Thanks to their adorable nature and a variety of types, wolves are the perfect companion in Minecraft. But, they are also great for guarding your base or even creating an army of hunters. To do so, all you need to do is learn how to breed wolves in Minecraft. Let’s start exploring!
How to Breed Wolves in Minecraft (2024)
Note: The variants of the breeds in Minecraft 1.21 are still an experimental feature. Their design, mechanics, and behavior are subject to change in the final release.
Where to Find Wolves in Minecraft
While wolves might be one of the most adorable mobs in Minecraft, finding them is still a pain. Things can get even trickier when you are looking for a particular variant. At least until you figure out where to look.
Here are all the biomes where wolves spawn within Minecraft:
- Taiga (Pale Wolf)
- Jungle (Rusty Wolf)
- Bamboo Jungle (Rusty Wolf)
- Savanna Plateaus (Spotted Wolf)
- Old Growth Pine Taiga (Black Wolf)
- Wooded Badlands (Striped Wolf)
- Grove (Snowy Wolf)
- Old Growth Spruce Taiga (Chestnut Wolf)
- Snowy Taiga (Ashen Wolf)
- Forest (Woods Wolf)
In most cases, you can find a pack of wolves by exploring these uncommon biomes in your world. But, if things don't go your way our guide on how to find a wolf in Minecraft might help. Keep in mind that you need at least two of these mobs to breed wolves in Minecraft.
Step 1: Collect Mean & Bones for Wolves
Much like all other neutral mobs in the game, you need food to breed wolves in Minecraft. Luckily, they are a big fan of meat and bones, both of which are quite easy to get during nighttime.
Get Bones
To get bones in Minecraft, all you need to do is wait for skeletons to spawn and then hunt them down. Each skeleton drops 0-2 bones upon dying.
Though, I highly recommend avoiding skeletons in the swamp biomes of Minecraft. There, these hostile mobs spawn as Bogged and have access to poisonous arrows.
Meanwhile, you can also get bones from these rare structures in the overworld:
- Desert Pyramid
- Ancient City
- Jungle Pyramid
- Woodland Mansion
- Monster Room (Dungeon)
Not to forget, you can also get bones by fishing in Minecraft. But there is a less than 1% chance of them appearing.
Find Meat in Minecraft
The bones help you tame wolves and win their trust. But, unfortunately, you cannot use bones to breed wolves in Minecraft. Instead, you have to rely upon any type of meat within the game. The list includes beef, chicken, porkchop, mutton, rabbit, and even rotten flesh.
As you can guess, there is no need to cook the meat before feeding it to a wolf. We suggest you use rotten flesh as this meat isn't suitable for players. Plus, you are bound to encounter zombie mobs (that drop rotten flesh) during your adventures.
Step 2: Tame Wolves
Trust is a major currency within the world of your favorite game. You first need to tame wolves before you can breed them in Minecraft. Here's how:
1. First, hold a bone in your hand and get close to your wolves. The wolves will start following you around as long as the bone is in your hand.
2. Then, use the bone on the wolf to win its trust and tame it. Every bone has a 1/3 chance of taming a wolf, so you will need at most 6 bones to tame two wolves.
3. Keep in mind that you cannot tame a wolf that is already hostile towards you or another mob. You need to wait till it's cool down before taming it.
Are Baby Wolves Tamed
When you tame a wolf in Minecraft, all its babies are automatically tamed as soon as they spawn. However, this mechanic is only limited to the owner of the parent wolf. For instance, if you breed someone's wolves in a Minecraft SMP server, the baby will only be loyal to the player whose wolves you bred.
To tackle this, you can breed one of your wolves with another player's wolf. Then, there will be a 50-50 chance that the baby wolf belongs to the owner of either of the parents.
Step 3: How to Breed Wolves in Minecraft
Once your mobs are tamed, follow these steps to breed wolves in Minecraft:
1. To begin, hold a piece of meat in your hand. You can use any type of meat for breeding including raw meat and even rotten flesh.
2. Then, get close to two wolves. Since they are tamed, you don't need to worry about them running away.
3. Finally, feed a piece of meat to each of your wolves and wait for hearts to appear above their heads. Within a few seconds, a baby wolf will spawn.
Breeding Cooldown
Minecraft automatically applies a 5-minute cooldown for breeding wolves. During this period, you cannot feed your wolves or make them breed. Meanwhile, the baby wolves take 20 minutes or a complete in-game day to grow into adults. You can speed up this process by feeding them more meat.
What Happens When You Breed Different Types of Wolves
Currently, there are nine distinct types of wolves in Minecraft that you can find in different overworld biomes. All of these wolves can be bred with one another, irrespective of their type. If both of the parent wolves are of the same type, then, as you can guess, the baby also belongs to that type.
But when you breed two different types of wolves with one another, the baby has an equal chance of belonging to either parent's type. Unlike horses, you cannot plan the breeding of wolves to get the desired characteristics.
FAQ: Breeding Wolves in Minecraft
What do baby wolves eat in Minecraft?
You can feed any type of meat to a baby wolf to accelerate its growth. They eat beef, chicken, porkchop, rabbit, and even rotten flesh.
How do you get a black wolf in Minecraft?
Black wolves only spawn in the Old Growth Pine Taiga biome of Minecraft. You can find them in a pack of 2-4 wolves.
Can you tame a baby wolf in Minecraft?
When you breed two tamed wolves in Minecraft, the baby that spawns is automatically tamed. Meanwhile, the wolves that naturally spawn as pups cannot be tamed or bred until they grow up.
Find and Breed a Wolf in Minecraft
With dozens of wolves by your side, most of the hostile mobs won’t even dare to cross your path. But, even these fluffy guards can fail in front of something as formidable as the Warden. Luckily, making an Iron Golem in Minecraft might be able to fix that. Not to forget, getting some Minecraft Potions can also keep you safe. Just be sure not to put your dog in Minecraft at risk!