Are there any stat builds that are particularly effective?

I highly recommend reading this game guide here, as it is super helpful to learn more about the game!:

https://wolfplaygame.com/gameguide.php

I suggest you put your character points (CP) into battling, agility, luck, and perception. This is so you can earn battle experience points so your wolves get better at fighting, and luck/perception for finding items you can craft or sell to Montak for mushrooms. Eventually you'll figure out what works best for you and you can put your points into whatever matters most, but this should help you get started. :)

Resolve helps your wolf land hits easier(accuracy) as well as it can cause prey to flee less.