Young are born in March and early April. They are reared in a den which may be on a bluff or slope among rocks or in an enlarged badger hole. Some are several feet in length. Both parents forage for food to feed the young. When the food is taken at a great distance from the den, the parents will fill themselves a nd regurgitate the food at the dens for the young.
Males serve as sentinels outside the den during the daytime.
When young are about three months of age, they and the parents leave the den. Wolves are the most social among the North American members of the dog family. In such a group, the male is dominant, the femal e is number two and the pups have a dominance order among themselves. The mothe r remains with the pups for about two months, during which time the male and other pack members may brin g food for mother and her babies. The young wolves reach adult size in a year, but often they do not br eed until they are three years of age.