Hunter pet / In raids The following guide is a helpful tool for hunters who would like to use their pets in end - game raids . Introduction . All hunters should use their pets in a raid . A good pet , regardless of the hunter ' s talent build , will do at least 10 % of the hunter ' s total DPS . Refusing to utilize this extra damage would be similar to giving up a 50 DPS weapon you can use in addition to your normal weapons . The only thing you have to do is feed the weapon , keep it healthy and happy , and know when to put it away . The number one rule about using pets in raids is this - make sure you know what you ' re doing . Nothing is worse than having a pet in a situation it ' s not supposed to be in . Certain encounters require you to dismiss your pet , others require you to set them aside . There are pathing issues , facing problems , and other such things you need to keep track of if you ' re going to use your little friend in these instances . Second - okay it with your guild . Most guilds will allow a hunter to bring pets with them , but mostly as a buff . Furious Howl is a good buff , and having your wolf cast it is a good way to raise DPS . If , however , you want to actually utilize your pets , that ' s where guilds start to get a little iffy . Hunters have a bad reputation with pets . Pathing issues aside , pets have received a ( false ) reputation of not dealing enough damage or not surviving long enough to be of any use . Third - bring food . Your pet " will " die . This is a fact of life , and you ' ve got to be ready for it . Bring enough food for an entire raid . If you have a meat - eating pet , then you ' re going to have to bring a lot of meat . Those pets that eat bread are definitely an asset , because your mage makes free food for them . I usually bring one stack of meat on a raid , and my pet eats through it quickly . Keeping a happy pet is worth a few gold . Skills and Training . See Training your pet for further clarification on training pets and skill points . In end game , the most useful skills your pet can be trained are the resistances . This helps them survive the most damaging aspects of the raid environment . Each 120 point resistance training costs 90 Training Points . If you wanted , you could train your pet with up to three Resistances , but this would leave you with 30 points for 1 ability . On some pets ( raptors , for example ) this is not that big of a deal since they get no special abilities aside from Bite and Claw . In the case of a raptor , training three resistances and claw is the best thing to do . Each different instance requires different resistances , as is well known . Fire resistance is good in Molten Core and Blackwing Lair , Shadow resistance is good in Blackwing Lair and Naxxramas , Nature resistance is good in Temple of Ahn ' Qiraj and Naxxramas , and Frost resistance is good in Naxxramas . If your guild has Molten Core and Blackwing Lair on farm status , then it would be a good idea to retrain your pet in Nature and Shadow resistance . The other abilities a pet gets are useful as well . Pets with Dash or Dive can get into and out of battle quickly . Bite and Claw increase damage , claw is better DPS , but bite deals more damage . All pets should have Growl , but turn it off for raids . Pet Family Abilities . Pet family abilities are useful in end game as well . Saving training points for these is a very good idea . The highest rank of these abilities costs 25 training points . Furious Howl . The most useful ability is Furious Howl . Only wolves can train this ability . Every 10 seconds , party members within 15 yards of the wolf get an increased damage on their next attack . At rank 4 , this ability increases damage by 45 - 57 points . Wolves with Furious Howl are most often just sat next to the Hunter , the ability cast every 10 seconds , but if a Hunter with this ability is put in a group with Rogues or Warriors , it would be better to send the wolf into battle with their target . Furious Howl rank 4 can be learned from the Bloodaxe Worg in Lower Blackrock Spire . Screech . Screech is also a useful ability . This is available to bat s , carrion birds , and owl s . Screech is an AoE debuff that deals minor damage and lowers attack power of enemies by a certain amount . At rank 4 , it decreases the attack power by 100 points . This debuff is overwritten by most other debuffs , however , so it ' s rare that it sticks too long . In the Burning Crusade , the debuff limit will be increased , so Screech will be more useful . Screech rank 4 can be learned from the Monstrous Plaguebat in Eastern Plaguelands or the Winterspring Screecher in Winterspring . Charge . Charge is an ability available to boar s . It stuns the target for 1 second and increases boar ' s melee attack power for the next attack . At rank 6 , this increase is 550 attack power . Charge rank 6 can be learned from Plagued Swine in Eastern Plaguelands . Lightning Breath . Lightning Breath is an ability for wind serpents . This is a high - focus cost ability that deals nature damage from 20 yards away . At rank 6 , it deals 99 - 113 damage . Note : When training Wind Serpents , be aware that those with mana bars in the wild will have higher spirit and intellect when trained . These stats are not advantageous , because hunter pets do not use mana and thus have no need for intellect or spirit . Lightning Breath rank 6 can be learned from the Son of Hakkar in Zul ' Gurub . It is possible , and quite easy , to solo tame this pet . Prowl . Prowl is an ability available to cat s . It puts the cat into stealth mode , and reduces their speed . The first attack out of stealth has an increased damage . At rank 3 , it deals 50 % extra damage immediately out of stealth . Prowl rank 3 can be learned from the Frostsaber Stalker in Winterspring or the Jaguero Stalker in Stranglethorn Vale . Scorpid Poison . Scorpid Poison is an ability available to scorpid s . This ability deals nature damage over time , and can stack up to five times on the same target . At rank 4 , it deals 40 damage over 10 seconds , or 20 damage per one second when stacked up to 5 times . Scorpid Poison rank 4 can be learned from the Firetail Scorpid in Burning Steppes or the Stonelash Pincer or Stonelash Flayer in Silithus . Shell Shield . Shell Shield is an ability available to turtle s . This ability reduces the damage dealt to these pets by 50 % , but increases the time between attacks by 43 % . There is only 1 rank of this ability , and it lasts 12 seconds on a 3 minute cooldown . Shell Shield rank 1 can be learned from Aku ' mai Fisher , Aku ' mai Snapjaw , or Ghamoo - ra in Blackfathom Deeps , Giant Surf Glider in Tanaris , Kresh in Wailing Caverns , or Snapjaw in Hillsbrad Foothills . Thunderstomp . Thunderstomp is an ability available to gorilla s . This ability deals AoE nature damage to targets within 8 yards . It ' s got a high focus cost , and a 1 minute cooldown . Rank 3 deals 115 to 133 damage to all targets . Thunderstomp rank 3 can be learned from U ' cha or Un ' goro Thunderer in Un ' goro Crater . Using Your Pet in Raids . Now that you know what abilities and resistances you need for the instances , the next thing to know is how exactly to use these companions in a situation which tends to be difficult for them to survive . Unlike players , they are not high on the healing list . They also cannot use consumables when they are in trouble . Their survival rests on you as a controller . You have to know a few things about what it is you are fighting . Certain encounters it is bad to have a pet ( Skeram ) , others the pet will die too quickly for them to be of any use ( Sartura ) . When your pet can be used , there are a few simple things to remember . If you remember these tips , your pet will be a great addition to any end - game raid .