How to Tame a Dog in Crimson Desert — Done in 2 In-Game Days
Quick Answer
Find the Boarhounds outside the tent with the bed in Hernand camp. Pet 5 times, drop 2 meat. Sleep, repeat the next day. At 100 Trust hold the button when “Take In” appears — done.
What you need:
- Cooked or uncooked meat (Grilled Meat works)
- 2 in-game days
- The bed nearby to skip time (Royal Trading Post will do)
Five minutes after taming my first Boarhound in Hernand, I walked into a bandit camp and watched it loot every corpse without me touching a thing. No setup, no configuration — it just did it.
Dogs in Crimson Desert are free, easy to get, and one of the most useful things you can do early in the game. They auto-loot enemies mid-combat, pick up items that fall down cliffs while you’re mining, and follow you everywhere. Here’s how to get one fast.
Caption: “The Boarhounds roam just outside the tent with the bed — you’ll spot them as soon as you arrive at Royal Trading Post.”
Where to Find a Dog
Head to the Hernand camp area (Royal Trading Post) just after the tutorial — the section with a bed inside a tent. Multiple Boarhounds roam right outside that tent. This is the earliest and easiest spot in the game to find a dog, and the bed nearby is key to speeding up the taming process.
All dog breeds function identically once tamed — same auto-loot, same follow behavior — so don’t stress about which one you pick. It’s purely a looks choice.
How the Trust System Works
You need to reach 100 Trust to claim a dog. Trust is built through two daily actions — petting and feeding — both of which have a daily cap that resets at midnight in-game time.
| Action | Points Each | Daily Limit | Max Per Day |
| Pet the dog | +5 | 5 times | +25 |
| Feed meat (cooked or uncooked) | +20 | 2 times | +40 |
How to Tame the Dog — Step by Step
This is the method you can do right away without buying anything. Uses regular cooked or uncooked meat from your inventory.
Day 1:
- Walk up to a Boarhound and pet it 5 times (+25 Trust). More petting after 5 does nothing.
- Open inventory, select meat (cooked or uncooked — Grilled Meat works great), press Take Out, and drop it near the dog. Do this 2 times (+40 Trust).
- Watch carefully — dropping meat attracts NPCs too. If an NPC moves toward the meat, pick it up before they grab it and try a different angle.
- Day 1 total: 65 Trust
- Go to the bed in the nearby tent and sleep to skip to the next day.
Day 2:
- Repeat — pet 5 times + drop 2 meat.
- You’ll hit 100 Trust partway through Day 2. The prompt “Take In” appears above the dog.
- Hold the button — the dog is now yours.
Timing Trick: The daily reset is calendar-based, not 24 hours. If you feed the dog late in the evening (say 9 PM in-game) you can sleep once, and then feed again after midnight — it counts as a new day. This makes the whole process faster in real time.
Note: The bed can only be used once per cycle. If you try to sleep again Kliff will say he’s not fatigued. Wait for midnight to pass or do your Day 2 feeding after 12 AM.
Caption: “Once you hit 100 Trust the Take In prompt appears — hold the button to register the dog as yours.”
After Taming
The dog is automatically summoned and starts following you right away. To manage it, open your inventory → Pets tab. From there you can:
- Rename it
- Unsummon it
- Release it — warning: this is permanent. Don’t accidentally let it go.
You can hold up to 30 pets total, but only one can follow you at a time. Any pets not currently summoned hang around Greymane Camp.
What the Dog Actually Does
Your dog auto-loots automatically — no setup needed. It runs around during and after combat picking up items from corpses, and retrieves drops that fall to the bottom of cliffs while you’re mining. It works immediately after taming.
The one downside: dogs have no loot filter. They pick up everything, including rubbish. If your inventory is small you’ll get clogged up fast after a big fight. Expand your inventory slots before heading into a large enemy area.
FAQ
Does taming a dog cost anything?
No. The dog itself is free and regular meat is all you need. No special food required.
I came back the next day and the Trust reset to zero. What happened?
This is a known issue. The game sometimes spawns a different creature ID for the same dog. Always pick the same individual dog — watch for it to be in the same spot. If it resets, try a different dog nearby.
Can I have more than one dog?
Yes — up to 30 pets total (dogs and cats combined). Only one can follow you at a time. The rest wait at Greymane Camp.
Does the breed matter?
No. All breeds have the same auto-loot ability and follow behavior. It’s purely cosmetic.
Is there a quest that teaches you this?
Yes — the Greymanes faction quest “The Greymanes’ New Fangs” (available from Chapter 4) walks you through it with your comrade Naira. But you don’t need to wait. You can tame a dog from the moment you reach Hernand.
Can I get pet armor?
Yes, pet armor is available at Tailor Shops. It’s purely cosmetic — no stat bonuses — but it looks great.