Surviving the arctic apocalypse of Permafrost is a lonely ordeal, but SpaceRocket Games made the dog companion one of the most mechanically rewarding features of the game. Beyond companionship, your canine partner is a living radar, pack mule, and hunting assistant.
Here is the complete walkthrough on how to recruit your dog during the “Dog Days” quest.
1. Prerequisites: What to Pack Before You Leave
Do not visit the Bone Cave unprepared. If you reach the dog without the required supplies, you cannot complete the recruitment interaction and will risk freezing on a fruitless return trip:
- 1x Makeshift Bandage: Craft in your hand inventory with 2x Cloth. (The dog is injured and bleeding from an encounter with mutated predators).
- 1x Raw Meat: Harvest from a killed deer or rabbit using your Stone Knife or Crude Bow. (Do not cook this piece of meat; the dog requires raw sustenance to establish predatory trust).
- Warm Clothes + 6x Wood: Ensure your body warmth will survive a 10-minute round trip.
2. Navigating to Bone Cave
- Location: Northeast of your starting valley and starter shelter.
- Landmarks: Look for a prominent jagged limestone ridge crowned by dead pine trees.
- Coordinates / Compass: Follow the compass needle approximately northeast (bearing 045°). As you approach within 80 meters, Rook will comment on whimpering sounds coming from a rock cleft.
- Cave Entrance: A narrow fissure partially blocked by ice stalagmites. Break them with your pickaxe or squeeze through crouching.
3. The “Dog Days” Recruitment Sequence
- Approach Slowly: Enter the cave interior. The injured dog will growl defensively from behind a boulder.
- First Interaction (Bandage): Walk within prompt range. Press
Eto initiate treatment. Rook will wrap the dog’s bleeding leg with the Makeshift Bandage. - Second Interaction (Feeding): Press
Eagain to offer the Raw Meat. The dog will consume the meal, whimper gratefully, and stand up on four legs. - Naming / Bonding: A prompt allows you to officially register your companion. The “Dog Days” quest completes, rewarding 150 Survival XP and the Dog Whistle.
4. Canine Mechanics & In-Game Abilities
A. Threat Detection (Early Warning Radar)
When hostile wolves, aggressive bears, or armed Moon Clan scouts approach within 30 meters, your dog assumes a defensive stance, points its snout toward the threat, and emits a low guttural growl. This gives you ample time to draw your bow or seek high ground.
B. Scent Tracking (G Key)
Holding G opens the command wheel. Selecting “Track Scent” prompts your dog to sniff the snow. It will guide you directly to:
- Blood trails of wounded animals you shot with an arrow;
- Hidden supply crates buried beneath snowdrifts;
- Abandoned survival caches.
C. Pack Saddle (Carrying Capacity Expansion)
Craft a Dog Saddle Bag at the Crafting Bench:
- Recipe: 4x Treated Leather + 2x Metal Buckles + 2x Rope.
- Equipping the saddle adds +8 dedicated inventory slots and increases the dog’s carry weight by 25 kg, effectively solving early-game inventory crunches during resource runs.