I agree, automaton tanking has given pup a useful role, but since you can only effectively build enmity on a single monster, the fights you can use it on are relatively limited.

A nice solution would be a single attachment or pet command that unlocks various AoE abilities depending on the frame (curaga for whm frame, -aga/aja nukes for blm, an AoE threat generation ability for valoredge, maybe AoE WS for sharpshot/harlequin), but that is a pipe dream.