Walk information found in the Nintendogs instruction manual
A Walk (Japanese: 散歩 Sanpo) is one of the best ways a puppy can get exercise, obtain new items, and meet new friends in Nintendogs and Nintendogs + Cats. During walks, the player and their puppy can go to various locations.
In Nintendogs, it is possible to take multiple walks in a day, but there must be at least a half-hour gap in between. This gap does not exist in Nintendogs + Cats.
In Nintendogs []
Controls[]
To begin a walk, tap the "Go Out" button on the bottom screen, tap "Walk", and a screen of the neighborhood will be seen. Drag the stylus and create a line wherever you would like to go. The more the dog is walked, the more stamina it will build up, meaning the player can walk farther.
Usually on walks, the dog will mark its territory. If the dog poos on a walk, tap it to put it in the bag. Not doing so might result in complaints from other neighbors, as well as a definite loss of Trainer Points. A light-blue circle will appear on the map above to show where this may happen, though dogs can sometimes stop in an unmarked location and attempt to put a mark on it.
Neighborhood[]
The layout of the player's neighborhood is not dependent on what version of the game the player owns, but is not universal either. Instead, the neighborhood in Nintendogs is divided into four quadrants by the game (though the player will see the entire neighborhood as one map), and every time the game is reset, the structure of each quadrant of the player's neighborhood will be randomized. The randomization allows for a diversity of neighborhood configurations between save files.
The map of the player's neighborhood is consistent throughout gameplay, meaning the location of buildings and places will not change.
Players can construct their neighborhood here.
| Quadrant 1 (top left)
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Quadrant 2 (top right)
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| Quadrant 3 (bottom left)
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Quadrant 4 (bottom right)
|
Places[]
While drawing a route on the map, the player might draw the line into places such as the Gymnasium, Discount Store, or Park. In the Gymnasium, you and your dog can practice for the Agility Trial. In the Park, you and your puppy can practice for Disc Competitions or play with neighbors' dogs, who appear if there were dog markings on the Park on the map.
The Discount Store sells items for a cheaper price than in Pet Supply, and may stock an item not available in Pet Supply, as the Keyboard or Talking Bird. You can reach these places by painting over the red dot at the entrance. If you don't, you will not enter that place.
Surprises[]
Surprises are found in question mark boxes on the player's map. Each neighborhood quadrant / layout has its own set of surprise boxes-- which are fixed in certain locations-- where surprises can appear, but the question mark boxes are sometimes unmarked on the map.
The only locations guaranteed to contain a surprise on the player's walk are those marked on the map when a player is planning their route. When a box is unmarked, there is a chance it may still contain a surprise, such as Trash or Presents-- but this is not guaranteed.
Presents[]
A Shetland Sheepdog finding a present on a walk in Nintendogs.
Presents can be found on walks, and contain random items. They can either be found in a question mark box, or in an unmarked location.
Ones found in unmarked areas tend to be rarer, though can be predicted; if the player's icon on the map stays in place while their actual dog is still moving, they have most likely stumbled upon an unmarked gift item (or trash).
These locations are random every walk, but will always be in predetermined areas. If you remember where you found a present or dog before on a previous walk, returning over these spots sometimes yields surprise presents.
Trash[]
A Dalmatian after eating some trash on a walk in Nintendogs
Trash can be found in an unmarked location, and is more likely to appear instead of a present when the dog has not been well cared for. It is bad for the dog, even though they will always want to eat it. If the dog manages to eat it, it will look nauseous for a few seconds, and the music will slow down. Trash takes the form either of a piece of tofu on the ground, a black garbage bag with a red tie, or a brown paper bag.
If the player checks the dog's status screen just after going for a walk where the dog ate trash, one of these foods will be shown next to "Last Things Eaten":
Last Things Eaten[]
- Apple Core
- Banana Peel
- Bread Crust
- Burritos
- Cat Food
- Chuck Roast
- Fish Stick
- Fried Chicken
- Hamburger Bun
- Hot Dog
- Mac 'n' Cheese
- Meatballs
- Orange Peel
- Peanut Butter
- Popcorn
- Pot Stickers
- Potato Skins
- Spaghetti
- Stale Bread
- Teriyaki
Meeting Other Dogs[]
[See also : Responses in Nintendogs]
Occasionally, question marks will lead to a neighbor with a dog who will offer advice, normal chit-chat, or stern words, depending on how well the player's puppy has been cared for. The player's puppy will be able to play with the neighbor's puppy, and will have one of three feelings for the dog when they leave: curiosity, love, or hatred.
Befriending Minigame[]
Befriending other puppies is actually a timing-based minigame. The goal is to have the player's puppy make friends with the neighbor's dog within 30 seconds. Though the timer is not shown on-screen, it starts once the player has tapped the arrow following the conversation with the neighbor. From there the player should have their puppy approach the other by tugging the leash forward. The neighbor's dog must be laying down before being approached. If done correctly, the two puppies will sniff each other. If at any point the neighbor's dog is not laying down (play-bowing, barking, rearing up on its hind legs), it will snap at the player's puppy. When either of these results occur enough times (1 to 3, depending on how friendly the neighbor's puppy is) the music will change and the puppies will either become friends or enemies. Depending on the outcome, the player can gain or lose Trainer Points.
After making friends, puppies will act calmly towards one another, sniffing and cuddling while friendly music plays. If puppies become enemies, they will start fighting by growling, rearing up, biting at each other, and charging at each other while there is aggressive music in the background. Befriending or making enemies with a neighbor's puppy repeatedly does not seem to affect their future behavior.
Friendly Dog: Needs to be sniffed 1 time.
Curious Dog: Needs to be sniffed 2 times.
Angry Dog: Needs to be sniffed 3 times.
It will take more sniffs than required if the player's puppy keeps getting snapped at. For example, if a neighbor's friendly dog snaps at the player's puppy before they get to sniff 1 time, then it will take 2 sniffs to befriend them.
A dog's default friendliness towards the player's is randomized with each new game file. The only exception is Archie Hubbs' puppy, Spot-- he is in every game save and will always be friendly.
To make a neighbor's dog easier to befriend, the player can try making their puppy urinate closer to question mark boxes. It should be noted that marks from male puppies have a wider range than females. The more urine marks near a box, the friendlier that neighbor's puppy will be. This marking strategy must be done sparingly because the player's puppy will only urinate 1 to 5 times during a single walk.
In Nintendogs + Cats[]
Night stroll going downtown
Walks return in Nintendogs + Cats, but with a major overhaul. There is now a tutorial which explains how walks work over the course of the player's first several walks, and the walks themselves are presented as moving straight forward, rather than the prequel's sidescrolling format. There is no limit to how many times a puppy can go on a walk without resting, nor a limit on how far the puppy can go, nor a map on the upper screen. The only restriction on how many walks the puppy can go on is its hunger and thirst. A famished and/or parched puppy cannot go on walks.
Walks also now affect a puppy's physique. If a puppy goes on too many walks, exercises too much, and has a poor diet, it risks becoming Skinny or Underfed. On the other hand, walks can also help a puppy lose weight if it is Plump or Overfed.
The player can also now change the color of the leashes, but they have to buy each color at the BARC shop or the Recycle Shop.
There are four areas of the walk map which are Neighborhood, where the walk usually starts, Mountains, Downtown, and the Seaside. When walking in Downtown or Seaside, the player may come across traffic cones.
Grass[]
In Nintendogs + Cats, a puppy is not allowed to urinate on the road anymore, or else Owner Points will be lost. Instead, the player must frequently guide their puppy to patches of grass at the side of the road (sometimes in the middle on the Mountain path), where the puppy will either urinate, defecate, roll around, bark at insects, or on rare occasions in the Mountain path, Neighborhood Secret Path, or Mountain Secret Path, find a present.
As in the original Nintendogs games, the player is expected to pick up their puppy's dung by tapping it and watching it float into a paper bag. The player will know that their puppy is about to poo rather than urinating when it turns completely sideways and squats. If a puppy starts digging at the grass, give one quick (or more) tug to prevent rolling around. He/she will turn around with a ! mark above his/her head, and the player is able to give him/her a treat. If a player's puppy sniffs at the ground when not in a grass patch, tug on the leash to prevent leakage.
Surprises[]
Presents[]
Presents make a return appearance in Nintendogs + Cats, but are more uncommon. Presents in the game are usually a recyclable material that can be exchanged for special items at Mr. Recycle. In addition, if the player weaves through traffic cones without touching or bumping into them, a present will magically appear.
If the player uses the Pedometer for walks, the rarity of the item can increase depending on how many steps the player takes. For example, walking over a thousand steps can grant the player an accessory.
Trash[]
Trash makes a return in Nintendogs + Cats, but is uncommon and easier to avoid. Trash comes in the form of a white-and-red paper bag with a leek in it, a very full black trash bag surrounded by cans, or a cardboard box with two cans and two wrappers. Trash appears more often at the Downtown Route.
If the dog eats it, he/she becomes dirty, then when they poop later on in the walk, it will look as if they are sick. When the player returns home, that dog will be tired, but is recoverable.
Jumping[]
A Golden Retriever jumping, during a walk.
When a dog is running at full speed, quickly pulling the leash up will make the dog jump. Jumping seems to have no use, other than just aesthetics.
Meeting Other Dogs[]
[See also : Responses in Nintendogs + Cats]
Just like in the original Nintendogs, the player can meet other dogs. The player has to approach a Mii that is walking a dog, and an encounter will occur. Depending on how friendly the Mii's and player's dogs are (shown by whether the dogs play-bow, bark, and spin; growl, bark, and stand; stand and fidget on their feet; or bark, whine and crouch with their tails between their legs), the two dogs may make friends. Some NPC dogs are always friendly, such as Lucky, Rex, Cooper and Pepper, while other NPC dogs are almost always unfriendly, such as Benny, Zoe, Rebel and Gus. Unlike in the original Nintendogs, this system seems to be purely luck-based, though the player's puppy will be more friendly or unfriendly depending on its personality.
Sometimes, if the player's dog makes friends with the Mii's dog, they may be asked to go to the Seaside Park, Mountain Park, or the Café Petrov with them. This does not happen when on any Secret Path, no matter what. If the dogs fail to make friends, the NPC's dog will not fight. It will just growl many times, and the player's dog will act afraid of it, or vice-versa.
Also, if the player turns on SpotPass, any dogs received via the feature will be able to be found on walks, even the DLC Miis (except, of course, those that own a cat). You may also meet owners whom you met through StreetPass.
Places[]
While on a walk, the player will see signs for various places, depending on where they are. On any route, once the player has gone on enough walks, they may access a special BARC store that has different items depending on the route. The BARC store's entrance is marked by a forest-green sign that displays BARC's white dog logo.
On the Mountains and Seaside routes, the player can access the Park via a blue sign with a white dog silhouette standing in grass on it, where they can play with other dogs or train for disc competitions (which is recommended, as there is more space to practice than at home). On the Downtown route, the player can access Café Petrov via a brown wooden sign with the cafe's logo on it, where they can buy tasty treats for their dog and meet Precious, the store owner's spoiled cat. The Downtown route is the only route to have a Gym, where the puppy and player can practice Lure Coursing. There is also a Secret Path that can randomly be found on any of the routes, marked by a sign with a picture of a blue silhouette woman walking her puppy on a hill and an arrow beneath this picture. Here there are many presents, and they're mostly rare ones. The player will also find lots of Traffic Cones on the Downtown and Seaside versions, which they can weave through to get presents. On the Neighborhood and Mountain Secret Paths, these cones are replaced by many patches of grass, where presents are likely be found.
Puddles[]
A German Shepherd standing in a puddle.
Puddles are another obstacle that the player may encounter on a walk after rainfall. They can be found on all of the paths. If a dog plays in a puddle, their coat will get filthy. To prevent a dog from playing in puddles, give the leash a sharp tug, or multiple tugs if necessary. When the dog stops playing and turns around, the player is given the option to reward the dog with a treat. After doing this often, the dog has learned to avoid puddles with just one gentle tug on their leash.
Note: If a puppy rolls over to play and the player tugs on the leash repeatedly, the puppy may still get slightly dirty, but not as much as it would have if the player let it play.
Trivia[]
- In prerelease screenshots for Nintendogs + Cats, walks were originally going to be a lot different, being based on the predecessor.
- In Nintendogs + Cats, you can go for multiple walks in one day without taking breaks between each walk.
- In Nintendogs, you hold the leash from the side rather from the middle. This was later changed in the sequel.
- In Nintendogs + Cats, if your dog comes home famished, parched or filthy, a pop-up will say "Your pet seems hungry/thirsty/dirty. Why don't you give him/her some food/water/a bath?"
- In Nintendogs + Cats, if you and your dog don't move, any pet owners in the distance will endlessly walk in place until you get close enough.
- In Nintendogs + Cats, you can pull your dog towards or away from the NPC puppy while encountering another dog, despite it being ultimately useless. This could be a possible reference to the prequel.
- Moving your puppy around during an NPC encounter in Nintendogs + Cats does lead to an interesting feature. If you pull your dog to the bottom left corner, and the encounter ends in friendship, an alternate jingle will play, as well as an alternate message. Nothing else seems to change.
- In Nintendogs + Cats, if the message displayed upon starting a walk says "(dog name) is anxious to go out today/tonight!" or a similar message, there is likely a Secret Path on one of the routes.
Gallery[]
