[3.84] Unobservered dogs don't get hungry

[Plotinus]

Left 3 dogs tied to a tree for a week with 3 perches. When I came back, the 3 perches were spoiled and the dogs were not hungry. I commanded them to eat the perches and they ate them.

They should have all been starving after a week and the perches should have been eaten.

This isn't a new bug, I've been noticing it for a few versions.

[Plotinus]

Also if i'm fishing 29* steps away from where the dogs are tied, they don't eat until I get back near them, but they do starve. Once I'm near them, they'll eat the food that's on the ground.

So if you go far enough away, they neither starve nor eat, if you go a short distance away, they starve and don't eat, if you are nearby, they eat when they get hungry.

*I haven't tested different numbers of steps yet. 29 is where the water is deep and that's how far away from the tree they're tied is.

[Senthe]

It seems like that's the reasonable behaviour for NPC dogs owned by villages (we can safely assume they get fed off-screen). But perhaps dogs owned by the player should get a different treatment.

[Plotinus]

Also, I've noticed that my companions don't eat very much anymore either. I had the accompanying a maiden quest and she didn't eat anything in the week or so that we were travelling even though I gave her food before we left, and hired companions are also not eating very much -- though rarely I have seen them eat. My guess is that the time spent travelling with them on the wilderness map doesn't count? But I'm not sure that fully explains it. They (companions and dogs) also don't seem to eat while I'm sleeping, even if the dog was labelled hungry before i went to sleep.

[Plotinus]

I'm not sure, but maybe the only time that counts for raising the hunger meter is the time spent zoomed in and not doing any tasks or sleeping? That would explain seeing companions eat sometimes but not very often.

[Sami]

Yes, this isn't a new thing and I'm aware of the issue.
It's more of a not yet accomplished part of simulation for the lone pets in cases like these, rather than something being bugged.