Blizzard has announced upcoming pet plans!
Pets currently have many, many training points, more than they can currently spend. It is the intent of the developers to present the Hunter with a wide variety of abilities for one's pet that will utilize those training points, enough so that the Hunter will have to pick and choose which abilities their pets will specialize in. This will result in a more interactive way of making your pet more effective, while at the same time making pets more individualized.
Here are the "types" of abilities they currently plan to include in this new pet training customization:
* Active Abilities: abilities consciously used, such as poison, increased speed, and damage mitigation.
* Passive Abilities: abilities always "on" that, for example, increase attributes (such as Strength and Stamina), armor, and resistances.
* AI Abilities: abilities automatically used in certain situations by your pet, such as becoming enraged.
It is the hopes of the developers that this new system will dispel the feeling that all pets are the same and help them become more effective in battle.
(More information is to come in time -- this is just the start.)