Tag: rockruff

(Assuming it’s domesticated from birth) Might an Eevee display different behaviors/talents depending on its parentage? For example, an Eevee hatchling from Espeon and Vaporeon making a good future Leafeon, or an Eevee coming from a long line of Flareon suddenly displaying pre-evolution behaviors for a Sylveon? Whatever the answer, does the same also apply to Eevee with an unevolved parent or with a non-Eevee parent, or other species with branching evolution lines like Oddish or Rockruff?

Certainly! An eevee’s preferred evolution is a conscious decision made by the eevee itself; it’s an expression of both its interests and its identity, both of which can vary vastly from those of its parents’.

Of course, if an eevee is born to a solid pack of one specific eeveelution, then they’re more likely to evolve into that eeveelution as well. This may be for two reasons: either the climate/terrain is better suited to that specific eeveelution (thus, evolution out of necessity for survival) or the eevee sees it as easier to evolve into a matching evolution so as to fit in with the rest of its pack and get along well enough to survive (thus, evolution out of social obligation … and also necessity for survival again). Thus, you’re less likely to see pre-evolutionary behaviors that don’t match the rest of an eevee’s pack, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will never see differing pre-evolutionary behavior.

(Incidentally, yes, the point still stands if the eevee were domesticated. Sometimes, multiple tame eevee will also form a pack of like eeveelutions in order to better withstand certain climates and areas they’re raised in. This is generally more common in regions with extreme temperatures, such as the Arctic, where eevee, even domesticated ones, will generally try to evolve into glaceon to better withstand the elements.)

If an eevee came from a pack of mixed eeveelutions, and especially if its own parents were two different evolutions themselves, it’s more likely for the eevee to pick whatever feels right to it, even if that eeveelution isn’t that of either of its parents. The same can be said for eevee whose parents consist of one eevee or eeveelution and a completely different pokémon. Because such mate pairings occur in situations where there isn’t a need to evolve into one specific eeveelution to survive (either through better socializing or simple adaptation to the environment), the eevee feel freer to explore their options and express themselves according to which eeveelution they would prefer.

As for other evolutionary families, it absolutely works in similar ways: if you have a pack or garden of solidly midday lycanroc or vileplume, hatchlings will be more likely to display pre-evolutionary behavior consistent with their group’s evolution of choice. A mixed pack, garden, herd, and so forth will yield more varied behavior.

There is only one exception to the above rule, and it’s slowpoke. A slowpoke’s pre-evolutionary behavior is that of … well, a slowpoke. They’re fascinating and wonderful creatures, but no, all slowpoke are like that, if you understand my meaning.

Hey Bill, do you know any Rockruff breeders in Kanto? I took a trip to Alola and came back with a Dusk Lycanroc and a Furfrou, and whenever a baby pokemon is around, the two boys shower them with affection, and I’m pretty certain they want to become parents. I’d have no problem with this, except.. I’m in Kanto, and my boys seem to be bonded to each other specifically.

I’m afraid not, which is an odd thing to say, given that Kanto is a region home to a young man who’s both a breeder in his spare time and a rock specialist, and rockruff are capable of adapting to our climate. Nonetheless, there doesn’t seem to be much local interest in breeding rockruff specifically. However, because both of your pokémon are canines, you may have some luck in simply giving them a growlithe, houndour, or eevee puppy instead (which all are popular breeding subjects in this region). So long as it’s young and has similar needs to their species, they likely will still accept it as their own.

Last year i got a new rockruff puppy who is very affectionate and as they do, he kept rubbing his rocks on me when I come home and, well, it hurts. I have taughttaug to get down when he does this so he doesn’t cause any injury, but now I feel like he thinks he can’t show any kind of affection as he doesn’t come running or seem exited when I show up any more. I wasn’t yelling or angry at him when I was training so I’m worried I’ve offended him accidentally.

You haven’t really offended him. You see, rockruff, as are most dog-like pokémon, are extremely empathetic and loyal. So if you tell your rockruff he’s hurt you, even if he’s young and even if you said it nicely, he’ll immediately assume he did something terrible. In other words, he feels guilty, and he’s likely afraid of hurting you again.

Therefore, what you need to do is simple: teach him how to touch. As gently as you can, reach out for him when you see him and get him to come to you. Pet him gently, then teach him how to avoid rubbing his collar on you. For example, kneel down and have him come at you from the front, using your legs as leverage to reach your face. This may sound complicated, but it’s pretty easy to do if you employ a bit of positive reinforcement. That is, when he comes close and lets you pet him, give him a treat. When he reaches up and places his paws on you in a way you think is fine, give him another treat. Then herd him gently from there and give him treats whenever he successfully shows you affection in ways that don’t hurt you.

But above all else, be patient, as it might be a slow process to teach him. Having a first aid kit nearby may help too.

Best of luck!

Rockruff and Lycanroc

bills-pokedex:

Rockruff
The Puppy Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 744
Entry: Thought to be the cousin of growlithe, this small, puppy-like pokémon possesses very much the same disposition. It is highly loyal, and it’s very fond of humans. As such, it’s considered one of the easier pokémon for beginning trainers to start off with, as its loyal and agreeable disposition make it easy to teach rockruff new tricks. For this reason, rockruff is also generally considered to be a Good Dog.

Lycanroc (Midday Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained during the day. Exposing rockruff to sunlight during its evolution causes it to evolve into a quadrupedal form of lycanroc. This form retains a lot of the same loyalty and agreeable disposition as its preevolved form, and as such, this pokémon is considered to be a stalwart battler and excellent companion. However, be warned: while it normally uses the sharp rocks around its collar as weapons, some retain the tendency to rub these rocks against their trainers as a form of affection. Considering the fact that these rocks can grow to be a foot long and roughly as sharp as knives, this may result in unfortunate mishaps. Nonetheless, this form of lycanroc is still generally considered to be a Good Dog.

Lycanroc (Midnight Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained during the night. Allowing rockruff to evolve under the cover of night causes it to assume a more violent, impulsive form. While this form of lycanroc loses its rocky collar, it gains a hard head, which it uses to smash its opponents into submission after it goads them into attacking. Well aware of its boots in power, midnight lycanroc actively seeks opponents and will attack without being ordered to, rendering this form of lycanroc highly difficult to tame and train. However, despite the comparative difficulties of training this form (as opposed to rockruff or midday lycanroc), midnight lycanroc is not considered to be a Bad Dog but rather a Not Quite Great But Still Pretty All Right Dog.

Lycanroc (Dusk Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained at dusk (if the subject’s ability is Own Tempo). When exposed to the fading light of dusk, some rockruff may evolve into a quadrupedal form that is, in many ways, the midpoint between midnight and midday lycanroc. Not only is it physically very much like a midpoint between these two forms (quadrupedal like the midday form but also covered with spikes similar to midnight’s), but also, its disposition is a rather unpredictable mix of midday’s calmness and midnight’s aggression. Yet despite this, lycanroc’s dusk form is not known for being a Good Dog or a Bad Dog or even a Not Quite Great But Still Pretty All Right Dog. Instead, it’s known for being a Cheeto Dog … because of its orange pelt. Because that’s just how the internet works.

I am considering evolving my rockruff. What are the difference in upkeep of each lycanroc’s formes and do you have any recommendations for which forme to evolve?

In terms of basic care, all three are essentially identical. The difference between them (other than conditions of evolution) lie in personality and habits. You see, midday lycanroc are largely diurnal (meaning, active during the day), whereas midnights are nocturnal. Thus, if you train a midday lycanroc, be prepared to wake up early to begin training at dawn (or to simply feed it and let it out). On the other hand, training a midnight lycanroc tends to be difficult for any trainer short of habitual night owls.

Furthermore, midday lycanroc are often calmer in nature. This makes them great pets, but they don’t particularly excel at battling and often prefer running away. By contrast, the more aggressive midnight lycanroc possesses more power and defensive capabilities than its diurnal counterpart, but its disposition often means it doesn’t play well with its teammates and may need constructive outlets for excess energy.

Then there’s the dusk lycanroc, which is the most adaptable and balanced forme. That is, they have largely calm dispositions like their midday counterpart, combined with the power and willingness to battle of their midnight cousins. The downside is that dusk lycanroc can sometimes display bouts of aggression, and on top of that, they’re the hardest evolution to attain, with only a handful of rockruff being capable of it in the first place.

In short, choose midday if you want a pet, midnight if you want to battle, and dusk if you want both (or a challenge).

Best of luck, anonymous!

Ever since adopting a Rockruff (a week ago), my Growlithe (who I have owned for 5 years now) has started resource guarding, which she has never done before. I believe it’s because she is wary of the new addition, but she’s started growling at me as well when I go near her food or toys. How can I train her out of this without catching a Flamethrower in the face, as well as get her and Rockruff comfortable with each other?

Any change in a house growlithe’s living situation may cause stress, and any form of stress may manifest in a variety of negative behaviors. In short, what you’re observing is stress related to the new addition to your family, and it’s important that you treat this in order to get the hoarding behavior to stop.

Doing so may be easier said than done, however, as it will require you to exercise the utmost patience and skill with reading body language, even though what you’ll have to do is actually fairly simple. That is to say, what you need to do is set aside some time and a space for both of your pokémon to meet. And yes, they need to interact, although at first, it’s okay to have them do so at a distance. More specifically, you’ll need to set up a comfortable, relaxed environment stocked with enough toys, food, water, or comfortable bedding to keep both pokémon calm. Allow your growlithe into this space first and let her get comfortable, then introduce your rockruff. Remove one or the other and end the encounter as soon as one (or both) begin to show signs of stress.

The trick is to teach your growlithe (and your rockruff, for that matter) to stay in one place at a distance for a period of time. You may need to use positive reinforcement (perhaps by giving your growlithe treats whenever she stays or heels), but either way, you must be patient. Training out negative behaviors takes time, especially if a pokémon is responding to extreme stress (as your growlithe seems to be).

I have two brother rockruffs and after discussing evolution with them I found out that one wants to become the midday form and the other midnight. I have done research and discovered that the midday likes to be alone, and the midnight form tends to provoke others into fights. They are well trained, but like typical brothers they tend to get into mild fights, I was just wondering how big of a problem I’m going to have when they evolve.

When it comes to two wild rockruff, the answer to this question would be rather complicated, but luckily, what we have here instead are a pair of tame rockruff. This means that your rockruff grew up feeling safe and secure, under the guidance of a trainer who very clearly cares about them. Thus, even though you may have heard things about either lycanroc’s aggressive nature, those facts are a bit more applicable to wild lycanroc, especially with regards to the midnight form. If you, as a trainer, manage to raise a midnight form lycanroc from its final, more rebellious days as a rockruff, that lycanroc will remember that you did this, so he’ll be more inclined to listen to you when you tell him to stop fighting his brother. (Midday lycanroc are very given to obeying orders from the outset, regardless of who trained them or how they were trained.)

At the same time, I also feel it’s highly important to note the nature of siblings. Speaking from personal experience, when you have two siblings who evolve (or, well, in the case of the example I’m thinking of, grow up) to be two completely different beings with polar opposite personalities, you may think that they would never get along. It’s true that fights are inevitable, as you’re correct in saying these are simply part of the experience of being a sibling. However, if the fights are never truly bitter or violent, then it’s very likely that a sort of undercurrent of familial love exists between them. That is to say, while it’s in the nature of two siblings to fight, it’s also in the nature of two siblings give their left arms for each other. Or in other words, siblings may bicker, but they will very rarely actually want to hurt each other, no matter how tense their relationship with one another may be.

Or to answer your question simply, I doubt those two will be a problem, anonymous. As always, keep close watch on them shortly after evolution and perhaps encourage them to take their fighting outside (just in case), but if I’m correct about their relationship, then the most trouble you may see would be some mild sparring with each other.

Can I evolve both my rockruffs into the different forms of Lycanroc or will this make them fight? Would it be better if theybecame the same one?

Allow me to answer your second question first. It depends on the form. Midnight lycanroc are generally lone wolves (excuse the pun) and will fight anything within its line of sight, including other midnight lycanroc. Midday lycarnroc, on the other hand, are highly loyal, including and especially to other midday lycanroc and rockruff. Consequently, if you have two midday lycanroc in the same room, they will most likely form a pack and get along perfectly, even if they were originally from two completely different packs.

However, to answer your first question, things aren’t quite as simple as that. While the above is true for wild lycanroc, tame lycanroc typically respond to memories instilled in them as rockruff. That is to say, if two rockruff were raised by a single trainer, evolving into two different lycanroc will not make them fight—not normally, anyway. There may be some tension, and if the rockruff didn’t get along before evolving, that will continue after their evolution. But if your rockruff had gotten along quite well before evolution, they will indeed continue to get along, even if one is a midnight and the other is a midday.

Still, always be prepared to moderate any potential bickering over food, water, or sleeping locations. Just in case.

Hi Bill, Canalave dark-type specialist here! There’s recently been a load of trainers getting Rockruff on their holidays so there’ve been a load of them evolving into midnight form around. I’ve had a lot of their owners asking me for advice on them because of their similarity to dark types so I was wondering how similar they really are? I tend to think of them as honorary dark types and they seem to get along well with them. they love sparring with my Tyranintar and hanging out with my Mightyena

Hello again! Excellent to see you settling into Sinnoh so well!

To answer your question, while it’s true that on the surface, midnight lycanroc can sometimes resemble dark-type pokémon, in truth, they have about as many similarities to members of that element as midday lycanroc. In terms of battle capabilities, midnight lycanroc’s elemental balances and lean towards defense over offense (physical attributes aside) are actually reminiscent of a rock-type, and its favored battling style (aggressive, direct assaults) diverges from a dark-type’s general preference for sneak or mob attacks. In fact, regarding the latter, midnight lycanroc actually more resembles a fighting-type like lucario than it does a dark-type.

However, off the battlefield, the comparison is apt, given the typical lycanroc’s generally aggressive and sometimes difficult-to-tame nature. For this reason, if trainers are asking you for tips on caring for a midnight lycanroc, it’s fair to advise them to take care of theirs the same way you would a dark-type. (The only difference, really, is that lycanroc should be allowed to self-groom, due to their rock element—that is, only give them baths if absolutely necessary.) If, however, trainers are asking you for tips on raising a battle-ready lycanroc, it’s important to remind them that it is a rock-type and should be raised as such.