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[Noir]

Ok, I have a bunch of war dogs and I assigned two of them to each soldier (4 to the most important ones).
Nothing happens.

No dog is being moved, and when I assign military-related orders to the squads containing the dwarves who have been assigned one more dogs (even kill order) they area not accompanied by them.

Is this because they are still assigned to a pasture?

[Lav]

Short answer: yes. Pastured pets will not leave their pastures.

[Noir]

Thanks, that should sort it.

[FrisianDude]

Why are the dogs pastured in the first place? They don't eat grass (or at all) and are probably better for defence if chained or straying about.

[malimbar04]

Why are the dogs pastured in the first place? They don't eat grass (or at all) and are probably better for defence if chained or straying about.

I do it for 2 reasons: This way they don't crowd in a meeting room until they attack each other, and they also serve as cheap guard dogs that stay in a perimeter around the base.

They are better for actual defense if they're in a pasture than chained because they can move around more. If you have 10 dogs in a pasture and they happen to see a goblin ambusher, they well all chase it down. They will leave their pasture as well if they're chasing something, and I've gotten rid of a few thieves that way. Afterward they need to be put back in the pen, but it's worth it. If they're on chains, they might be better for observing an area (since they can be spaced out more carefully) but they're also sitting ducks if you want them to attack anything.

[Xorn]

I often put a few War Dogs in my pasture, they work great for delaying the slaughter of my livestock when gobs attack. Of course they usually end up dead, but that is the life of a War Dog for you.
They also end up spotting ambushes and thieves earlier, and more efficiently, than any dwarf so I like having them out there.

[nenjin]

All non-assigned war dogs go into a cage out front of my gates linked to a lever. When trouble comes, I send a wall of teeth and fur at it.

[MonkeyHead]

Save yourslef a cage, lever and mechanisms and go for the pasture - much higher response time of zero seconds.

[celem]

Dont assign war dogs.  If/When they die the dwarf gets a 'lost pet' unhappy thought.  A much more effective (though micro-management heavy) way is to have each dwarf train their own animals since a trained animal defaults to following whoever trained it without forming the pet bond.

I've had a few dog triggered spirals, can be fun.

The dogs themselves are still worth having of course, they help a lot in massed melees by slowing enemies and soaking hits, but the rage can be amazing if your squad all lose their dogs together

[Korva]

And since war dogs are so fragile that even a snatcher can often easily cripple or kill one, that's a lot of bad thoughts incoming if the mutts are "owned" yeah.

[Sir Leonard III]

For those useless, non-assigned war dogs here is a tip: Stick them in a cage in a short hallway where goblins will come in, then put a pressure plate in front of it. Set it to enemy only and put shitloads of animals in there cage when you link up the pressure plate to the cage. When the goblin steps on it, BAM! Five million cats, war dogs and tame badgers.

[nenjin]

Save yourslef a cage, lever and mechanisms and go for the pasture - much higher response time of zero seconds.

Pastures create crowding issues. Cages do not.

[GhostDwemer]

Having 2-3 non grazers in a 3x3 pasture will not create crowding issues. In a 3x3 passage in my front gate I have a salt water croc, war tiger, and a war dog and they have never faught.

[Garbles]

Cages are definitely the way to go once you're 5 years down the line and you've got 50 extra dogs milling aboot throwing spores at each other.

[Saiko Kila]

Pasture is the obvious choice if you want your dogs to be useful. Small pastures, treat them as posts, in strategic locations. Only excessive dogs should go to cages. Preferably after training, so you save time later. Currently  I keep exactly 50 dogs in cages and 10 wardogs outside. Some of them assigned, three on loose, they serve role of policemen/guards for the general population, and are wandering about. Assigned dogs are listed as pets, they are treated as pets, they will damage happiness when they die, and they WILL die. I breed tigers and prefer tigers to dogs, because they are significantly better in fight, but all war animals should be useful. Some wardogs can be chained to protect small and rarely used passages and places. That way they won't go on hunt when there is a fight nearby, and you don't need to be replaced.