Is Growlithe Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
HeartGold encounter on Routes 35, 36, and 37. Fire-type with AbilityIntimidate or AbilityFlash Fire. Arcanine at Fire Stone is one of the best Fire options in all of HGSS. Available before Whitney. SoulSilver players need to breed.
Growlithe has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Growlithe has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Growlithe trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Arcanine resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Arcanine's weaknesses hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Arcanine resists most of Lt. Surge's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Arcanine resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Arcanine has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Arcanine trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Growlithe on Route 36 (walking, Lv 13, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- LV 20FireFlame WheelPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 25
- LV 28FireFire FangPower 98Accuracy 95%PP 15
- LV 34FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 42DarkCrunchPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 45FireHeat WavePower 150Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 48FireFlare BlitzPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
Evolve Growlithe to Arcanine
Growlithe evolves into Arcanine with a Fire Stone. You can receive the Fire Stone from an NPC in Route 36. 1 other location is also available.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 19)
- LV 19FireFire FangPower 98Accuracy 95%PP 15
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- LV 39NormalExtreme SpeedPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Clair
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Given by Clair in the Dragon's Den after the Dragon Shrine test
How to Get Growlithe in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Growlithe is HeartGold-exclusive, padding across five routes from day into night, common in some and rarer in others. SoulSilver owners trade for it instead, making the puppy one of the sharper version splits in this stretch.
Wild Growlithe may be holding when caught:
Rawst Berry (always) It may be used or held by a Pokemon to recover from a burn.5 locations to catch Growlithe
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Growlithe in HGSS
Growlithe is where the line starts, caught through walking encounters at Lv. 13-25. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
- Step 2Evolve into Arcanine
To plan your throws, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver catch rate calculator with Growlithe preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Growlithe in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Growlithe trots along Route 36 and Route 37 in HeartGold, though a shiny hatches faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Growlithe odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Growlithe Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
For time estimates and charm math, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds calculator with Growlithe already selected.
Growlithe Weakness
Type-wise, Growlithe takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Growlithe Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Growlithe
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Sandslash builds →Dig 2x130-154%KO Rock Tomb 2x56-66% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter | ||
 Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodCliff Edge Gate Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Quagsire builds →Dig 2x116-137%KO Surf 2x104-124%KO Rock Tomb 2x49-57% | ||
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Graveler builds →Dig 2x123-146%KO Rock Tomb 2x80-94% | ||
 Croconaw Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Croconaw builds →Surf 2x97-116%KO Dig 2x73-86% Rock Tomb 2x46-54% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Sudowoodo builds →Dig 2x87-103%KO Rock Tomb 2x83-99% | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Nidoking builds →Dig 2x130-154%KO Surf 2x84-100%KO Rock Tomb 2x56-66% | ||
 Nidoqueen PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Nidoqueen builds →Dig 2x120-141%KO Surf 2x77-91% Rock Tomb 2x50-60% | ||
 Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Bibarel builds →Surf 2x94-111%KO Dig 2x77-91% Rollout 2x31-37% | ||
 Slowpoke WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Slowpoke builds →Surf 2x76-90% Dig 2x63-74% | ||
 Buizel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Buizel builds →Surf 2x97-116%KO Dig 2x63-74% Rock Tomb 2x40-49% | ||
 Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Onix builds →Dig 2x76-90% Rock Tomb 2x50-60% | ||
 Numel FireGround | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Growlithe View Numel builds →Dig 2x90-107%KO Rock Tomb 2x39-46% | ||
Growlithe Evolutions
Growlithe doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Arcanine. Evolving adds up to 205 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Growlithe easily with 131 breeding partners from the Field egg group. Pass egg moves like Body Slam, Crunch, Double-Edge and 7 more to offspring.
HGSS Growlithe Best Moveset
Fire typing loses 25% HP to MoveStealth Rock per switch, and 55 HP can't absorb many entries. AbilityIntimidate softens physical attacks on the switch, giving the moveset a defensive interaction that the raw stats don't suggest. Evolve to Arcanine.
Best Build
Growlithe best EVs are HP and Speed
Bulky Support Moveset
- Flare Blitz
- Will O Wisp
- Morning Sun
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The egg pool carries weight here. Body Slam and Crunch aren't available any other way for Growlithe, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Flare Blitz and Fire Blast for solid options.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 21 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It has a brave and trustworthy nature. It fearlessly stands up to bigger and stronger foes.
Extremely loyal, it will fearlessly bark at any opponent to protect its own Trainer from harm.
Growlithe HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Wild Growlithe in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Rawst Berry (always). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Rawst Berry.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, you can run Growlithe through the first few routes without issues. 350 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Arcanine as fast as you can.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Growlithe plays as a balanced. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Jolly is the go-to nature for Growlithe. That's +Speed / -Sp. Atk. Pair it with 236 HP / 36 SpA / 36 SpD / 196 Spe EVs. Fits the balanced role.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Growlithe has appeared in 21 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLAHisuian
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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