Dogmeat (Fallout 4)

Dogmeat is a German Shepherd living in the Commonwealth in 2287 and a possible companion to the Sole Survivor. He will be named Dog until the Sole Survivor speaks to Mama Murphy about his true name during the quest When Freedom Calls, or until Nick Valentine reveals his name during Getting a Clue, when Dogmeat has to sniff out Kellogg.

Background
A typical Commonwealth canine, Dogmeat is capable of tracking a man's scent for miles, an example is when he must track Kellogg in Getting a Clue. While he doesn't really have an owner, he is a loyal and faithful companion to those he accompanies, according to Mama Murphy when the Sole Survivor speaks to her in the Museum of Freedom in Concord, she states that Dogmeat "is his own man."

During the time that the Sole Survivor was cryogenically frozen in Vault 111, Dogmeat assisted Nick Valentine on a number of cases, and also accompanied Preston Garvey and his group of settlers on their way to Concord.

When the Survivor arrives, they can choose to adopt Dogmeat, who will accompany them on their travels throughout the Commonwealth. Dogmeat's remarkable senses and tracking abilities come into good use when the Sole Survivor searches for Kellogg.

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 Sole Survivor can command Dogmeat to do certain tasks, such as commanding him to go to a certain location of the Survivor's 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."

Effects of player's actions

 * Dogmeat is found at a Red Rocket truck stop southeast of Sanctuary Hills and can be recruited as a companion.
 * If Dogmeat isn't already the Sole Survivor's companion, he will be called by Nick Valentine with a whistle during the quest Getting a Clue.
 * 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. As of the base game, he is the only companion, aside from temporary followers during quests, who is considered to be truly neutral.

Appearances
This Dogmeat appears in Fallout 4 and Fallout Shelter.

Behind the scenes

 * Dogmeat is modeled after River, a female German Shepherd, and 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. His 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.
 * Dogmeat's name is undoubtedly an homage to previous Fallout titles, although there is no evidence to suggest that he is in any way related to any of the dogs from those titles.
 * Dogmeat's origin is intentionally left vague, with differing clues in-game, so players can develop their own theories about him.
 * 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 companion simultaneously, for a total of 2 companions, like with Fallout 3's version or ED-E/Rex in Fallout: New Vegas. This was scrapped due to the risk of this system breaking. 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.

Bugs

 * In Survival mode, when Dogmeat is downed there is no quest marker to heal him as there is with other companions.
 * 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.