The companion is just broken and half-assed, and is apparently has been too low on the priority list for ever, because it's been one of the biggest gripes since the beginning and it's still not fixed. Someone in another chocobo-related thread put it best: it's like an unofficial mod that uses some components in a way they were not meant to be used to add something to the game that it didn't have. Except, y'know, it's completely official and actually implemented. /thumbsup