Unveiling the S/P Ranger (need critique)

So, I finally noticed a small problem with my original Ranger build due to the change made to Expertise. I was rather upset that my build had become so energy heavy that it was no longer viable. So, I set about making the build that I had longed to make a long time ago, taking a R/W, giving that character a melee set, and somehow finding room for a pet. What I call an S/P Ranger; Sword/Pet! *rimshot*

Comedy aside, this is something that I have wanted to do just for the heck of it, but I still wanted it to at least be reasonably viable. It had to allow for some decent damage pontential while keeping my bum out of the fryer should I be overly targeted. This is basically what I came up with:

Attributes:
Usage: 194/200
Swordsmanship: 10
Tactics: 9
Beast Mastery: 8 + 1
Expertise: 9 + 3 + 1

Skills:
Deadly Riposte (Tactics)
Gash (Swordsmanship)
Feral Lunge (BM)
Tiger's Fury (BM)
Ferocious Strike {E} (BM)
Comfort Animal (BM)
Charm Animal (BM)
Res Sig/Rebirth Sig

Template:
ASQBVrpFvZQYAfbjrbavZBA

Equipment:
**This is obviously to taste, but I want to show what I used to make this work**

Stance based sword w/ Vampiric mod and Shelter mod
-The shelter mod is a little bit important here I believe, as this helps a bit where the Ranger is specifically weak in this endeavor. The Vamp mod is also very useful as this build doesn't use full swordsmanship. You simply can't afford it.

Stance based shield, Tactics req
-You should be able to swap the stance needs for an "always" shield, but you really need to meet the req on the shield. If you don't, you're just going to get messed up on the field.

Sentry's armor setup
-This is purely to taste, and I like stances.

Basic use:
The basic idea here is to use your pet as a body block as needed and as a setup for Gash. Lead with Deadly Riposte before you put up Tiger's Fury. That will allow you to refresh it between blackouts. Try to keep TF up as often as possible, especially if you have a vamp weapon. That vamp mod will likely do more damage than your base attack, not to mention it will bypass some defensive skills.

The only real trick to the build is patience. Build up Gash, target the same enemy as your pet, tell it to Feral Lunge, and right as the skill hits pop Gash. Instant Deep Wound. Keep the damage up with Ferocious Strike and refresh the ailments as needed. Fairly straightforward, but effective.

Problems:
There is a general lack of damage output on the build, but from you, not your pet. My pet SERIOUSLY outdamages me (not a bad thing, really, but still).

Sometimes, it's a pain to get the ailments to stick, and sometimes it's too hard to tell where the pet is and what it's attacking. I have often considered swaping Gash and Feral Lunge for Standing Slash/Galrath Slash and Brutal Strike/Predator's Pounce, respectively. My concern here is that it would not do as much damage percentage wise as a Deep Wound combo can do.

If the pet falls, that's the end of pretty much the whole build. You need to keep an eye on your pet's health and not let it fall in combat. And since the current attributes have that set to 9, that doesn't make things any easier. (my saving grace on this matter is the fact that my current pet is Dire and she can kill things before they can kill her most times :P)

Another rather major problem is skill space. This build is spread all over the place without much room to spare. And because of that there's a lot of needed skills that just simply can't fit (like a self heal or Call of Protection/Haste). The build is also not very efficient and is basically a gimick build.

Benefits:
One major benefit is the sudden spike ability. To be able to drop a Deep Wound almost as soon as Bleeding is on is VERY nice.

Ferocious Strike charges adrenaline which makes getting Gash up quickly rather painless. And with the constant energy charge, I usually don't have to worry about energy at all.

Having an extra body up front when you're playing a Sword Ranger is a godsend. This gives you options in stripping aggro if you get overwhelmed, and it helps to generally spread the damage out. Sometimes it also helps to body block the mobs in place a bit better which helps the casters. Sadly, the pet ocasionally blocks me but a quick Q or E fixes that problem.


And that's my build in a nutshell. If you have any ideas on how to improve the build, I'd love to hear about it. If you generally don't like the build, that's fine but I'd like to hear why that is. Can't improve without some decent information, right?