Zelda fans have called for Nintendo to implement a dog-petting mechanic for years and the same goes for loyal horses. Even though this never came to fruition in Tears of the Kingdom, there are still a few ways to bond with the good boys of Hyrule.
A dog’s bond will not only ease the weight of Hyrule’s fate on your shoulders, but it will also bring you fruitful rewards should you play to the canines’ needs. Here’s how to bond with a dog and how to find its treasure.
Where To Find Dogs In Hyrule
Following the same pattern discovered in Breath of the Wild, you will be able to find dogs located at most stables within Hyrule. They’ll usually be walking around the back of the settlement and are always keen to start interacting with you, even though you cannot touch them. Sometimes you will find more than one dog at a stable, including Tabantha Bridge, and there are also a number of horses around to bond with as well. After taming your horse and registering it at a stable, you will also be able to strengthen the bond with your steed by feeding it apples.
How To Bond With A Dog
There are a number of ways to bond with the dogs, which will trigger a pink aura to appear around them confirming that a bond has been created. Crouching down in front of the dog and staring into its eyes for a few moments is one way to establish an initial bond with the canine. If you stay crouching and spin around a few times, it’s also possible to teach the dog a new trick as it will mimic your movements, but this requires patience as it doesn't work every time.
How To Feed A Dog
The best way to bond with a dog, however, is to feed it, and they will always chow down any fruit in your inventory, including apples, tomatoes, and bananas - we do not recommend feeding it Fire Fruits - as well as any raw meat you have on your person. One thing to note is they will not eat any fish. Once you’re standing in front of a dog, open your inventory and select a piece of meat or fruit that you want to feed it, and then hold the item through the same method you use while cooking.
Then exit the inventory and drop the item in front of the dog in order to feed it to them. Sadly, you cannot feed the dog from your hand. After dropping the item on the ground, the dog will take a few seconds to assess the item before eating it. Once it finishes eating, a pink glow will circle around its head followed by a wag of the tail or another playful response.
Dogs Lead You To Treasure
In addition to bonding with your dog, the canine will also lead you to nearby treasure once it instills trust in you. Before they can lead you to the pot of gold, you need to feed the dog four items that it previously liked before. Some players have reported only feeding the dog three items of food before it goes off to find the treasure, others have reported that you have to feed it raw meat. However, we have found that three pieces of raw meat are more effective.
Once the correct food and amount have been fed to the dog, the canine will usually spin around a few times before trotting off in seek of the treasure and all you have to do is follow. The treasure is normally a chest that’s slightly buried in the ground and the Ultrahand ability will have to be used here in order to retrieve it. Treasures range from Red and Purple Rupees to Giant Boomerangs and Brightbloom Seeds, which are all useful items around the kingdom.