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[Eagleon]

Animal training seems a little hackish right now. War animals just gain double damage. Hunting animals get some different behaviors, which is good, but I think there's still room for improvement. What I'd like to see is the trainer's skill coming into play. The most obvious method to me is to give the animals a one-time bonus to skills and stats based on the trainer's skill. A trainer might not be able to train any of the animal's fighting skills higher than his own.

High skill levels may create masterwork or (more aesthetic, IMO) 'legendary' animals - they gain a large increase in some stats and skills, as well as becoming named right away. They could bond with their charge better, and go into a blood-frenzy when their charge is in mortal danger. This would inspire a happy thought in the dwarf ("He was inspired by the courage of <name>, loyal war-dog"), which of course would be useless if he actually died, but might help a little afterward if he didn't, especially if the dog ended up being tragically skewered in its enthusiasm.

Hunting animals could be more useful - it'd be good if they could retrieve some of their kills, perhaps with a shorter attention span if they're not trained well; they'd only drag the corpse a little way towards the refuse pile, in that case. They could also work together some, flanking a fast animal so that it turns and the one behind it can move in for the kill.

There's also the possibility of training animals to do ordinary things, like various other hauling jobs. It'd be silly to see a dog hauling a statue along, but I believe size already plays a role in encumbrance, so it'd still be at least somewhat realistic in its slowness. I think it'd also be pretty cute to have a 'medic-dog' with the coming improvements to health-care, that does trivial but time-consuming tasks like water-fetching and sits with injured dwarves to provide comfort if they don't already have a pet, as well as being a last line of defense if the enemy stumbled across the hospital.

[Onlyhestands]

I agree with everything in this. I think idealy there should be limits on an animals training with two variables: the trainer's skill, and the animal's base "acceptance", or ease of training. A novice trainer should be able to decently train a dog, but not a lion, whereas a proficient trainer could excellently train a dog, and decently train the lion.

[Jakkarra]

Capital!

i would love to see this implememted, as an addition, there could possibly be a new item, a sledge, i guess. an animal could be restrained to said sledge, to either assist in hauling, or completely take over hauling from dwarfs. 

Think of it like a miniature wagon.

Love, jakkarra

[Benamas]

How about

Animals doing hauling jobs (alongside dwarfs probably) EG:
http://i41.tinypic.com/opxsmg.jpg wood hauling
http://i39.tinypic.com/2e0s9b7.jpg animal hauling, LOL!!
A work donkey follows a dwarf around; the dwarf picks up a rock, puts it on the donkey, picks up another rock, puts it on the donkey also, then picks up a third rock and leaves with the donkey behind him. Three rocks are hauled in just a little more time than it took to haul one.

or Animal-powered machinery
http://i41.tinypic.com/m9vmok.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/wkmt78.jpg
Even if they have to work in shifts and never get any better at it, a dog with the 'pump operator' job enabled would be pretty handy to have around. A miller camel on a quern would be nice even if someone else was fetching the raw materials.

or
- Rescue dogs to drag wounded/incapacitated dwarfs somewhere EG the hospital
- A 'seeing-eye' animal to restore some perception or mobility to a blinded or otherwise invalid dwarf
- Herding dogs to cram other animals into cages or keep the horses out of the dining room
- Animals that are able to respond to a 'PULL LEVER' job (any one with a [GRASP] body part probably)
etc

Anything to keep them busy! People say bad things about cats but even just eating lizards out of the pantry is more useful than those damn useless cow calves immigrants tend to come with.

[Jakkarra]

The OP already suggested hauling animals, and i elaborated on it, and im pretty sure that having a sledge would be neccesary for anything larger than a chair.

ive been led to beleive that animals ebnjoy their spines continued existance (im pretty sure that elves enjoy being parapalegic, however.)

Love, jakkarra

[Pilsu]

It takes centuries to get anywhere in the animal training skill, I don't think those legendary animals would see much use

[Jakkarra]

yes, but pilsu, with all the things we are suggesting, there would be more animal training to do, and therefore, faster skill up.

not as fast as, say, mining, but still fairly fast.

Love, jakkarra

[Hectonkhyres]

So: Would it be possible to designate tethered animals for certain purposes? I'm imagining making a workmule station with five or so roped or caged animals in a row that dwarves will automatically go to when they need something to carry stuff for them... rather than pilfering a warhorse or trying to stack boulders on a passing kitten.

Though packkittens would be intensely fun to see.

[Pilsu]

there would be more animal training to do

Unless you're suggesting hunting cows, the amount of trainees (dogs) remains unchanged

I make my dungeon master do it all and he's never even reached proficient. Granted, not that many years passed but it'd take several decades either way

[Impaler[WrG]]

Or have a type of training for animals called 'Draft' which is required before the animal will carry anything and an animal thus trained is only usable for hauling.

[Jakkarra]

Or have a type of training for animals called 'Draft' which is required before the animal will carry anything and an animal thus trained is only usable for hauling.

This is what i meant.

why is people not understanding my speakings?

[GlyphGryph]

I like this idea. Especially since I've been working on a race who's main "thing" is domesticating and training a wide variety of animals species. It would be nice if they were actually, like... useful. For more than food. (though that alone is enough reason to raise animals if your civ is carnivorous)

If it goes on eternal suggestions, it has my vote.

[Hectonkhyres]

Chain ten thousand fluffy wamblers to one stone and make them haul it for bonus points.
Oh, hell. Now I want a fluffy wambler-drawn chariot. Dammit.

[Eagleon]

Unless you're suggesting hunting cows, the amount of trainees (dogs) remains unchanged

I make my dungeon master do it all and he's never even reached proficient. Granted, not that many years passed but it'd take several decades either way

Not really a reason to drop it. This just means the amount of skill gained from training an animal needs to be tweaked. That, or it could take multiple sessions of training to train an animal to full potential, with a small increase to stats and skills up to the limit during each session. The speed it happens could depend partly on the species' innate ability to learn, as well as a few other factors (can't each an old dog new tricks?)

[Duke 2.0]

Though packkittens would be intensely fun to see.

Kitten cancels haul: Exhausted x7000