Both the Allies and the Soviet Union employ attack dogs as reconnaissance units, which are capable of noticing disguised enemies and killing infantry with a lethal bite.
A dog is a man's best friend. This age-old adage is proven time and time again with the effectiveness of military Attack Dogs. Trained to attack enemy troops with no remorse, these canines are a threat to any infantry on the battlefield. Their speed, excellent swimming ability, and above-human perceptiveness makes them excellent scouts. It also allows them to sniff out enemy spies effectively. Unfortunately, to make sure the dogs are able to remain agile, they are equipped with only the lightest armor. They are completely helpless against defenses and vehicles.[1]
Soviet[]
With a thick fur coat and incredible survival instinct, the Soviet Attack Dog is capable of surviving in even the most bitter of winters. Enemies are wise to keep their infantry away from Attack Dogs to prevent unnecessary mauling. Light on their feet and great swimmers, the dogs serve as excellent recon units. Like their Allied cousins, they can sniff out enemy spies effectively and are just as vulnerable to vehicles.[2]
Overview[]
For a detailed list of changes from the original game, click here for the Allies, and here for the Soviets.
Attack Dogs both maintain and expand their role they had in Red Alert 2; their high speed makes them excellent scouts, and they can now swim, which makes them able to explore further than their vanilla counterpart. They can detect infiltrators, including the new Arsonists and Hijackers, which makes them valuable at all stages of the game.
They have a very powerful bite attack; it can nearly kill any infantry that doesn't benefit from an immunity to it, which makes them especially useful in taking out engineers, other dogs, or lone infantry. This does, however, severely limit their usefulness against certain types of infantry, particularly against the Foehn Revolt's. They also no longer have a lunge on their attack (now exclusive to Chitzkoi), and coupled with their frail health and inability to attack buildings and vehicles, they are generally not suited for heavier engagements with a strong presence of anti-infantry weapons.
AI behavior[]
Attack Dogs controlled by the AI have the following attack patterns:
Allied[]
All difficulties[]
1x guarding Prism Towers, Gun Turrets and Pillboxes, accompanied by 2 GIs and 3 Guardian GIs
This task force will only be constructed if a Tech Center is not built
2x targeting infantry
2x targeting infantry, accompanied by 3 Navy SEALs
2x targeting infantry, accompanied by 4 Rocketeers
2x targeting infantry, accompanied by 4 GIs
This task force will only be constructed if an Air Force Command Headquarters is not built
2x targeting infantry, accompanied by 6 GIs
This task force will only be constructed if an Arsenal Depot is not built
2x guarding friendly base, accompanied by 2 GIs and 3 Guardian GIs
This task force will only be constructed if a Tech Center is not built
2x guarding Allied Barracks or Allied War Factory, accompanied by 4 GIs and 4 Guardian GIs
This task force will only be constructed if a Tech Center is not built
Medium/Hard[]
2x targeting infantry
This task force will only be constructed if an Arsenal Depot is not built
3x targeting infantry, accompanied by 4 Navy SEALs and 3 Riot Troopers or Snipers
2x guarding Experimental Warpshop, then targeting infantry
The AI may create a Ultra Miner on this task force, which will proceed to harvest nearby ore
Soviet[]
All difficulties[]
1x guarding Battle Bunkers, Tesla Coils and Sentry Guns, accompanied by 4 Conscripts and 4 Flak Troopers
This task force will only be constructed if a Nuclear Reactor is not built
2x targeting anything, accompanied by 3 Pyros, 2 Tesla/Shock Troopers and 1 Crazy Ivan
2x targeting infantry
2x targeting infantry, accompanied by 10 Conscripts
This task force will only be constructed if a Field Bureau is not built
2x guarding friendly base, accompanied by 3 Conscripts and 3 Flak Troopers
This task force will only be constructed if a Nuclear Reactor is not built
2x guarding Soviet Barracks or Soviet War Factory, accompanied by 5 Conscripts and 3 Flak Troopers
This task force will only be constructed if a Nuclear Reactor is not built
4x targeting anything, accompanied by 2 Terror Drones and Chitzkoi
4x targeting infantry
4x targeting infantry, accompanied by 6 Conscripts
This task force will only be constructed if a Radar Dish is not built
Medium/Hard[]
2x targeting infantry
This task force will only be constructed if an Field Bureau is not built
2x targeting anything, accompanied by 2 Flak Troopers, 2 Pyros and 4 Tesla/Shock Troopers
This task force will only be constructed if a Radar Dish is built
If available, Rage, Kinetic Barrier and Regen/Wonder Drugs may be applied
2x targeting anything, accompanied by 2 Tesla Troopers, 2 Pyros and 4 Mortar Quads
If available, Rage, Kinetic Barrier and Regen/Wonder Drugs may be applied
2x guarding Field Bureau, then targeting infantry
The AI may create a Drakuv Prison Vehicle on this task force, which will also target infantry
Appearances[]
“
- Be on the lookout for spies, comrade. It seems a little too quiet tonight. - Hehe, we don't need to worry about stupid American spies. That's what the dogs are for!
”
—A Conscript and a Rhino Tank operator during Operation Eagle Fly Free
Special Ops[]
The Allied Attack Dog first appears in Archetype as enemy unit.
Similar to the Allied one, the Soviet Attack Dog first appears as a controllable and trainable unit in Bleed Red at the beginning of Third Great War.
In Act One, the Epsilon Army has not yet been established at this time. In most cases, the PsiCorps will use Soviet Attack Dog as their scout unit. Starting from The Conqueror, the Epsilon began to use Spook to replace the Soviet Attack Dog that previously used.
Assessment[]
Pros
Cons
Can kill most standard infantry instantly.
Fast movement speed.
Very cheap ($100).
Immune to mind-control.
Amphibious.
Can detect disguised enemies.
Excellent for early scouting purposes.
Can be used as a meat shield for other units, especially vehicles since dogs are almost as fast as them.
Useless and helpless against vehicles, drones, ships and structures.
Very fragile, easy to kill with anti-infantry weapons.
Some well-armored infantry, for instance Siege Cadre, Tesla Trooper, Brute and most Foehn infantry, are immune to dog attacks.
Can only attack at close range. As a result, sometimes a dog will either kill or severely injure itself after killing infantry units that can explode (Crazy Ivan, Saboteur etc.)
Susceptible to friendly fire when charging and attacking enemy infantry that are being fired upon by allies.
Behind the scenes[]
The icon of Epsilon Attack Dog in v3.0 In version 3.0, the Epsilon Army uses Attack Dogs, which are Rottweilers, before the Spook was introduced in version 3.3.
In version 2.0, the Attack Dogs from different factions has their own features: Allied one has higher speed, Soviet one is tougher and the Epsilon one has virus effect and its immunity. In version 3.0, all Attack Dogs' status have been unified.
2x targeting anything, accompanied by 2 Tesla Troopers, 2 Pyros and 4 Mortar Quads
