I've heard of this problem before, and even though my choco is Rank 20 I still just don't use him all that much.

What I wonder, though...They released that chocobo rank is going to increase again in Heavensward. Opting to not spend those points might not be viable much longer if new skills are added to each tree. They should probably just fix the AI of the chocobo....

or let us control it. or let us use it in a dungeon. or anything that makes it viable outside of open world.

I would probably use it more if the italicized type was the case