I was searching through the Questions and Answers forum for questions I could lend answers to and I found this one. So I will answer
The Riding Dogs that I listed in the Price List were ones I originally planned to flesh out a bit more in Lore. The Price List entry is more of a place-holder I guess until I develop them further. I envisioned a separate breed of dog, unique to Mizahar, that was large enough to mainly carry small humanoids with little effort. There would be essentially two versions of the breed, a mini/toy version of sorts that is trained to carry children and pycons. There is also going to be a standard version that can carry small-medium humanoids with humans being the primary rider. While I have not fleshed out the full details of the breed, I can give a little information from my notes that will be used in the final development.
While a number of existing dog breeds will be able to acquire the training needed to carry children and pycons (reduced aggression being a primary trait) the unique breed will be a very old one from before the Valterrian. It will have survived the cataclysm and become a reliable companion in Post-Valterrian Mizahar. They were originally descended from a couple of different mountain dog breeds. They are hardy and possess the bone structure and musculature required for carrying small to moderate loads over long distances. They have a keen sense of balance and are pretty good at climbing gentle to moderate grades. They look similar to St. Bernards though they are dark brown with black facial coloring, no white.
The mini version is roughly the size of a real-life adult German Shepard. They are capable of carrying around 40-50 lbs. Specially designed saddles allow for maximized mobility and they are intelligent enough, that with proper training, can follow directional commands as well as leg cues. For non-human races such as a Pycon, a little extra training may be required to accommodate the Pycon's seriously reduced size and oddity.
The standard version is about half-again as big as an adult St. Bernard (roughly 4-4.5 feet at the shoulder). While not considered a Dire Animal as they are not as large or as primitive, they are still huge for a dog. Their breeding involves choosing the most NON-aggressive individuals so these are not good dogs to have in a fight. They are extremely durable and can carry up to 150 lbs over extended distances yet their temperament makes them poor combatants. That is not to say they won't defend their riders if the need arises yet they are not by any means "war dogs". One does not charge into battle atop on of these dogs. Their mobility allows them to maneuver terrain that would otherwise be difficult for a horse.
Both the mini and the standard do not do well at all in hot, humid climates. Thus they are best suited for the more mountainous, cooler regions. That said, you would not find them for sale or in use anywhere in Falyndar. They would be rare in Cyphrus and uncommon in Sylira. Kalea and Taldera would be the most likely regions to find these dogs.
I will try and get a Lore write-up soon that provides full details and an official name for these dogs but for now, the Price List Riding Dogs are basically common, larger breed dogs that are capable of carrying small humanoid children and pycons.
