Permafrost Dog Companion: Rescue, Commands and Saddle Bags

Quick answer: your dog waits in the bone cave during the early quest "Dog Days". Bring a bandage to heal it and a piece of raw meat to feed it — a cooked dish does not work. A bear guards the cave, so come prepared.

Designing your dog

At character creation you pick the dog's breed — shepherd, border collie, golden retriever, husky or rottweiler — plus coat color and name. There's no evidence of breed stat differences; pick the companion you want to look at for a hundred hours.

The rescue, step by step

1. Progress the Horizon questline until Dog Days sends you to the bone cave.
2. The bear: fight it in the open rather than in the cave mouth. Bring arrows and a bandage for yourself.
3. Inside, heal the injured dog with a bandage.
4. Feed it raw meat — hunt a deer first and harvest with your shiv/knife. Cooked food will not trigger the tame. There's an achievement for it ("Sausage for the dog").
5. The dog joins you, appears on your map, and unlocks as extra storage.

What the dog does

• Carries supplies in its saddle bags — a mobile container that meaningfully extends your slot-based inventory. Finishing Dog Days is what unlocks this.
• Warns of danger — it reacts to wolves, bears and bandits before you see them.
• Sniffs out loot and points of interest.
• Radial commands (H): follow, stay, search for items, stay alert, pet (important), and access to its container. A whistle recalls it.

The dog does not need daily feeding after the rescue and waits out bad weather outside. One streamer tip: keep a medkit and some food in its pack so supplies are always with you.

Co-op rules

In multiplayer, only the host gets the dog. Guests see and can interact with the host's companion, but there is no second dog. A known Early Access quirk can render only the dog's floating harness for guests — cosmetic only.

Crafting caveat

Crafting stations can't pull materials from the dog's pack — move items to your personal inventory first, same as with chests.

FAQ

Can the dog die? No permadeath reports; it stays outside in all weather and needs no upkeep after the rescue.

Do breeds have different stats? Nothing reliable supports breed stat tables — treat breed as cosmetic until official data says otherwise.

Related: Beginner guide · Walkthrough: first quests · Co-op rules