I really like the idea of having a dog. I'm in Markarth at the moment and I am thinking of getting a horse and a dog.
My question is; are they worth it?
My concern is that they get in the way and will just get themselves killed really easily.
And if he does get killed, I'll be gutted. Who want their four legged friend to get killed!

I wouldn't, but that's just me. They bark constantly, which is enough for me to send them back home.

Can't speak for horses since I steal all mine.

Without the Athletics Skill in Skyrim, Horses tend to be a lot more favorable. They also tend to attack things that try to hurt you.

I can't stand the *#&# barking of real or game cartoon dogs. If I bought a Skyrim one, I"d kill it just to regain some peace.

Now as to an animal companion, nothing can beat Shadowmere. Valiant warrior horse able to leap wide gaps and climb steep mountains and then take on an ancient dragon sufficiently for me to stand off and kill the thing.

Horses are great for when you're so full of loot and you got to trek 25 minutes to Whiterun. Overencumberance doesn't affect you when you ride.

Why buy a dog when they can be found. Either adopt a stray or... find Meeko.

I bought a horse, saw a bear, bear killed my horse. I spent 1000 gold for 3 minutes horse. Not worth it.
Take Barbas as a dog since he cant be killed (dont finish his quest but let him follow you) and use Shadowmere

Dogs go down like a sack of potatos, wasted gold unfortunately.

Can NPCs hear Dogs bark? I mean sometimes I would be sneaking in a Cave and if it barks then would my sneak be over?

Taking a dog into a place where you want to sneak around or where it is full of small ledges and tight doorways is a bad idea -- they get in your way and push you around. On a ledge you might even be pushed off with the result of a fatal fall -- not fun.

Getting a dog for adventures is a good idea, but a bad idea when you see how annoying they are.


*Bark constantly, they never shut up. Most of the time it doesn't alert people but on very rare occasions it does. Its annoying because I am trying to hear what's going on around me and all I hear is barking.


*Get in your way a whole lot during combat or run ahead and trigger combat when you don't want them too. Especially annoying if you do sneak attacks.


*Death by traps. I took my dog with me into a dungeon and no matter what I tried the dog kept dying from this trap. I eventually gave up and left em behind.


*Block doorways constantly. Unlike your human companions, they generally move by pushing them or telling them, the dog well not so much. I stepped into a Falmer hut to get some loot, turned around to walk back out and the dog was blocking the doorway. After 2mintues of trying to get out, I reloaded the game.


*IF you choose to leave your dog at one of your houses, you have to come back every two days, get them to follow, then stay again. IF you don't they'll just up and leave. This is annoying if you chose to purchase the dog from Markarth. IF you want your dog back, pay another 500 gold.

Bats sums it up.
I like the idea of having a dog but the minuses outweigh the benefits.
Plus, I kept killing the damned thing accidentally. Felt bad.
I'd rather have a pet dartwing.

I'm not really interested in dogs, mainly for the reasons Bats outlined.

Horses have issues too; mine will continually wander off when I dismount, charges enemies fearlessly, and has no first person view... These pale in consideration of no mounted combat though. Unless I can swing my sword while on a horse, I won't be using one.

Why buy that dog when there are two other dogs you can get for free? One of them is near Meeko's Cabin, and the other can be found fighting off two or three wolves. The Stray Dog is supposedly a random encounter, but I've found him on three different characters on the road to Valthume, so it's worth checking there.

Thank you all for your comments.

When the CK kit comes up, I'm hoping for a mod that lets me armor up dogs and horses as well as giving some better AI and options for them.

dogs are awesome companions but only if you have mods to make them shut the hell up and become essential. texture mods can also make them look like siberian huskies which is a huge plus and makes up for their penchant for blocking doorways and shoving you off cliffside.

I suggest u not to get one. Because they push you around, and it can get very annoying.

In case you have not done it, do clavicus viles quest and don't complete it, you then get an indestructable tank dog, which you can tell to stay for a time if the game gets to easy with him.