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[Dotto]

It´s my first time through this. One of my child dwarves is being kidnapped by snatchers and my wrestlers don´t patrol where they are supposed to. Do I have to do anything else besides the patrol command? Thanks.

[Atarlost]

Use the station command instead. 

[SquirrelWizard]

cage traps and chained animals at doors helps.

[shadowclasper]

Yes, Always always always bring at least 1 wardog and some pig tail rope. make your entrance hall an L shape, and 20-27 squares long before the bend begins (28 if you put your trade depot outside and have a 2 square wide entrance hall). Build some wooden cages, some mechanisms, set up a some cage traps 3 rows deep and across the entire hall (should take 6-8), then at the bend, so that the war dog can't get shot by any ranged attackers who glance down the hall, or prematurely scare off any kidnappers/thieves (before they get caught in a cage trap, brought over to your execution shaft and and dropped down 15+ z-levels so that you can loot their stuff. Much better than an execution tower because you don't have to disarm them first). Any that DO get past your cage traps will run into the wardog, and scared off because they've been found out.

Best part? You can do this in the first year EASY. Just make sure to bring the rope for the restraints and the wardog and as long as that's the only entrance to your fort, you're practically thief proof. Ever since I adopted this strategy I have yet to get robbed ONCE. Okay, so that time a kolbold stole the goblin armor lieing around outside technically counted. But nothing IMPORTANT (and if you're leaving important stuff outside it deserves to be stolen) has gotten stolen yet.

[Albedo]

You can do this in the first year EASY. Just make sure to bring the rope for the restraints and the wardog...

You can do it in the first week if that's what you're worried about, but they never(?) show up before 1st Summer, and rarely before 1st Fall. 

That gives you time to bring "dogs" instead of "wardogs" and train them yourself (have any "outside" dwarves do it, they stick around their trainers until assigned), and then make a chain from some copper ore or copper bar (both cheaper than buying rope at embark, and you should(?) have some sort of metal-bashing set-up by Summer anyway.  (Make your own axe, save bookoo dwarfbux.)

Minimizing entrances is key, and restraining any animal as a guard in the middle of your 3-wide caravan entrance is a guarantee early-warning system.

Read wiki "dog", "thief" and "DIY".  Also "what should I build first" and "defense guide" for longer, more general discussions, to get your early priorities in line (which, if snatchers are waltzing into your fortress unannounced, they're not. Sorry, that's just the hard truth).

But, to answer your immediate question, <a>ctivate the nearest dwarf (any untrained wrestler will do fine unless they're very unlucky) and use <x>, <l>ock, and < s >tation to send them in the snatcher's direction.  Make sure they are going to "harass dangerous animals" and "chase opponents" (<m>, <v>iew, & etc).

And read the wiki more - know your options before you need to. 'at's what it's there for.

[XSI]

Another note is that it is almost impossible to prevent snatchers from grabbing children from woodcutters, herbalists, and outside workers unless you take the time to build a wall all around the working area.

To solve this, simply make the noble's quarters outside without walls, the consort's only real job is to replace the kidnapped children anyway, and they always seem to take that job seriously.

[Dotto]

Thanks for your help. The problem was the captain drinking. Thought it wouldn´t prevent the other wrestlers from chasing the snatchers. Actually what I meant was it was the first time I was ambushed by a pack of goblins (five, I guess). In the end, two dwarves killed, a child captured and another dead. The kids were outside. I Should have isolated the area by walls, what I´ll do right now. Anyway, I´ll try your suggestions. They will be of use in the future. Thanks for your help.

[Albedo]

The way "squads" operate is a bit unsatisfactory atm - using individual soldiers gives a far better result, even if it's a pain in the ass to manipulate. (Perhaps not for patrols, safety in numbers and all that.)

If children are outside, have a group of soldiers on overwatch. (I've never had a snatcher get away from a group of woodcutters - those axes work just fine for stopping them.)

[Rvlion]

The easiest thing you can do to prevent child snatching is setting the children to work in the arts of engraving. First smoothing every freaking stone wall and floor in your fortress, second when everything is smooth you start engraving.
Esspecially in the beginning with only 1 or 2 children it takes them ages to smooth the:
-future legendary dining room.
-sleeping chambers.
-burial chambers.
-depending on your setup of the fortress the entire crafting area including storage (I mostly have everything in stone)

By the time they grow up they have nice stats and an at that time useless skill but who cares… They were safe as while they were children…

[Slashcko]

My first thought is: "Oh good, one less child off of my hands."

[Albedo]

The easiest thing you can do to prevent child snatching is...

... cheat.

Yes, that usually covers most problematic situations.  Because the game is soooo hard. 

[ricree]

The way "squads" operate is a bit unsatisfactory atm - using individual soldiers gives a far better result, even if it's a pain in the ass to manipulate. (Perhaps not for patrols, safety in numbers and all that.)

Yeah.  I always keep my "squads" at a single dwarf.  There are some safety in numbers issues, but for keeping away nuisances like snatchers, a single well trained dwarf is all you need.  And once the ambushes start getting heavy, I usually have at least a couple highly skilled champions that can do serious damage to an ambush party by themselves.

[martinuzz]

The easiest thing you can do to prevent child snatching is setting the children to work in the arts of engraving.

To clarify this, as I suspect this might be a rather confusing post for new players:

In normal DF, children can not do any jobs besides harvesting plants from fields and deconstruct buildings.

It is possible, however, using 3d party programs, like Dwarf Manager, to cheat, and enable other jobs on children (or nobles).

[Vester]

You could instead have them pulling levers.

For 11 years.

... yeah.

[Haspen]

You could instead have them pulling levers.

For 11 years.

... yeah.

Wait, children cannot be assigned to levers... right?