Well hi there, and welcome to Simdog.net! If you're looking at this you're obviously thinking about joining the game, and for that I'm glad. This guide will help you through your first rough days on Simdog, and will explain the inner workings of the game. By the way - I'm Briar. If you need more help on the game after reading this tutorial, feel free to send me a game message. I'm member number 12. =)

Here's a few quick facts about Simdog.net.

  • Shows run every day at noon.
  • Every real day equals two months on SDN.



    When you go to the Simdog.net homepage, you will see this:



    Once you click on the link, you will be taken to a page that has a few forms for you to fill out. Make sure your email address is a real one. "Username" is what you want to be called on the game. You can make your username a nickname, like "Joanna" or an actual kennel name, like "Adrenaline Canines" or something like that. As for your password, make sure it's something that you can remember, but also something that's not too easy for a hacker to guess (Ex: "dog"). Be sure to read the rules and terms of service before joining!



    There are two different ways to get a dog. The easiest way is to adopt a dog from the shelter. When you login, you will be taken to your kennel page. The shelter is in the first row under "Marketplace", the second button from the left. Click it. Once you are at the shelter, you may search for any breed and gender of dog you want. If you don't see any dogs avaliable for adoption when you search, that means that there are no dogs that match your criteria for adoption. Try broader searches if this happens. For example, instead of "Border Collie", "Male", "Altered", just search for "Border Collie". Remember, each dog costs $100 to adopt!

    If you don't want to adopt a dog from the shelter, however, you may buy one from another member. If you see a dog you like on a member's page and it is for sale, click the "buy" button under its picture. Remember - this may be a little more expensive, since dogs owned by members usually have some show experience and have been properly taken care of.



    Now that you have a dog or two, it's time to learn how to take care of them! The first thing you need to do is purchase items. To do this, go to the "services" link under Marketplace. It will take you to your items, which should be empty for now. The easiest way to get items from here is to look under "top shops". Each shop sells different things. The Healthy Canine sells dog food, Toys-R-Dogs sells toys, etc. You should buy a little bit of everything for your dogs, but the essentials are as follows: dog food, kennel cleaning items, dog grooming items, and water. There are many different types of each item, and some are better than others. As you're reading this, you're probably wondering, "but what are these expensive but delicious looking things called 'meals'?" Yes, sadly, sometimes your dog will eat better than you will. Meals are expensive dog food items that are one time use. You should buy these to feed, say, your favorite dog or your best shower. However, you can opt to buy normal dog food for all of your dogs instead. It's up to you. Now. To use your items, you must go back to that place I talked about before, called, what else? "Your Items". There you will see your different purchases, with a drop down menu below them. You can do a few different things with your items now. "Give to dog" simply brings you to another page with a drop down menu listing all of your dogs. You feed each dog that way. I wouldn't recommend throwing your items away until they have no more uses left. Then, obviously, you MUST throw them away.

    Now, once you have fed your dog(s), head back to your kennel. From there, you can click on your dog's name to go to their page. There are many differen things you can look at now.
  • "Qualities and Faults"...you guessed it, lists the qualities and faults of each of your dogs.
  • "Pedigree"...you guessed it again. Lists the pedigree of your dog. Shelter dogs will not have pedigrees.
  • "Medical Records"...this is where you go to see how hungry, thirst, or clean your dog is. You can also view his record of shots here.
  • "Show Records"...shows you how your dog placed in which show on what day, who the judge was, and what they thought about your dog.
  • "Sale Records"...gives you a list of who owned the dog before you. You may also put your dog up for sale and view bids on him here.
  • "Mating"...allows you to look at breeding requests to your dog, and gives you the chance to breed to another of your own dogs. Crossbreds are allowed.
  • "Genetics"...shows you the phenyotype of each trait in your dog, and its rating based on breed standard. At the bottom is your dog's score out of 100. The higher that number, the better.
  • "Offspring"...lets you view the offspring of your dog.
  • "Change Handler"...you can manage your handler or hire a different one here.
  • "Change Boarding"...changes the place where your dog is boarded.
  • "Manage Kennel"...this is for upgraded members only. It is where you can manage your kennel...obviously.

    Vets:

    Ah, vets. One of the most expensive parts of the game. Before you can get to the fun part of the game (showing), you must visit the vet. Each dog must have "all shots" and "parvo shot" before they can show. You must give your dog "all shots" every seven days, or else it won't be able to show. Parvo shot lasts forever, so after you give that to your dog once, you never have to give it to them again. How nice is that? However, sometimes your dogs get sick. To cure them, give them a checkup. Unfortunately, sometimes a checkup just won't do. You might need surgery. Sometimes vet visits are expensive, but you shouldn't have to go there too often.

    Groomers:

    -put groomer stuff here-

    Trainers:

    -put trainer stuff here-



    Showing
    Ah, now comes the fun part. Showing your dogs! The first thing you have to do here is make sure your dog has a handler. Basic members can make three of their own handlers, and upgraded members can make five. You might, however, have more dogs than handlers. That means you have to hire a handler. To do so, go to your dogs page and click on "change handler". Search for one within your price range, and hire it. They can quit if you don't show your dog, so make sure that you do!

    The next thing you have to check is if your dog is up to date on his shots and has enough health. Once you're done with that, you can enter shows! Showing level on Simdog is determined by points and age. There are also some classes that are for registered dogs only, so to enter those you must register your dog. Here's a handy chart that lets you know which levels are for which dogs:

  • Puppy - 1 Year and Under
  • Adolescent - 2 Years
  • Adult - 3 to 4 Years
  • Elder - 5+ Years

    Dogs retire from showing at different ages. Small dogs can show longer, since they grow to be older. Larger dogs retire earlier since they don't live as long. Now for the points!

  • lower than 50 = E
  • 50 - 100 = D
  • 100 - 200 = C
  • 200 - 300 = B
  • 300 - 500 = A
  • 500+ = Top Dog

    You want to try to enter your dog in the right level show, seeing as it will get fewer penalties. The farther away your dog is from its proper grade, the higher the penalties will be. There are 10 penalties for each incorrect grade. The higher your dog's level is, the more points he recieves.

    Now for placings. The best placing you can get is Show Champion. Second best is Reserve Champion, third is Upcoming Contender, fourth is Place. If your dog gets disqualified, you should try training it to be better in the show ring. To train, use your items like I instructed above. Sometimes when your dog shows, he will recieve the title of "Best of Breed" also. This is an added bonus. =) After you show your dog each day, you will have to take care of them, since they get dirty, hungry and thirsty.

    If your dog does not have enough energy to show, take a break from the ring for a few days. After about two days, your dog's health should be back up high enough to show again.

    Once a judge judges your class, he or she will have a favorite member. If you are the judge's favorite member, you will get fewer penalties when showing. You can be a judge's favorite member by having a dog that fits his judging preferences. To view a judge's preferences, click on his or her name.

    Breeding
    Another fun part! To do everything related to breeding, go to the "mating" section on your dog's page. Here, you can view breeding requests and breed your dog to other dogs. If you want to deny or accept a breeding request, click the buttons next to the name of your dog. Remember - crossbreeds are allowed! To breed your dog to another dog, find the one you want in the drop-down menu and hit "predict results". This function will show you what your puppy's traits would be. The percentages are how likely it will be that your dog gets that certain gene. For all body parts, medium is better. For behavior, easy-going, attentive, and laid back are all positive personalites. Things like mean, hyper, or dangerous are bad. When you breed a dog and look at the predicted results, stop to think before you click the "breed" button. Would the expected traits of this dog make a good shower? If not, you might want to consider matching two different dogs to get better results!



    This is a section where I stick every miscellaneous thing I can think of to help you more. =P

    Bank

    This is where you can cash and write checks. To cash a check, go to "cash a check". You will get checks as prizes for showing your dogs, and occasionally from other members. To write a check, go to the bottom of the page and fill out your form. Be VERY careful when doing this. To write a check to someone, you must type in their member name. Triple-check this before you send. You don't want your money getting sent to a random member!!!

    Journal

    You can write and rate stories here. -more stuff about journal here-

    Community

    Ah, the community. Come here for help or to advertise your dogs for sale, or just to chat. To post a message, find the section that your message falls under and hit "post a message". Make sure others can understand what your saying, otherwise they won't want to help you or buy your dogs. Be polite, clear, and kind. =)

    Chat

    You can also come here to talk or to ask for help. There is almost always someone in chat to talk to. =) PLEASE remember to follow the chat rules! No cussing or flooding, no being rude to others and no advertising other games. If you disobey the rules you risk being kicked or banned by a moderator. If you are banned, you can not get back into chat. Kicking and banning are at a moderator's discretion.

    Clubs

    This is where you can register your dog in a club. If your dog is registered in a club, that means he can enter club shows. You can also apply for a club president here. Presidents are picked once every month. It is up to the club president whether your dog is accepted or rejected, although most dogs are accepted. If you haven't been accepted in 7 days, feel free to try again.

    Games

    You can play games to earn game credits, which will give you other exciting opportunities on the game. You can only earn ten game credits a day.

    Stores

    All members can make stores. In your store, you can stick your extra or unwanted items for other members to buy. Sometimes you can make store specials at very low prices to entice people into coming to your store regularly. The more you upgrade your store, the more items it can hold. Upgrades get more expensive as you go along.

    Upgrades

    Ah, upgrades. Simdog.net Kennel Memberships cost $30 in REAL US DOLLARS. To upgrade, go to "kennel" (your account) and scroll down to "account information". You can access the upgrades page from there. Here are some of the few features you get with an upgraded membership:

  • Boarding Kennels
  • Vets
  • Trainers
  • Groomers
  • Making Judges
  • Extra Handlers
  • Higher Dog & Litter Limit