Adult wolves no longer howl, their incessant howling was patched out late last year. Wolf pups do howl occasionally, but I never take pups outside. When you terminate a wolf's order to follow they pretty much stay put. They sometimes will deviate from their designated location if alerted to the presence of a deer or boar, and chase it down for some distance before killing it, but most of the time they return to where they were last fed or commanded to stay. Finding and taming a 2 star wolf requires cold resistant gear and a bit of patience. Starred wolves almost only ever spawn as nightfalls and most often are found in a pack of 2-4 wolves. Dig a 4x4 by 10 foot deep pit, on sloped land where the mountain biome borders meadow or the black forest preferably, then travel a little deeper into the mountain biome until a wolf pack comes along. Building a platform over or near one's taming pit will allow you to pick off the unstarred wolves, and can be used as a taming platform. After a day or two to tame the wolf, dig it out (hence my advice to build the pit on sloped land), and you have a companion that can kill a troll in 2 or 3 bites.

I have at least a dozen packs outside my HQ. I always get out of my base quick during an invasion to avoid my defences taking damage, but most times I do not even get the chance to engage, as packs of 2 star wolves are extremely effective killers. I almost only ever have to pick up wolf parts after a Foul Smell From the Swamp invasion, as my wolves are weak against poison.

My biggest problem is they multiply quite quickly. A recent patch increased the spawn locations and rates of boar and deer in the area of my HQ, allowing them to feed themselves, while I am present in or around HQ. Fortunately I am partial Wolf Skewers and prefer wolf fur carpeting to bare wood and stone.