Help with a Beastmaster type build?

[Grendelkhan11]

Hey, I'm trying to help someone else build a type of character. It's one of my friend's and he is a ranger. I need to know what type of feats to recommend him. He wants to focus on animal use. So what should he do for feats?
I recommended Animal Cohort so he could have another animal with him but wasn't sure what else.

[Falontani]

Hey, I'm trying to help someone else build a type of character. It's one of my friend's and he is a ranger. I need to know what type of feats to recommend him. He wants to focus on animal use. So what should he do for feats?
I recommended Animal Cohort so he could have another animal with him but wasn't sure what else.

Wild Cohort is indeed good, but iirc you can't take it if you have an animal companion.
Look up Ubermount builds to see what can be done to make one animal companion/mount/familiar and take it to an extreme by stacking the abilities.
There is the beastmaster class that allows you to gain more animal companions, but the ones you get are generally weaker and weaker than what you'd need. However a 1 level splash is a must have for any "Beastmaster" class as it boosts your effective level by up to 4 (3 if you would otherwise take a ranger/druid level, 4 if you wouldn't be taking a level that advances your animal companion.

From there we have a bit to go with. A class that I thoroughly enjoyed was from a d20 system (Warcraft) but it is a Spiritwalker. Basically it gives you a spiritual version of your animal companion that can be summoned at will and used, and if it dies you can summon it again in 24 hrs.

Another route to go is definitely Arcane Heirophant, to boost one animal companion.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

He can take Natural Bond in Complete Adventurer to increase his effective Druid level for his Ranger animal companion.

Between that and Wild Cohort, having two companions plus his own character should be plenty. Any more and his turns could take way too long in combat. He should focus on making those animals better, instead of trying to get more companions.

The strongest companion to get early is a war-trained Riding Dog, which can trip. Once he's high enough level to get a companion from the next list, a Fleshraker dinosaur in MM3 or a Dire Eagle in RoS are both 'level -3' companions. I wouldn't get anything from a higher level list than that, just pick from those and keep improving them.

Use Handle Animal to add the Warbeast template in MM2 to a companion for better stats and extra HD.

As his companions gain HD they'll get more skill points and feats. He can give one or both of them cross-class Spellcraft ranks to take the Mage Slayer line of feats in Complete Arcane. A Fleshraker should get Power Attack and Leap Attack, and wear Armbands of Might. A Dire Eagle should get Improved Flight, and I'd give that one Mage Slayer as it can easily get close enough to threaten an enemy spellcaster.

They can wear armor/barding, or he can have the party's arcane spellcaster put Mage Armor on them. You can cast Enrage Animal, even if you're not concentrating it lasts a round/level, so take Practiced Spellcaster and get a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend, along with some 1st level Pearls of Power.