Dwarf Fortress Bug Tracker - Dwarf Fortress
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IDProjectCategoryView StatusDate SubmittedLast Update
0007541Dwarf FortressCreaturespublic2014-07-21 08:472021-08-25 04:31
ReporterUristMcWhatever 
Assigned ToFootkerchief 
PrioritylowSeverityminorReproducibilityhave not tried
StatusconfirmedResolutionopen 
PlatformOSWindowsOS Version
Product Version0.40.04 
Target VersionFixed in Version 
Summary0007541: Dogs only scratch instead of biting
DescriptionA dog fought a giant flying squirrel in my fortress recently. When I took a look at the report, there were 4 pages of head-scratching (secondary attack) but no single bite (main attack).
Steps To ReproduceLook at dog combat reports in Fortress Mode I guess.
Additional Information
TagsNo tags attached.
Relationships
has duplicate 0008703resolved Footkerchief War Dogs never bite in combat, just scratch. 
related to 0007519resolved Toady One Sparring dwarves only wrestle 
related to 0009977new  Cave and Saltwater Crocs (and probably every other tame animal.) refuse to hurt enemies further, after they damage their legs. 
Attached Files
Issue History
Date ModifiedUsernameFieldChange
2014-07-21 08:47UristMcWhateverNew Issue
2014-07-21 09:12Knight OtuRelationship addedrelated to 0007519
2014-07-21 10:23AVKNote Added: 0027146
2014-07-21 10:33smjjamesNote Added: 0027147
2014-07-21 11:04thvazNote Added: 0027148
2014-07-30 07:42smjjamesNote Added: 0027946
2014-12-15 10:17UristMcWhateverNote Added: 0031331
2015-01-07 08:11FootkerchiefSummaryCreatures dont use main attack (seen with dogs) => Dogs only scratch instead of biting
2015-01-07 08:11FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0008703
2015-01-07 08:11FootkerchiefAssigned To => Footkerchief
2015-01-07 08:11FootkerchiefStatusnew => confirmed
2015-09-17 06:26clanlNote Added: 0033054
2015-09-17 12:28Larix2Note Added: 0033055
2015-09-17 13:08WittyNote Added: 0033056
2016-08-16 15:44FawnekNote Added: 0035792
2016-08-16 15:45FawnekNote Edited: 0035792bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0035792#r14425
2017-08-30 06:55LociRelationship addedrelated to 0009977
2017-11-25 02:42FantasticDorfNote Added: 0036980
2017-11-26 14:09ButtonIssue Monitored: Button
2021-08-25 04:31KrougalNote Added: 0041139

Notes
(0027146)
AVK   
2014-07-21 10:23   
I've noticed this too. Got one of my dogs killed when he couldn't scratch past the skin of a rattlesnake.
(0027147)
smjjames   
2014-07-21 10:33   
Might be related to the bug where people weren't using their primary weapon and punching most of the time instead, which Toady One fixed in 40.04
(0027148)
thvaz   
2014-07-21 11:04   
I think it is something skill related. The dogs may have Strike higher than their Biter skill, so they prefer the attack in which they have more skill.
(0027946)
smjjames   
2014-07-30 07:42   
What about wild animals? I have a save with it. It's night, so I can't see it directly, but it's on the other side of the river and close enough for me to get combat reports.

http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=9206 [^]
(0031331)
UristMcWhatever   
2014-12-15 10:17   
It works fine for most animals appereantly, but dogs do NOTHING but scratching, at least on the 8 pages of combatlogs against a downed target I examined. They are not exactly efficient, as you could guess...
(0033054)
clanl   
2015-09-17 06:26   
After seeing a combat log of dogs biting I tested it myself in the arena:

10 out of 10 dogs without any skills always bite.
10 out of 10 dogs with skills in striking, kicking, and fighting but _NOT_ biting still always bite.
I suppose this can be closed.
(0033055)
Larix2   
2015-09-17 12:28   
I'm afraid arena combat has no bearing, we need fort-mode data:

the "conflict level" determines which attacks are used. I ran a quick test with dogs vs. horses and later lions vs. rhinoceroses. At "no quarter" and "lethal", dogs used biting (almost exclusively), at "non-lethal", "brawl" and "horseplay", dogs and lions only used scratching to attack, with no exception.

Looking through fort-mode combat logs, i quickly found a fight between a tame cougar and a grey langur. Only five or so attacks in that fight landed, but all of them (on both sides) were scratches.

Looks like the bug still exists in 0.40.24.
It might be worth checking what kinds of opponents dogs use scratching or biting against. It may be that fights between tame animals and surface wildlife never escalate to "lethal" conflict.

PS: skills don't come into it at all - dogs have no skills and learn no skills.
(0033056)
Witty   
2015-09-17 13:08   
Yep, this is definitely some bug related to lethality levels. Skills, however, do play a major part in this bug from what I've seen. Although dogs don't use skills themselves, their bite attack still uses the BITE skill. If you remove that from the dog's bite attack - they'll bite away at non-lethal levels of fighting and lower (although the intensity at which they fight seems to die down as the lethality decreases).

My guess is that skills are tied with certain levels of combat - and biting is considered a lethal attack. Chances are encounters with different scenarios (war animal vs wildlife, invader, hostile creature, etc.) are at different levels of lethality, and cause the dogs to not use their bite attack.
(0035792)
Fawnek   
2016-08-16 15:44   
(edited on: 2016-08-16 15:45)
after some research in my own fort, War dogs when attacking wildlife will result in scratching. however hunting dogs attacking wildlife will literally rip their guts out. http://imgur.com/gallery/bjJC6 [^] , it seems that only hunting dogs will actually use their main attack on wildlife.
(0036980)
FantasticDorf   
2017-11-25 02:42   
Hunting dogs technically do not have to adhere to [KILL_NEUTRAL:ONLY_IF_SANCTIONED] that non-military dwarves enacting self defence vs large predators targeting them do since hunting overrides it and allows lethal attacks.

Relevant to 0010059 where wild animals & tame animals (including semi-sentients) all adhere to site ethic rules. Wild animals on 'Acceptable' or 'Required' site kill neutral ethics use lethal attacks fine.
(0041139)
Krougal   
2021-08-25 04:31   
Still persists in 47.05