Watchdogs just watched...

[Tom H]

I have a pen (5x5) with my cattle and dogs within. A lynx saunters up while I'm finishing off a superior hide and the dogs start making warning barks. I can't stop now, right? How many superior hides do I get, right? Not enough!

So, I ignore the warnings because, surely, with 3 dogs inside, no lynx is going to try anything, right?

WRONG! I'm alerted that I hear some stumbling. You know it's coming. I finally finish the 7-hour task and, yep, a lynx has killed a cow and my 3 dogs have not a scratch on them. Well done, doggies!

So, I skin my cow and at least get that back. Next day, I buy a small cow for 150 Tasty cuts of elk. Really? That's all they cost? I return to my settlement and, Lo!, the lynx returns. I keep all my animals inside the cabin. I have shutters on every wall and can see the cocky lynx walking around my cabin, looking for another easy kill. I wonder, "Can I shoot arrows through shutters?".

Oh, yeah! I put two broadheads into the cat, crippling it, and go out and finish it with a spear. Just a crappy harsh hide, but, I don't care. Just glad that problem is dealt with.

[More_tribal_interaction]

Fyi, I always try to set up on an island out in the sea, which is not accessible even in winter.

Your dogs need to be fired haha.

[Ara D.]

I hear you same thing happened months back to me. Execpt it was a njerp napping in my cabin. And my home dogs were like nope nothing to report while you were gone boss

[PALU]

Njerps are odd in that dogs don't react to them unless they aggro. With a lynx they'd at least pester you with barking interrupts...

I had a case where a Njerp triggered a number of my bear traps (i.e. disarming, not stumbling into them), and my character went into stealth mode and restored them. I saw something "out of the corner of my eye", and when done I saw that the bugger had passed by just a few tiles from my character, without detecting my character, and without the dog reacting. My character did eventually eliminate the bugger by the cabins, though (I think he'd stolen a number of weapons by that time).

[Tom H]

Fyi, I always try to set up on an island out in the sea, which is not accessible even in winter.

Your dogs need to be fired haha.

I've explored the sea a couple times and was much put off by the long voyages between islands. I assume you chose a small one near land, because I saw Njerps spawn on larger islands.

Indeed, my dogs are no longer on my gift list.

[Saiko Kila]

While I don't use a real pen, I had many encounters with lynxes (which are somewhat common in my character's life), and dogs rarely prevent them from slaughtering my pig (or other animal, but pigs are clearly preferred).

I had many instances of a lynx silently killing a pig leashed to my PC (along with three dogs and a couple of bovines) sleeping in the hills or mountains. Once a lynx stealthily entered my cave (I have forgotten to close the door when leaving) and was apparently present when I was doing leather work, and waited till night to kill a pig, which was leashed to PC.

On the other hand, I have a kind of pen - a cave chamber with small, fenced opening (the cave has three separate chambers), and lynxes while sometimes invade the area and the "human" chamber in particular, never entered this "pen", even when there were no dogs in proximity. I often leave for a month or two, and upon returning find a lynx near cave, but none dared to enter this buffet. One of my sheep was tied there three years ago and is still alive and well. But I have no pigs there, so that may be the reason.


So because of lynxes:
- I don't sleep in the mountains anymore, and if near a sea or other water I sleep in the boat (leashed animals don't drown)
- I always check my cave with a lit torch after returning from longer trips
- I always close my doors

No other predator has caused me so much trouble.

EDIT: one recent case was when I noticed a lynx in the mire. After zooming in it charged me, or rather one of my pigs (I had 3x dogs, 2x pigs, 2x bovines leashed). Before anyone could do anything it caused two bleeding injuries. After being hit in the head it retreated, and I had to treat the injuries of the pig - it is still unable to walk two days later. I used many arrows to bring that lynx down later. My dogs tried to attack, and even two of them got a bruise, but they are just no match for the speedy but sneaky lynx.

[Aerotinge]

Same with me, a lynx killed a bull and a sheep of mine in night and my unleashed dogs still sitting, barking hunger there while I was sleeping.

[Saiko Kila]

Dogs apparently attack only entities which are "aggressive", and additionally check whether they are allies (neutral) or enemies. Many animals don't enter aggressive mode, when stalking or even during fight (when they try to flee or chose not to attack). Dogs may bark in alarm over predators (like wolves, lynxes, ravens or goshawks for example), but if the animals are non aggressive they are not attacked. If you fight a squirrel, even if it's crawling on the ground, the dogs won't touch it because it's not fighting back.

I think that lynxes and others exploit this code of conduct of dogs.