My dog just got wounded!
How do I heal it???

They will heal over time, if they are grievously wounded I put them in the pen at home until they heal.

[PALU]

You can heal others only to the extent of stopping bleeding. When that's done time will have to do the rest.

Dogs will not drown of freeze to death when traveling over water with you, even if you go to sleep in the middle of the water, and that goes even when they repeatedly fall through ice while you're hacking your way through the ice while on a water craft. However, they can drown/freeze to death if you're walking on land and they venture out onto ice and fall through repeatedly. After having lost a dog in that manner I since leash the dog before circling single tile lakes (which is where dogs take short cuts over the weak ice).

I've also had a case of a dog drowning when traveling. The dog got injured to the point of unconsciousness by a chance Njerp encounter and following my character while "sleeping" as I traveled back to the homestead on the overland map. All the time the dog is shown on the overland map directly to the east. I then zoomed in to check some traps and found the dog was missing (I may have zoomed in/out some additional times). I later found the dog drowned in the water tile to the east of the tile I zoomed into. Thus, be careful when traveling with unconscious dogs. Sleeping is probably OK.

[ineedcords]

Well, ever since I was suggested to get a dog, i went far north, to the Owl-Tribe Lands and got myself a dog, so, I was afraid of some things, like, my house is on a land surrounded by water, so I'd have to bring my dog swimming, and I'm afraid it drowns or freezes to death, or something bad happens to it, I just wanna make sure what should I know about my dogs and what should I avoid from happening to my dog, I'd appreciate your help, thanks.

I've experimented with dogs extensively, here are some random Dog Tips, in no particular order:

• If you have not done so yet, might be a good idea to read the relevant wiki page, here: https://unrealworld.fi/wiki/index.php?title=Dog
• Every Unreal World dog owner should read this one post from @Ara D.  It does not come in handy every day but eventually, one day, you will need it -> https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5378.msg13073#msg13073
• For dog owners, there is a Hunting Horn item in the game world; as per linked wiki article it lets your dogs hear where you are, calls your dogs back, and signals dogs to stop attacking non-aggressive targets.
  To be clear it helps you recall your dogs from longer range (compared to your voice). You cannot self-produce it.
  Hunting Horn wiki article is a single line but it is discussed in these forums in a few places, here is one such thread specifically on this item -> https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5718.0
  Earlier, I posted my findings on how to obtain a Hunting Horn here -> https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5718.msg19267#msg19267
• It is certainly possible to have a zero dog leash policy this applies both when staying in one place and also when travelling. I do not recommend this (detailed below).
• When hunting actively you can command your dog(s) to attack via the keyboard shortcut: ! but be aware this can lead to the loss of the said dog(s).
• Every dog that attacks (something) is a dog at risk. Other than the risk of getting lightly or seriously wounded, an attacking dog may also get insta-killed or it may simply never return and even after extensive search you may never find it or its dead body. Be prepared for the loss but probably do all you can to minimise that risk. What the dog is attacking is very important. Attacking wolves is suicidal, bears is risky. Attacking reindeer/stag/elk is also risky but I do this frequently.
• WHAT they are attacking is important but HOW MANY dogs attacking is also an important factor. When commanding your dogs to attack non-wolves (reindeer/elk/boar/bear/human/...), sending more dogs have more chances of winning the battle without a loss. The more you sent against wolves (especially wolf packs) have the opposite effect, you will probably lose more dogs. Do not send dogs against wolves.
• When commanding dogs to attack, I always try and send two dogs. On my mind this lowers lost-dog ratio via two reasons. Due to the turn based attack system, when dogs chase and eventually corner an animal (say an Elk), 2-vs-1 they have much greater chance of winning the fight and surviving. Second reason is if one dog does get seriously injured & passes out (or gets killed) the other dog eventually may do better (say against an Elk) 2nd dog may either kill it or at least constantly bark and announce Elk's position. Your other (dying or dead) dog would most likely be nearby thus existence of a second dog gives you a better chance of spotting the lost dog and if it is not dead yet you will have a chance to apply bandage and stop its bleeding. In worst case scenario you will have access to the dead dog's body (see the last tip below).
• Be aware of the dog-left-behind risk: while in zoomed map mode, if you unleash your dog and it runs away from you (e.g.: chasing an animal), and then you decide to leave that area either in zoomed-in map mode (by walking/running/watercraft) or by switching to the zoomed-out map mode by pressing ENTER key, the unleashed dogs that are physically away from you will stay in their physical location. They will not be able to find you again. If you press ENTER to switch to zoomed-out map mode, game will warn you with something like "dog X will stay behind - are you sure?"
• If you have a missing dog, sometimes waiting in that general area for an extended amount of time can help and the dog can eventually make its way to you. If it is injured it may eventually come back. If it is scared & run away, it may come back. If it was actively chasing an animal, eventually will give up and come back etc.
• Having lost dogs many times, in the end, I decided (for me at least) it is best to keep dogs leashed most of the time when travelling. At times of opt-in battle (i.e.: a fight that YOU start) this keeps you in tactical control without wasting time on leashing animals. Tactical control helps in terms of when the dogs should attack and how many dogs should attack (as I generally have half a dozen dogs or more).
• At times of forced battle (e.g.: wolves/bear/Njerp/bandits attack you) likewise you have more tactical control. You might sacrifice some dog(s) and pull back with the rest for example. If they were unleashed they would all rocket away towards the target without giving you the chance to do so.
• When you have a camp/settlement with an enclosure you can leave your dogs unleashed as it is impossible for them to disappear but still not recommended as a bear can open the settlement door and end up surprising you in your sleep in a 1v1 situation inside the building but if your dogs are tied to you, it would never be 1v1.
• You can use your dogs (and any other animal pig/reindeer etc.) as pack mules although it would take away the dog from fighting-dogs group thus if you are serious about hauling stuff you should look into a proper truck (Big Bull, Bull, Cow) and keep dogs as fighters where there are more valuable and capable. Be advised of the risk: using a dog as pack mule quickly tires the dog and makes it an ineffective chaser/fighter.
• Dogs are limited quantity trade items but it is hard to globally run out of unless you lose dogs at an alarming rate or with limited loss rate keep playing the same game for a long time (rate dependent but maybe 4 or more in-game years). I cannot recall a recent version game in which villages run out of dogs to sell.
• When leaving your settlement, dog(s) can be left behind to guard your settlement and protect other animals (sheep etc.)
• Hungry dogs will bark frequently and be ineffective at fighting/chasing. Feed them to get rid of the annoyance & loss of performance.
• A dead dog is sad news but not a total waste unless you so choose (it can be skinned & its meat can be butchered)