Guide to evolving a dire pet

Introduction
A dire Animal companion is an ideal offensive weapon, it deals 15% more damage than a 'normal' pet, but on the other side it has 60 Health Points less. To evolve a pet to dire, it must learn to deal damage, but it must not get used to taking damage. So the main idea is that the Pet-Master takes all the damage while the pet kills foes.

Equipment
Use a Totem Axe or any single handed weapon Of Enchanting and a Protective Icon, possibly with +12 Energy and some Health, but no Armor bonus. Use only a Tamer's Mask of Superior Beast Mastery rune and some Gloves or Boots of Minor Expertise. Any Armor is fine, even AL 70. You will now have only 2 Pips Energy regeneration, but that's enough.

Usage

 * Enter the Elona Reach mission
 * Cast Balthazar's Spirit on yourself
 * Talk to the priest to get the Crystal Shard and drop it immediately
 * Select yourself by pressing 'f' 
 * Do NOT aggro the two Minotaurs, else they may sneak up from behind and attack your pet
 * Run down the slope to the 'pitch', right in the group of minos. DO NOT GO BACK, else the pet will be attacked, not you. If the pet gets attacked nontheless, immediately zone out
 * Shortly before you get the first hit, activate Protective Spirit and Spirit Bond. From now on, do not move anymore. Again, your pet may get attacked if you do so
 * Use all your pet attacks, as often as possible
 * Keep up both enchantments and call of haste
 * When there are only a few minos left, you start running low on energy. Do not use anymore Pet-Attacks except Ferocious Strike, else you do not have enough Energy to keep up your enchantments.
 * When all Minos are dead, zone out and restart the mission
 * Rinse and repeat

At Level 11, the pet should do its first evolution, to Agressive. At Level 15, the second evolution should take place, to Dire.

Variants
Any Pet Attacks can be inserted in these Slots, but these mentioned above do probably the most damage.