We have heard of many attacks or encounters between a coyote and a dog. Sometimes the wild animal lurking around urban and suburban houses wins, but sometimes a dog gets lucky and beats up this predator. As we all know dogs have huge impacts on our lives especially in protecting us from dangerous animals. And the right dog can beat a coyote if they have the instincts to prey, hunt, protect and attack animals for their family. But, you can’t also ignore the agility, stamina, and wits of a coyote in terms of fighting and preying. Their everyday lives were composed of searching for innocent animals to eat and that lifestyle practiced them to become good hunters and good killers.
An owner that has much livestock to protect and nurture would benefit from owning versatile dogs. But let’s see what are other factors that you could do as a dog owner to stop coyote attack
1. Making Loud Noises
It’s scary to see a coyote and more frightening if they are on your property. You might depend on your dog for protection but you can help them by using some techniques to scare the coyote away. One of the techniques is by making loud noises, use a gong if you have one or aluminum kitchen utensils so that the produced sound is much louder. Don’t stop until the coyote goes away and maybe you can also warn your neighbors about the coyote trespassing so that they can protect themselves from harm.
2. Remove Trash Outside
The best way to keep the coyote from scavenging around your house is by keeping your surroundings clean from any food trash. The smell might lead the coyote into your home thus responsible garbage keeping is a must to live peacefully and so that your dog won’t have to face random attacks from coyotes.
3. Put Fences Around Your House
To free your dog from any injuries from coyote attacks you can start installing fences in your house. When you do this, make sure that any coyote, bears, or wolves can’t come inside because it is a high stud and has lots of metal sharp tips whenever a dangerous animal tries to climb. In addition, the fence would also keep you and your family from the harm of burglars or thieves.
4. Keep an Eye of Your Dog
Although dogs can pretty much protect themselves, you still need to keep an eye on them whenever you allow them to play outside. Dogs are part of the family that’s why you have to think for their safety. To keep your mind at ease you can enroll your dog for training wherein they will teach your dog important skills in attacking opponents and defending themselves.
5. Install an Outdoor Light
Another known way to scare the coyote away is by installing an outdoor light. Coyotes are afraid of light during the night so you should keep your house bright as much as possible. It will also help your guard dog to see what animal or person lurking around the house. When an attack happens your dog can perform the fight properly during the night because your house is surrounded by lights. Although, it will be an added electricity bill so you must weigh your options and find the best solution.
6. Avoid Places That Coyotes Might Hide
When you are out walking with your dog you should avoid places that are not surrounded by people or spaces that can be a possible hideout of coyotes. It is a prevention that every owner must do especially if you are living uptown or in undeveloped areas. Furthermore, you can keep your dog on a leash all the time so that your dogs won’t wander around and be face to face with other dogs.
What Do Coyotes Look Like?
A lot of people can’t see the differences between a coyote and a dog. That’s why it’s important that whenever you see one, you can instantly figure out that what you saw is dangerous. Coyotes and Dogs might be similar but once you know the features of a coyote you can instantly figure one. Coyotes look like medium-sized shepherds. When you see them they’ll appear to be bigger because they have thicker coats. A coyote can weigh up to 25 to 35 pounds and they can grow in size up to 55 pounds. Their physical attributes include a pointed ear, muzzles that are narrow, skin that has black and grayish-brown color, and white patches around their chest. You could also notice that their tail has a black tip and whenever they run their bushy tail is held in between their legs.
Will Coyotes Attack Dogs Right Away?
No, despite Coyotes being known at preying and attacking, they wouldn’t attack dogs right away. When they see animals that they find delicious, they would wait and attack the prey so that they can have a delicious meal. But this case does not apply to dogs, they don’t see a dog as an animal that they could prey on but an opponent or a competition that they needed to outmatch.
Both dogs are territorial beings that’s why both species would have conflict. A coyote would attack a dog if they feel threatened or this particular dog has hurt one of the coyotes in the pack or their child. Coyotes do not particularly have an intention to hunt but are rather curious about the surroundings and just looking for food. They may be harmful to humans but you don’t have to kill each one of them. They are animals that have been bothered in their natural habitat and it should be your responsibility not to kill the wild animal. They will not attack the dog right away but since dogs are territorial beings they wouldn’t want any coyote around their property. You should also protect your dogs because there are times that a coyote does not wander alone but in packs of 3 to 4 coyotes.
Can Dogs Kill a Coyote?
Yes, dogs can kill a coyote. There are capable dog breeds that have the power and strength to match this wild animal. One strength that could kill a coyote is its speed and intelligence. Your dog wouldn’t stand a chance if they rely on their robust bodies alone. They needed the training and wits to outmatch a coyote. However, a dog can only kill a coyote when it is not surrounded and backed-up by its pack. When a dog is surrounded by two or more, there’s a bigger chance that your dog might be killed or get seriously injured by the coyotes.
It’s important to note that domestic dogs that are smaller and usually would just sleep all day wouldn’t have a chance to fight wild coyotes. When you don’t have a guard dog, just keep your dog in the house and call the animal control supervisor for a coyote sighting or police in your area.
Dog Breeds That Can Kill a Coyote
If you are curious what dog breeds are powerful enough to kill a coyote then you can check out the following list of dogs so that you can acquire one for your peace of mind.
1. Sarplaninac
2. Kangal
3. Dogo Argentino
4. Tosa Inu
5. Irish Wolfhound
6. Alabai
7. Mastiff
8. Pit Bull
9. Akbash
10. Komondor
11. The Great Pyrenees
12. Cane Corso
Scents That Could Repel Coyote
If you want other ways to repel a coyote you can use the power of scent to your advantage. There is a certain smell that a coyote can’t stand. Now, let’s figure out these scents and see if they can help you in your encounters with coyotes.
1. Wolf Urine
The scent can be used to keep coyotes away because they wouldn’t want to fight wolves. These scents can trigger fear within them, therefore, leaving your house untouched. You can purchase an anti-predator mix with wolf urine and spray it around your yard and nearby trees. If you have a fence, you can spray it on your fence to stop all the curious coyotes around the neighborhood.
2. White Vinegar
It is a coyote repellent that was widely used as well to keep unwanted foxes, dogs, and other animals. The smell is strong for these animals. That’s why they wouldn’t dare to cross that boundary because they can’t stand the smell. The problem with using vinegar is that it has to be re-applied always, especially when it rains. You can buy vinegar in the market that is more concentrated so that the smell will be more potent for coyotes.
3. Strong Perfumes
The thing is, coyotes have a sensitive nose that they can’t stand strong perfumes. Soak a piece of cloth in the perfume and wipe your fences and items around the house. In this way, the smell of strong perfume can mask the smell of food and other appealing smells for the coyotes. Although this method can be expensive and requires too much effort. You can use a strong perfume when you are going outdoors especially to places that have coyote tracks to keep you safe from harm.
4. Chili Pepper
Chilli and Peppers can help in repelling coyotes. It is more potent and can be easily applied around your property. Just spray some mixture around but make it more concentrated so that the smell will stay around the area you have sprayed on. Also, you keep a small container in your bag so that whenever there are coyotes around, they wouldn’t dare to go near you.
Difference Between Coyote and Dog Track.
There might be prints on the mud and you can’t identify if it is from a dog or not. Both species have similar pawprints and what you need to do is to be observant and know the differences so that you will be informed and ready for the next coyote sightings in the neighborhood.
Coyote Tracks
For coyote tracks, you can observe that it has longer nails than the usual paw print you can find in any dog. Longer nails mean that their paws lack any contact on the hard surface that’s why it stays long. In addition, you can freely draw an X on the pad of the prints if you are looking on a coyote track. You could also see that the claws are more directed inward and did not have enough space compared to the dog track.
Dog Tracks
The dog track will show a rounded pawprint than the coyote track. The claws are more directed outward and it’s impossible to draw an X on the pad of the dog’s paw print. You can also see that their nails are more trimmed and not relatively high because dogs will always be walking on hard surfaces like concrete floors and pavements.
When you are in doubt, you can check the overall track pattern. Coyotes will be straighter in the walk while your pooch will tend to walk on a zigzag pattern.
What Time of the Day a Coyote Will Be in Sight?
Coyotes are nocturnal, you can only see them active after the day and would prefer to hunt and roam around at night. They will also be louder around January and March because that is the mating period of coyotes. Nevertheless, a coyote can still be found during the day when the weather is becoming extremely cold. Possible day coyote sightings could happen.
It’s easy to think that we are safe in places that have more buildings and people but little did you know that a wild animal can still happen to pass by and look for food. It would be more beneficial for other people and animals that we clean our surroundings and throw our garbage properly. In this way, you can’t invite any wild animals around your house.
Hopefully, the list of techniques that we’ve shared could help you to protect your dog and to repel coyotes away. Another way to be ready during an emergency is to keep your pets insured so that you’ll be ready financially when they are attacked by outside animals and hit by unfortunate events. Vet medicines and surgery are awfully expensive. That’s why it’s important to always take care of your dog..
