The Sophisticated Wolves mod aims to give wolves, and subsequently tamed dogs, better abilities in the game. It gives them a better sense of their surroundings so they are not completely dependent upon their owner. So that means while you may have tamed a wolf, it can still function in the environment without you and without you commanding them to just sit out of harm’s way.

Sophisticated wolves are actually separate animals from traditional wolves. So both will still spawn in your world. However, you can make a standard wolf sophisticated by giving it a dog treat. You can also name your wolves with the dog tag and the color of the name above them will correlate to their health; ranging from healthy white to injured red. Dog tags function differently than typical nametags as you can just right click on a wolf to name them with the dog tag instead of needing an anvil.

These wolves will also vary in type based on the biome they are found or spawned in.

Wolves will no longer rely on you for feeding them either. They’ll go off and find their own food. And they won’t be stuck by your side while you’re mining. They will wait a distance away from you until you finish but will still protect you from enemies if you are in danger. As soon as you turn around they’ll come back to you. And these wolves will also growl if an enemy is near!