Dog

"Dog" is the default name of a Mabari war hound who potentially joins the party and serves as The Warden's faithful companion throughout the game. You can give him whatever name you like, and change Dog's kaddis if you so choose. He appears to have an unusually complex understanding of language. Dog is a full party member, counting as a Warrior who has war hound-specific abilities that he can learn, and character specific equipment in the form of collars and kaddis. He also has party banter and interjections, as well as his own triggered events; such as a territory-marking exploration game, which involves locating and subsequently having Dog urinate on various landmarks in the different locales the party visits. Not all locations have landmarks to mark, however.

Background
Dogs are an essential part of Ferelden culture, and no dog is more prized than the Mabari. The breed is as old as myth, said to have been bred from the wolves who served the legendary hero Dane.

Involvement
There are only two ways in which you can obtain the Mabari War Hound as a companion.

The first way is only open to the Human Noble Origins storyline. After aiding your faithful hound in the larder at your family estate, you are asked to give him a name and he will follow you from this point onward (although he will not be present during the quests in Ostagar, until you are sent to light the signal fire atop the Tower of Ishal, when he will accompany you).

If you chose to follow any of the other Origin storylines, you have to do a quest The Mabari Hound in the Ostagar camp. Once you have completed the quest, the Mabari War Hound can join you during a World Map encounter when travelling from Ostagar.

Note -- If you are not a human noble and do not do the quest to save the Mabari War Hound you will lose the ability to have him as your companion.

Human Noble Plot Hole
A minor plot hole (which has not been remedied as of patch 1.02) occurs after Flemeth rescues the Human Noble Warden and Alistair from Ostagar. According to Morrigan, Flemeth turned into a giant bird and carried both heroes in each talon from the Tower of Ishal. Following the rescue, the hound, who fought alongside both heroes atop the tower, is found outside Flemeth's hut and no notice is made by the Human Noble how his/her childhood pet escaped from the tower completely overrun by Darkspawn.

Initial Statistics


Dog has access to a series of talents unique to him. On the console editions of the game, he can also access Warrior Talents.

Starting Talents: Growl, Dread Howl, Fortitude, Charge

Special Talents:


 * Dread Howl - delays nearby enemies with an AoE stun
 * Combat Training - boosts critical chance, attack, and armor
 * Overwhelm - knocks targets on the ground and deals a series of hits
 * Shred - deals an automatic critical strike on a successful hit and bleed damage over time.
 * Nemesis - Dog gains bonuses to health and health regeneration

Strategy


Dog's talents are varied; he can be used as a damage dealer in combat as well as provide minimal crowd control. It is unwise to underestimate him, as he has no attribute or level restrictions. Dread Howl is the most useful form of crowd control that Dog can provide as it delays nearby enemies with an AoE stun; Combat Training boosts critical chance, attack, and armor. Charge knocks down a target, functioning much like Shield Bash. Unlike a Warrior, Dog also picks up a second knockdown ability at Tier 4: Overwhelm, which is featured in the Ostagar battle cut scene, demonstrating that it knocks the target onto the ground and deals a series of hits. Shred is vicious; useful with such spells like Walking Bomb or Virulent Walking Bomb, dealing an automatic critical strike on a successful hit and bleed damage over time. When Nemesis is reached, Dog gains bonuses to health and health regeneration. Dog's main prowess comes from flanking attacks, where it is harder to be countered or blocked.

Because other warriors have so many more talents and so many more equipment slots, Dog can be outstripped in the long run by veteran warriors. However, in early stages, he is very useful as a damage dealer. Alternatively Dog can be outfitted as a good damage sponge, as he does not need to really worry about willpower, magic, and cunning. Please note that Dog also provides The Warden with (Mabari Dominance) upon successful completion of marking several points of interest.

Finding Items
Dog can be asked 'Do you see anything interesting?' in various locations in the game. In most areas he will have a random chance to return with either a minor item such as an Elfroot or a limited number of unique items. There seems to be only one item that is unique to a specific area. While in Anvil of the Void, Ortan Thaig, Aeducan Thaig or Caridin's Cross, having the Dog search for an item may yield the unique helmet Duty. Dog can also retrieve small sums of money. thumb|right|200pxOther items that the Dog can find include:


 * A Very Chewed and Moist Book (Codex: Books & Songs)
 * Garbolg's Backcountry Reserve (gift)
 * Tangled Ball of Yarn (gift)
 * Found Cake (gift)
 * Dirty Pair of Pantaloons (gift)
 * Piece of Wood (Veridium Staff)

Landmark Exploration
Throughout the game, there are several locations, referred to as "Landmarks," which will give an added bonus to both the Dog and The Warden's statistics while in the area. These locations are an object with a sparkling aura, much like Elfroot or Deathroot plants. Selecting a Landmark without the Dog in the party will do nothing; if the Dog is in the party, but is not the one to select the Landmark, the message will be a hint that the Dog may be interested. Mabari Dominance is only activated if the Dog selects the Landmark.


 * Lothering - On a small rise to the north of town, just before you reach the water.
 * Redcliffe - A tree near the windmill.
 * Redcliffe Castle - In the castle courtyard near the main gate.
 * Lake Calenhad Docks - Enter the area facing a dock. Follow the coast to the left and select the abadoned boat.
 * Brecilian Forest - A tree between the Grand Oak and the cursed camp.
 * East Brecilian Forest - The Mad Hermit's tent.
 * Dalish Camp - A tent in the Dalish Camp.
 * Denerim - An overturned cart in the Denerim Marketplace during the Final Onslaught quest.
 * Denerim - The big tree in the Denerim Allienage during the Final Onslaught quest.

Dialogue

 * Sten: Snarls.
 * Dog: Growls angrily.
 * Sten: Lets out a terrifying roar.
 * Dog: Barks angrily and lunges at Sten.
 * Sten: "You are a true warrior, and worthy of respect."
 * Dog: Barks excitedly.

---
 * Morrigan: "Does this mean we are going to have this mangy beast follow us around?, Wonderful."
 * Alistair: (Adoringly)"He's not Mangy!"

--

--
 * Morrigan: "I know it was you rooting in my pack, mongrel."
 * Dog: Innocent whine
 * Morrigan: "Who else? Alistair? He's a likely suspect, I admit, but no."
 * Dog: Bows head shamefully
 * Morrigan: "I notice you avoided the hemlock."
 * Dog: Happy bark!
 * Morrigan: "Yes, yes, very clever. Next time I will disguise it more carefully."
 * Dog: Sad eyes
 * Morrigan: "Do not even try it! I would not give you a biscuit had I one."
 * Dog: Sadder eyes
 * Morrigan: "Oh... very well. But tell no one!"


 * Shale: I am watching you, dog. Do you know how many of your kind urinated on me in that village? And all I could do is stand there and watch, helpless. If I see one of those legs of yours lift so much as an inch in my direction -- pow!
 * Dog: (Confused whine!)
 * Shale: I am glad we have this understanding. At least your kind can be reasoned with... unlike those damned feathered fiends!

Trivia



 * A long-standing joke between the people who frequent the official Dragon Age: Origins forum is that Dog's "official" name is really Rabbit (which was used as an example name by one of the writers, Mary Kirby), and he is still occasionally referred to as such.
 * Dog is referenced in a Penny Arcade comic in which the character, speaking in an irreverently comical modern slang, informs a NPC that he's named his dog "Barkspawn".
 * If you speak to Dog while he has a injury, he will whine instead of his usual greetings, and you will be able to either comfort him, saying "you've done well", or scold him for "being a baby". This has no real effect though, as you of course can't affect Dog's approval for better or worse.
 * Dog is voiced by a real dog.