I just leveled my DH to 10. I would say pets are not useless for my playstyle. My usage for the Wolf and other pets is as follows:
a. While questing, set the pet for guarding you. It won't attack until you are attacked; in which case you'll have aggro.
b. While in wilderness zones, I let them run free. Pets really shine in these zones.
c. Get Augment Summoning. Not many Items exist but the necklace from Ravenloft, Kindred Spirit, works well at level 10 so you don't have to burn a feat. Once you get to Epic (around 26), I love the Necklace from Haunted Halls, that procs a Shadow (just upgrade and the Augment Summoning is added to the necklace).
d. Convert the free handwraps from Ravenloft to a collar for some offense. Keep equipment current with the best fortification and some PRR for defense.
e. Make sure your pet has ship buffs.
f. Sometimes it's best to park them until you know they will be needed.
So far, I only have tier 3 in the Dark Hunter tree for the imbues. That is probably all I'm going to take in it. The rest is in the Tabaxi tree (for evasion and haste), and DWS. I did spend 3 points in HW for conjure arrows.