Dog Talent Tree
by SigmaStudios
Dog Talent Tree gives tamed dogs an RPG-style progression system in which a dog gains experience from mob kills and opens talents as it levels.
What it does
Tamed dogs earn experience points when they kill mobs, and tougher mobs give more. As a dog gains levels it grows from a pup into a legendary warrior, and each level increases its power and grants one Talent Point. Players spend those points on a visual talent tree where some talents stay closed until the ones they depend on are taken.
Level-ups come with vanilla-style sounds, particles and chat notifications, and a dedicated XP bar and health display show the dog's current experience level and hearts in its menu. The talents include a Health Boost that adds 10 maximum health, five extra hearts, and a Master Scavenger Looting talent that adds two levels of Looting to the kills a dog makes. The mod is for 1.16.5 and runs on Forge, and it is needed on both the client and the server.
Key features
Experience from kills
A tamed dog gains experience from mob kills, and tougher mobs award more experience.
Levels and Talent Points
Each level raises the dog's power and grants one Talent Point to spend on the tree.
Linked talent tree
A visual tree in which some talents depend on others, so a branch is followed step by step.
Health Boost and Looting
The Health Boost talent adds 10 maximum health, and the Master Scavenger Looting talent adds two Looting levels to the dog's kills.
Level-up feedback
Each growth step is marked with level-up sounds, particles and messages in chat.
Dog status display
A dedicated XP bar and a menu view of the dog's health hearts show progress at a glance.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Wolf-based survival
Players who tame wolves can build a stronger companion over a long survival world.
Who it’s for: Players who want tamed dogs to become a longer-term part of their adventure, and server owners who want a progression layer for canine companions. The mod works on single-player and multiplayer, and both sides need it.
How it compares
Working Dogs is a Forge mod for 1.16.5 – 1.20.1 under All rights reserved, and it is not open source, so the license differs from this mod's MIT License. DogReborn is also a Forge mod but only for 1.19.2, and it is open source under the MIT License. Doggy Talents Next covers Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for 1.18.2 – 1.21.11 under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only, which makes it the choice for other loaders and newer versions.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog Talent Tree | Forge | 1.16.5 | Client and server | 2026-05-04 |
| Working Dogs | Forge | 1.16.5 – 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2026-05-11 |
| DogReborn | Forge | 1.19.2 | Client and server | 2023-04-20 |
| Doggy Talents Next | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.18.2 – 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-08-24 |
Questions
Does Dog Talent Tree need to be on the server?
Which loader and version does Dog Talent Tree use?
Are talents taken in any order?
In the catalog
Dog Talent Tree is one of 19,031 Adventure mods on ModsFinder, and one of 10,478 Adventure mods for Forge. 5,992 mods support Minecraft 1.16.5.
More from SigmaStudios
Similar mods
What the author says
Bring a whole new level of depth to your tamed wolves! Dog Talent Tree introduces a complete RPG-style progression system for your canine companions. No longer just simple pets, your dogs can now grow stronger, earn experience, and unlock unique abilities as they fight by your side.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/dog-talent-tree
- Owner
- SigmaStudios
- Published
- 2026-05-04
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-05-04
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15