Do you want a fierce wolf to fight off night monsters, or a swift horse to gallop across the plains? Mastering how to tame animals in Minecraft is the key to gaining some of your most helpful companions.
Simply prepare the right favorite foods and follow a few basic interactions below to tame everything from wolves, cats, and horses to unique creatures like parrots and foxes. Let's dive in!
Why Should You Have Companions in the Minecraft World?
Taming and caring for animals in the game offers many practical survival advantages:
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Loyal Companions: Your four-legged friends will follow you on every exploration route.
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Brave Bodyguards: A tamed wolf is always ready to leap into battle to protect you from night monsters.
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Efficient Transporters: Horses, donkeys, and mules help you travel swiftly and carry extra loot over long distances.
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Peaceful Protectors: Sweet cats are natural deterrents that scare away dangerous Creepers and Phantoms.
The Secret to Food Prep for Successful Animal Taming in Minecraft
Preparing the correct favorite foods makes the taming process much faster and more reliable.
Based on information from the official Minecraft Wiki, here is a detailed "menu" for both Java and Bedrock editions to help you prepare your inventory before setting out on your adventures:
| Companion | Favorite Food | Supporting Item | Special Perk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf (Dog) | Bone | Red Collar (appears automatically) | Ready to fight and protect you from monsters. |
| Horse / Donkey / Mule | Apple, Golden Apple, Sugar, Wheat | Saddle, Chest (for Donkeys/Mules to carry items) | Ride directly multiple times. Food increases hidden affinity, making them accept you faster. |
| Cat | Raw Cod or Raw Salmon | None | Scares away Creepers and Phantoms. |
| Ocelot | Raw Cod or Raw Salmon | None | Cannot be tamed into a house cat. You can only earn their trust so they won't run away, and they help scare away Creepers. |
| Parrot | Seeds (Wheat, Melon, Pumpkin, etc.) | None | Perches playfully on your shoulder and mimics nearby monster sounds. |
| Llama | Hay Bale / Wheat | Decorated Carpet, Chest (to carry items) | Carries items; you can lead an entire caravan of Llamas behind you. |
| Fox | Sweet Berries or Glow Berries | Lead | Becomes a cute, trusting pet that won't flee from you. |
Pro Tip: Always hold the favorite food in your hand and crouch to move slowly when approaching wild animals to avoid startling them!
Simple Steps to Win Over Your Cute Little Friends
Nurturing the Loyalty of a Lonely Wolf
Depending on the subspecies (such as the ashen wolf, black wolf, spotted wolf, etc.), you can find them in Taiga forests, regular forests, pine forests, or vast savannas. To tame a wolf in Minecraft, simply hold a Bone in your hand, gently walk up to it, and right-click repeatedly.
When red heart particles float up and a cute red collar appears, the wolf has officially become your loyal pet dog. You can also use dye to change the color of the collar to match your style.
If you want to have a loyal wolf companion right in your room, take a look at the LEGO MINECRAFT The Wolf Stronghold building set. This set lets you build a magnificent wolf fortress featuring a giant wolf head that can change its expression from friendly to angry. It comes complete with a furnace, a smithing table, and two very cool LEGO wolves to decorate your desk setup.
How to Tame Horses and Other Mounts in Minecraft
The vast green plains are home to wild horses. Unlike wolves, taming a horse in Minecraft requires a bit of patience:
- Keep your hands completely empty and right-click to mount the horse.
- At first, the horse will repeatedly buck you off. Keep mounting it patiently until it stands still and shows loving red hearts.
- Once the horse accepts you, equip it with a Saddle so you can freely steer it in any direction.
Pro Tip: You can feed the horse apples or sugar before riding. This increases the horse's hidden "Temper" stat, greatly reducing the times you get bucked off and speeding up the taming process! The same mechanism applies when taming Llamas.
You can also equip a Chest onto the back of a Llama, Donkey, or Mule to carry extra inventory slots on your journeys.
If you love adventures on horseback, the MINECRAFT PMI Wind-up Alex Riding Horse toy is an excellent choice. Featuring highly accurate pixelated designs and a smooth mechanical wind-up mechanism (no batteries required), Alex and the horse bring the blocky world to life right on your study desk.
How to Tame Cats in Minecraft to Scare Away Creepers
Cats usually appear in villages or swamp huts in 11 different coat patterns, and they are highly skittish. Taming a cat in Minecraft requires practicing quiet movements:
- Hold raw cod or raw salmon in your hand and stand completely still. The aroma of the fish will naturally draw the cat toward you.
- Once it approaches, gently feed it repeatedly until red hearts appear and a cute red collar shows up around its neck, accompanied by sweet purring sounds.
- This little cat will protect your house from explosive Creepers and the swooping attacks of Phantoms flying in the night sky.
Earning the Trust of Unique Creatures (Parrots, Foxes, Axolotls)
Rainforest Parrots: Simply feed them various seeds (like wheat, melon, or pumpkin seeds), and the colorful parrot will hop onto your shoulder, playfully mimicking nearby monsters.
Shy Foxes: Wild foxes are extremely afraid of humans. You need to feed sweet berries or glow berries to two wild foxes to make them breed. The baby fox born from them will completely trust you and won't run away. However, since it still retains some wild instincts, you will need to use a Lead if you want it to follow you.
Axolotls (Mexican Walking Fish): These aquatic creatures cannot be tamed with food. Instead, you can prepare a water bucket to scoop them up and carry your little friends with you on all your underwater explorations.
If you adore the whimsical ancient creatures of the blocky world, look no further than the LEGO MINECRAFT The Cherry Blossom Garden building set. It allows you to recreate a beautiful pink cherry blossom forest and experience hatching and raising a Sniffer pair (adult and baby) for a deeply relaxing real-life building experience.
Frequently Asked Questions About Taming Animals in Minecraft
Can pets respawn if they die?
In vanilla Survival mode, if a pet is defeated by monsters or takes fatal fall damage, they disappear permanently and cannot respawn. Therefore, always remember to heal your pets by feeding them their favorite foods after battles.
Do tamed pets disappear?
No. Once successfully tamed (such as wolves and cats), they belong to you permanently. They will automatically teleport to your side whenever you travel far away or use a portal, unless you command them to sit down.
How many dogs can a player own?
The game has absolutely no limit on the number of dogs (wolves) or cats you can tame. You can build an entire army of wolves to accompany you on your survival battles.
Mastering how to tame animals in Minecraft makes your survival adventures much more enjoyable. It is time to bring these lovable blocky friends into real life! Visit our nearest store or website to find authentic and safe LEGO Minecraft sets and Minecraft PMI action figures. Let Mykingdom accompany you in bringing your creative passions to life today!
Image Source: Minecraft Wiki
See also:
Minecraft Game Modes and How to Switch Between Them for Beginners
A Guide on How to Build a House in Minecraft from Basic to Modern Designs
