Dogmeat (Fallout 4)

Split (reason: Split off FOS/FOSO and WW, article has close to nothing about them)

Article suggested to be split into independent articles as outlined above.

Fallout 4 / Fallout Shelter / Fallout: Wasteland Warfare / Fallout Shelter Online character
Dogmeat
Who's a good boy? Dogmeat is!
Lore
Race	Dog, German Shepherd
Gender	Male
Nickname(s)	"Dog" (temporary)
Affiliation	Nick Valentine (formerly) Preston Garvey (temporary) Sole Survivor (optional)
Role	Tracker Companion
Gameplay
Location	Red Rocket truck stop
Quests	Getting a Clue Reunions
Other
Dialogue	Dogmeat.txt
Voice actor	River
Appearances	Fallout 4 Fallout Shelter Fallout: Wasteland Warfare Fallout Shelter Online
	4
	14
	4
	4
	8
	14
	4
Tag skills	Immobilize
Level	1→100
Perks	Attack Dog
Misc stats	Hit Points: 150→645 Rad. Resist.: Immune Action Points: 100 Carry Weight: 150
Combat
Combat style	csDogmeatRevised
Aggression	Aggressive
Confidence	Foolhardy
Assistance	Helps Allies
Form ID	0001D15C
Ref ID	0001D162
Editor ID	dogmeat
Race	DogmeatRace

This page is about the Fallout 4 companion. For other characters named "Dogmeat", see Dogmeat.
For the consumable item in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Van Buren, see Dog meat.

“Let's go, pal.”— Sole Survivor to Dogmeat

Dogmeat, initially named just Dog, is a dog residing in the Commonwealth in Fallout 4. He is a possible companion of the Sole Survivor.

Background

A typical Commonwealth canine, though distinctly unlike a mongrel, Dogmeat is noted as being capable of tracking a man's scent for miles. While he doesn't really have an owner, he is a loyal and faithful companion to those he accompanies, according to Mama Murphy; she states that Dogmeat "is his own man."

Prior to the Sole Survivor waking up in Vault 111 in 2287, Dogmeat apparently had assisted Nick Valentine on a number of cases and the detective thought of him as a "specialist". Later, Dogmeat was either with, or later joined Preston Garvey and his group of settlers fleeing from Quincy after the Quincy Massacre. After they reached Concord, Dogmeat apparently split off during or prior to the raider attack by Gristle and is searching around the Red Rocket truck stop near Sanctuary Hills when he meets the Sole Survivor.

Later in 2287, Dogmeat traveled to Diamond City where the Sole Survivor and Nick Valentine enlisted his keen sense of smell to track Conrad Kellogg across the Commonwealth until finding his stronghold at Fort Hagen.

Interactions with the player character

Interactions overview

Interactions
	This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed.
	This character is a permanent companion.
	This character starts quests.	Greet the Dog
	This character is involved in quests.	Getting a Clue Reunions

Other interactions

• When first encountered at the Red Rocket truck stop, an objective entitled "Greet the dog" will appear in the "Miscellaneous" section of the "Quests" tab in the player character's Pip-Boy. The objective is completed when the player character first initiates a "conversation" with Dogmeat.
• Like with every companion character, the player character can command Dogmeat to do certain tasks, such as commanding him to go to a certain location of their choosing or fetching a specific item for the player character.

Equipment

Dogmeat can be equipped with a variety of cosmetic items, according to the type of item, into four distinct slots. These slots are: "eyes," "headband," "neck" and "torso." However, none of the items (including any "armor") provide any actual protection for Dogmeat, though they do take up inventory weight.

Equipment	Dog equipment slot	Location
Welding goggles	Eyes	Abundant
Dog helmet	Headband	Heavy armored dog at Hyde Park Armored Dog at Thicket Excavations
Spiked muzzle	Headband	Attack dogs
Dog collar	Neck	Attack dogs
Double dog collar	Neck	Attack dogs
Chain dog collar	Neck	Attack dogs
Spiked dog collar	Neck	Attack dogs
Reinforced dog collar	Neck	Attack dogs
Red bandana	Neck	Abundant
Blue bandana	Neck	Abundant
Gunner's camo bandana	Neck	Abundant
Gunner's green bandana	Neck	Abundant
Jangles bandana	Neck	Abundant
Leopard print bandana	Neck	Abundant
Skull bandana	Neck	Abundant
Stars and Stripes bandana	Neck	Abundant
Striped bandana	Neck	Abundant
Light dog armor	Torso	Attack dogs
Dog armor	Torso	Attack dogs
Heavy dog armor	Torso	Attack dogs

Effects of player's actions

• When first met at the Red Rocket truck stop, Dogmeat's name is simply "Dog" and remains that way until one either enters the Museum of Freedom during When Freedom Calls and talks to Mama Murphy or, if Dogmeat was not met, he will be called by Nick Valentine with a whistle during Getting a Clue, at which point he will be called Dogmeat.
• By reading the Astoundingly Awesome Tales issue "Have Dog, Will Travel!", the Sole Survivor can boost Dogmeat with a perk that reduces damage by 10%.

Range of interests

Dogmeat loves the Sole Survivor unconditionally and thus is neither negatively nor positively influenced by their actions. Apart from add-on-specific companions and temporary followers during quests, he is the only companion who is considered to be truly neutral.

Notes

• During Reunions, dismissing Dogmeat after finding Fort Hagen will make him stay there until the end of the quest, regardless of the location the player asks him to go.
• Dogmeat is the only companion with a associated perk (Attack Dog) that must be unlocked via raising one's level and using perk points instead of raising Affinity.
• When the player character is rebuilding a settlement, they can place a doghouse for him to stay in. If he is dismissed to a settlement before that he will go and live in or around one of the existing dog houses.
• Dogmeat can be healed during battle if a stimpak is used on him when he is down.
• Dogmeat is able to "fetch," detecting the surrounding for the choice of items, enemies or containers. Upon finding something, Dogmeat will either stand in front of the item (if on the floor), bite the enemy (triggers enemy detection) or pull out the items from the container. If told to fetch an item near Custom House Tower, he will run to a rubble pile near some existing mannequins in the display windows and pull out random hats. One of these hats can apparently be the lieutenant's hat or Captain Ironsides' hat.
• When traveling with Dogmeat, he may occasionally detect enemies and containers on his own without being asked to do so by the Sole Survivor, which prompts the player character with messages such as "Dogmeat found something," when he finds a container or "Dogmeat found an enemy," when he detects enemy presence nearby.
• Upon detecting containers or enemies, no matter if told to or otherwise, Dogmeat will react accordingly: he growls if an enemy is detected and keeps doing so while he tracks them, or, when he finds a container, gives the player character a warning bark, runs towards it, and then happily stomps his front paws, while pointing his head to whatever he has found.
  • If not able to reach a container he found, he will still point his head towards the direction of what he found, giving the player character a hint on chests, trunks and other containers with valuable loot usually placed in the top of buildings.
• despite being considered a companion, the benefits of Lone Wanderer still apply if one travels with Dogmeat.
• If sent to wait at the Red Rocket truck stop where he is first met, one of Dogmeat's idle animations is putting his front legs on certain objects, like the hole in the pillars. Other dogs encountered, such as the one sold by Gene, will also do this.
• If Dogmeat is sent back to a settlement (by dismissal) and is then asked to trade, the Sole Survivor will refer to him by his real name, regardless of whether they know it yet.
• Dogmeat does not count as a settler when in a settlement and will not respond to the "Settler Rally" bell. He will stay wherever he is at the time, likely near the closest doghouse.
• If entering the "Command" menu while crouched, the Sole Survivor will whisper to Dogmeat. If entering after telling Dogmeat to stay and being a fair distance from him, they will shout and whistle.
• When not in combat, Dogmeat will occasionally pull out a teddy bear and will chew on it and throw it into the air, playing with it. The teddy bear will not be "consumed" and remain in his inventory for storage. This happens regardless of whether Dogmeat has a teddy bear in his inventory or not.
• If an ally of any faction is killed, Dogmeat will give a "mournful howl," as called by subtitles.
• When listening to Arthur Maxson's speech aboard the Prydwen, Dogmeat will walk to the center of the room and will be unable to be interacted with for its duration. Once Maxson finishes it with his "Ad Victoriam" salute, Dogmeat will perform his "bunny trick."
• Dogmeat appears in Fallout Shelter as a legendary German Shepherd.
• When engaged in combat against humanoid enemies, Dogmeat can trigger a variety of melee moves during the fight, such as a limb bite move, which he uses to hold an enemy in place by biting their limbs, which works with humans, synths, super mutants and feral ghouls, and a neck bite finishing move, which can eventually trigger when he engages a human enemy with health low enough to be instantly killed by his attacks, on which he jumps and knocks them down to finally kill them with a deadly neck bite.
• Dogmeat has the highest stealth compared to other companions.
• He is the only dog of the German Shepherd breed to appear in the game, making him unique among other canines in the Commonwealth.
  • Despite appearing to be a purebred German Shepherd, a few companions including Deacon, Cait and Codsworth will refer to Dogmeat as a mutt, usually when he is injured.

Appearances

This version of Dogmeat appears in Fallout 4, Fallout Shelter, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, and Fallout Shelter Online.

Behind the scenes

• Dogmeat is modeled after River, a female German Shepherd who was the pet of Joel and Michelle Burgess.
  • After River passed away in June 2021, Joel Burgess wrote a Twitter thread talking about River's role in development. Dogmeat was designed as a companion first and a combat ally second, which is why Bethesda chose a more personable dog than a professionally-trained one. Much of Dogmeat's in-game behavior was inspired by River, who would attend meetings and hang out with the team during development, in addition to providing modeling references and audio. Dogmeat's brown eyes are replications of River's own eyes. Dogmeat's walking behavior, and emphasis on stalling enemies rather than direct damage were all inspired by River.
  • Dogmeat's item-fetching and seeking functionality, developed by Jon Paul Duvall and Jay Woodward, among others, was inspired by River's tendency to retrieve large objects as a show of affection.
• Dogmeat's ability to wear dog armor, bandanas and other clothing items was developed by Mark Teare and Ryan Sears.
• Joel Burgess stated that Dogmeat is "trapped out of time" and "does not belong" in 2287, just like the Sole Survivor. As such, Dogmeat's origin is intentionally left vague, with differing clues in-game, so players can develop their own theories about his past.

The following is based on Fallout 4 cut content.

• Originally, the Sole Survivor was going to be able to have a full-fledged companion (such as Nick Valentine) as well as Dogmeat as a "pet" companion simultaneously, for a total of 2 companions, like with Fallout 3's version or ED-E/Rex in Fallout: New Vegas. However, the concept was scrapped due to the risk of the system breaking during gameplay. Dialogues revolving around this system (such as companions commenting when Dogmeat is hurt, or Vault 81's security asking about "what about his/her friend and dog?") are still left in the game's files.

End of information based on Fallout 4 cut content

Bugs

• PC Playstation 4 Xbox One In Survival mode, when Dogmeat is downed there is no quest marker to heal him as there is with other companions. ^[verified]
• PC Playstation 4 Xbox One In Survival mode, Dogmeat's carry weight is set as 25 by default, and will be increased to 150 when Dogmeat has a piece of equipment on (i.e. any bandana, armor, or dog collar). Welding goggles do not count. ^[verified]

Gallery

Fallout 4

Dogmeat in the Fallout 4 trailer

A Brotherhood paladin, the Sole Survivor, Dogmeat and Preston Garvey.

Portrait

Dogmeat with equipped items

"Bunny" trick

Dogmeat with all four equipment apparel slots in use: welding goggles, dog helmet, chain dog collar and heavy dog armor

Dogmeat in a doghouse

Dogmeat sitting on the loading screen

Dogmeat in an endings slide

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare

Dogmeat in Fallout: Wasteland Warfare

Unit card

Dogmeat guard dog

Dogmeat scout

Fallout Shelter Online

Dogmeat's hero card in Fallout Shelter Online

Dogmeat's maxed hero card in Fallout Shelter Online

Magic: The Gathering

Scrappy Survivors Red-Green-White deck

Dogmeat, Ever Loyal

(Etched Foil)

(Showcase Pip-Boy)

Island

Swamp

Mountain

Forest

Basilisk Collar

Basilisk Collar (Extended Art)

External links

• Dogmeat on Wikipedia

References

Companions in Fallout 4 Permanent Cait · Codsworth · Curie · Danse · Deacon · Dogmeat · John Hancock · Nick Valentine · Piper Wright · Preston Garvey · Robert MacCready · Strong · X6-88 · Ada  · Automatron  · Old Longfellow  · Porter Gage Temporary Allie Filmore · Arthur Maxson · Billy Peabody · Bobbi No-Nose · Paladin Brandis · Cito  · Glory · H2-22 · High Rise · Honest Dan · Proctor Ingram · Jack Cabot · Knight Lucia · Mel · Pearl  · Rex Goodman · Sonya · Travis Miles · X4-18

Major characters in Fallout 4 Major factions Player Character Sole Survivor (Nate · Nora) Brotherhood of Steel Elder Maxson · Paladin Danse · Lancer-Captain Kells · Proctor Ingram · Proctor Quinlan · Proctor Teagan · Scribe Haylen · Knight Rhys The Institute Father · Kellogg · X6-88 · Dr. Madison Li · Dr. Allie Filmore · Dr. Justin Ayo · Dr. Clayton Holdren · Dr. Evan Watson The Railroad Desdemona · Deacon · Glory · Doctor Carrington · Tinker Tom · Old Man Stockton · High Rise · P.A.M. Minutemen Preston Garvey · Mama Murphy · Marcy Long · Jun Long · Ronnie Shaw · Sturges Minor factions Unaffiliated companions Codsworth · Cait · Curie · Dogmeat · Piper Wright · Robert MacCready · Nick Valentine · Strong Minor faction leaders John Hancock · Mayor McDonough · Gwen McNamara · Mother Isolde · Kessler · Jacob Orden · Zeke · Bedlam Other characters Doctor Amari · Big Mack · Brian Virgil · Vault-Tec rep · Jack Cabot · Shaun (synth) · Captain Zao Add-ons Automatron Ada · The Mechanist Far Harbor DiMA · Grun · Kasumi Nakano · High Confessor Tektus · Old Longfellow · Olympia Avery Vault-Tec Workshop Valery Barstow Nuka-World Mags Black · William Black · Nisha · Mason · Overboss Colter · Porter Gage · Dara Hubbell