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Coyotes vs. a GSD?

122K views 219 replies 76 participants last post by  FortheLoveofChari 
#1 ·
We now in southern Ontario are becoming over-run with packs of coyotes. Since I have some acreage and let my three guys (GSD, Border Collie, Sheltie) stretch their legs daily, am kinda worried about the possibility of the coyotes attacking them. I do carry a gun but sometimes I loose sight of them.

Is this something I should fret about? I can hear the coyotes howling out back as I type this.

Anyone else ever heard of coyotes attacking large dogs?


I know coyotes will hunt cats and little dogs. My Sheltie is just a little guy and is eleven. He is never out without his brothers.
 
#2 ·
You need to be careful with coyotes especially if you have a curious dog. One on one a GSD may be able to hold their own, but coyotes are smart. They're very good hunters.

One will appear out of no where and bait your dog to play with it. It will get your dog to follow it into the woods where the rest of it's pack is waiting and your dog goes from being a pet to being a coyote meal.

This is actually a really good youtube video of what i'm talking about.

 
#203 ·
You need to be careful with coyotes especially if you have a curious dog. One on one a GSD may be able to hold their own, but coyotes are smart. They're very good hunters.

One will appear out of no where and bait your dog to play with it. It will get your dog to follow it into the woods where the rest of it's pack is waiting and your dog goes from being a pet to being a coyote meal.

This is actually a really good youtube video of what i'm talking about.

YouTube - Lulu vs Wile E. Coyote
Absolutely. Saw this in the southern CA mountains (Big Bear) where our neighbor's Golden, Frieda (spayed), was lured away from the cabin, just about 40 ft or so, then the rest of the pack showed, circling "like wolves". My dad watched it happen so fast out our back window (he happened to be near the window), that he quickly ran out and made such a loud racket. The coyotes looked at him, off guard long enough for Frieda to run toward my Dad and into the house. The coyotes, normally skittish, took a while to scare off.

Neighbors thanked us (really, my Dad).

Scary.
 
#3 ·
Anyone else ever heard of coyotes attacking large dogs?
I remember hearing about a pair of Labbies killed by a pack of coyotes when they got ahead of their owner cross country skiing in (I think) Cattaraugus county New York a few years ago. I seem to recall that he was armed, and got a few shots off, but it was already too late. I couldn't find an article referring to this incident.

A GSD is bigger than a Lab, but coyotes are pretty **** bold when they are in packs.
 
#4 ·
I do carry a gun but sometimes I loose sight of them.
I do a lot of off-leash hiking with my dogs on our property (74 acres) and our neighbor's adjoining property (105 acres, with neighbor's permission) and I NEVER loose sight of my dogs. They don't get to be so far away from me that I cannot see them - that's a safety issue. IMHO it's also a training issue - they should be close enough to where I can see them.

In my area, we have A LOT of coyotes. They do bother our neighbor a lot more than they bother us, primarily because our neighbor raises and keeps wool sheep. He has, on several occasions, caught coyotes right inside his barn, or outside in his sheep pasture around dawn. That seems to be when they are most active.

Early fall last year we had a big issue with a female who had pups and would actually come out in the middle of the day. When the neighbor was haying one of his fields, she was out in the field, catching/eating mice that were chased up by the tractor. Middle of the day with people working in the field.

We started having much less of a coyote issue when we started hunting them on request of our neighbor after they'd killed several of his sheep within a short period of time. Once we started shooting them, they moved on, although we still sometimes hear them at night, though not nearly as close as they used to come.

Our coyotes here are approximately the size of my Malinois and very similar in coloring to my Shepherd. As they're known to attack sheep - which are taller and heavier than either of my dogs - I don't think they'd shy away from attacking "large" dogs. Actually, there was a case here in NY this summer where a pack of coyotes attacked a young girl (I believe she was 6 years old?) in front of her house!
 
#13 ·
great space for the dogs. good job on training by
keeping them in your sight.

I do a lot of off-leash hiking with my dogs on our property (74 acres) and our neighbor's adjoining property (105 acres, with neighbor's permission) and I NEVER loose sight of my dogs. They don't get to be so far away from me that I cannot see them - that's a safety issue. IMHO it's also a training issue - they should be close enough to where I can see them.
 
#6 ·
Coyotes are dangerous so yes.... you should be worried. Very worried. Health departments and shelters are getting more and more calls regarding coyotes and attacks and the like. Coyotes are also showing up more when tested to have rabies. The rule of thumb is to not allow smaller animals outside after dark. If you have a garage they can go potty in and you can clean it up in the morning, do that. Coyotes are extremely intelligent, excellent hunters and opportunistic. They'll take whatever they can get, the easier the better. Your GSD may be able to take on a coyote and your collie could probably hold his own pretty well but i can promise the sheltie would lose whether he's got protectors or not. If you truly do have a pack of coyotes nearby, NONE of your dogs should be allowed outside after dark without serious supervision. Its asking for trouble. Flood lights help as coyotes are nocturnal and would prefer to stay in the safety of the dark when hunting.
 
#7 ·
I forgot to put away my chickens the other night and lost fifteen Barnvelders and Welsummers. Kinda hard to get.

Neighbors suggested I leave the dogs out at night but I like my guys in the house with me at night.

My geese and ducks are smart and stay in the pond and they know they are safe there.
 
#8 ·
Get some firecrackers the loud pop kind. Like blackcats or the red ones with a green fuse. We have them here too. Even been in the yard. We can hear them most nights. When there real close I light and toss these off the pourch. They sound JUS like gun shots. 100% of the time they stop midd yodle and we don't hear them for the rest of the night and no one gets killed. No one gets hurt. I have a huge sack of them thell last till the next 4th of july. If these cototes have been hunted the should run.
 
#9 ·
I wish we could still buy forecrackers here! Our government like to do all our thinking for us here.

Oh the childhood memories.
 
#10 ·
A pack of coyotes killed a 90 lb Weimeraner down the street from me earlier this spring. I saw one tracking me and Wolfie on a walk around that same time. We live in a busy suburb, so no guns, or firecrackers are allowed. I carry pepper spray, keep away from the woodsy areas, and keep my eyes open
 
#15 ·
Although I've never seen one around here in Mississuaga, I've been told that there are certain areas in which they roam.

Warnings are issued in the paper advising that you keep a close eye on all dogs, not just small ones. The article was saying that some young desperate males may be looking to mate and go after a bigger dog with this intention.

They may be smaller than a GSD but they are smart and great hunters.
 
#76 ·
Although I've never seen one around here in Mississuaga, I've been told that there are certain areas in which they roam.
They're ALL OVER downtown... If you go down by the lake at Humber River any morning before 7am, you're guaranteed to run into one.
I haven't heard of them giving anyone any trouble other than following them around... They're actually quite beautiful :)
 
#16 ·
My house borders a forest preserve so I actually see them cutting through our yard in the winter all the time. They are scrawny compared to my dog but as someone mentioned above but they do bait the dogs and attack as packs. I've run into countless ones in the woods and they are usually easily spooked with just a rock throw. But in the deep winter, with scarce food, I don't take chances and carry bear spray in the woods.
 
#17 ·
I, too, walk with the dogs (6yo and 5 mo GSDs) in our 70 acres of woods (surrounded by miles of woods). They stick pretty closely to where I am. Lots of coyotes here, too. So far, only a couple of daytime sightings. There are lots of sign that they've been around (bears, too) - among lots of other woods critters. I no longer go armed, but certainly may regret that sometime. We hear the coyotes at night, and the dogs don't go far from the back door for their bedtime bathroom break. Biggest dog/critter issue in the past 5 years has been a round or two with a porcupine (requiring doggie ER visit). Glad she learned from that lesson :)
 
#19 ·
Here in AZ they are everywhere and its getting worse. They are getting VERY brave too... A few weeks ago a pack was spotted out by an elementry school. You can see them in the washes all the time too and at night you can always hear them. Scary stuff.
 
#20 ·
Last month, DH and I took a little trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park. We stayed at a resort in Estes Park, CO. I noticed an animal coming at us. At first I thought is was a loose dog. Then my husband said it was a coyote. I took a picture of it before running away :p
 
#22 ·
Last month, DH and I took a little trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park. We stayed at a resort in Estes Park, CO. I noticed an animal coming at us. At first I thought is was a loose dog. Then my husband said it was a coyote. I took a picture of it before running away :p

I'm from Colorado Springs orginally and when i was living at home while hubby was deployed, i was driving down the street and had a pack of coyotes rush out in front of me. My dog Zena was in the car with me and went nuts growing and barking at them, fur faised. Man she was feirce. Glad she was on my side...and in the car. Went home and told my father in law i knew why neighborhood cats and dogs were going missing and that there was a pack of coyotes that had apparently taken up residence. We lived out in a busy area but there were wooded areas and such all over the neighborhood. Needless to say, i stopped my nightly walks with the dogs (i was also pregnant and running not a possible thing at the time). We noticed a major decrease in deer and fox sitings. There are TONS of little kids that live in that neighborhood too.
 
#21 ·
Oh, and I forgot to say that one of our neighborhood coyotes has mange. It is a sorry looking thing and I wouldn't want it getting too close to my baby even if it wouldn't hurt her.
 
#23 ·
Recent trail cam pics of "yotes not 50 yards from the house.
 

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#24 ·
I live in the city but there are have been reports of coyotes at El Dorado Park(its a huge park with nature walk and stuff) people's dogs were snatched, mostly they take little dogs, but they have probably taken down big dogs too. The shelter I volunteer at is right next to the Nature Center and El Dorado Park. Scary thought.

I have an aunt who lives in the desert where coyotes are common.She used to have Great Danes, but now she has a Min Pin/Chi Mix, and a Maltese/Chi Mix. I remember one time we were up visiting her and my cousins. My sister, and my cousins went bike riding at night(I know stupid) and eventually they came back like 20 minutes later running into the house breathing heavily. We asked them why they were running, te told us they were being chased by coyotes. Anothr time I was up there we went to the cemetary where Roy Rogers is buried and heard a coyote howl.

We haven't heard of them getting close to the houses only at El Dorado Park and the Nature Center.
 
#25 ·
I live next to a golf course, and sometimes I can hear the coyotes at night. I saw one, at dusk, standing on the side of the road about a mile south of me one time.

Anyway, I was reading the coyote discussion on the forum around lunch time today, and decided to go get some food. As we were driving by the golf course I saw a coyote standing near the water hazard. I was amazed. I mean it was noon! I was really spooked when I saw it, having just read all about coyotes earlier!

On the way back from eating I looked over at the course again, and it was still there. What?

So we pulled in and took a closer look. It was a cardboard cutout of a coyote, on a stake, stuck in the ground. Apparently to keep the geese out of the water hazard.

Not so sure why we need cardboard coyotes, when we have them on the golf course for real! :eek:
 
#26 ·
I live in Chicago and coyotes are actually very common in the city here. A few years ago there was a study on urban coyotes in Chicago, and they caught and tagged over 200 coyotes and estimate there could be several thousand, and that they are living in every part of the city even around apartment complexes and downtown. They are very secretive here though and a lot of people never see one. I've seen a few in the suburbs and a pair in a city cemetery. I know they're in my neighborhood as I have a friend who saw one about a half mile from me. She walks her Dobes before dawn and one day she saw a coyote just walking down the street nonchalantly.
 
#42 ·
I am about an hour away from Chicago and I heard coyotes the last 2 nights around my neighborhood. I do not have a completely fenced in yard, the backyard is fenced in 3/4 and it is small, the front yard will be the dogs main yard once that is fenced in because it is huge. When I take my dogs out at night Sinister is never on a leash but he has never left the yard unless I say it is ok, Rogue is always on leash, I am almost positive that he would take off if he wasn't on a leash. I'm always on the look out when I am outside, I am protected on 3 sides with a fence so I watch the open side like a hawk. I am always ready to drop kick whatever animal comes near my dogs. :paranoid:
 
#28 ·
A full grown coyote will easily kill a grown GSD. One got in a friend's pen that had three grown dobes in it and killed two and chewed up the other.
Sounds like a bit of a generalization. This depends on the coyote and the GSD. The coyotes around here are rather small. The big males max out at a little over 50 pounds. Not much of a challenge for a 90 pound GSD. But, as posters already mentioned, they do bait and hunt in packs. When the winters are tough and food is scarce, they can bring down an adult deer.
 
#32 ·
We have coyotes around my complex, they live in the wash area next to my house. We never ever leave my very weak 16 yr old outside by himself at night we either stand out there with him or we put Dodger out with him because they can easily jump my fence and kill Chopper. I've seen them hanging around my gate at night and sometimes during the day. Back when my friend had her horse a pack of coyotes would stand at the fence staring at her horse trying to figure out how to get in the yard and kill her horse in broad daylight. Her dad put cougar urine around his fence line to help ward they coyotes off as far as I know that worked.
 
#38 ·
There is a lot of hearsay going around about coyotes. First, coyote attacks on humans, even small children are extremely, extremely rare. Yes, a woman was killed by coyotes in Canada a few years ago but a human, even a child getting attacked or even killed by a coyote is much much less likely statistically than being hit by or get killed by lightning.
Bringing a gun along to protect your dog from coyotes also increases the chances of you shooting your dogs by accident. The average gun toting American is a very poor shot and his actual ability at hitting a target in a pressure situation is much less than his imagination. That's why the police practice constantly.
That story by a poster of a coyote killing 2 Dobes in a pen sounds ludicrous and I bet is hearsay.
It is true that coyotes will not hesitate to kill and eat a cat or a small dog. They are just prey to them.
A big healthy dog being killed by one coyote is almost unheard of. Yes, a coyote pack might attack a big dog but that is also rare.
You have to remember that unless a coyote is starving it would try to avoid fighting a similar or larger sized dog because there is also a good chance the dog will injure the coyote in the fight. Wild animals even predators instinctively avoid fights because there are no vets in the wild! Even a small cut that gets infected can be fatal.
Around me in the country, everyone lives in acreage and there's a 2,000 acre ranch next door. We have several coyote packs and my neighbors let their dogs roam the countryside during the day. Even the small dogs have never been attacked (of course, they are indoors at night). I think the reason they have never been attacked is because the coyotes around here have enough prey to eat. Why risk their life in a fight with a dog if there's enough field mice?
My GSDs are itching to go after coyotes but I never give them the chance of course.
 
#40 ·
I think a lot of this depends on where you are....

In my area, your average gun-toting person is a WAY better shot than the cops. The cops qualify once a year, spending about 4 hours. The average person shoots several times a week, keeping in practice for hunting season.

We see coyotes here during the day a lot. They will not hesitate to gang up on a bigger dog, seeing it as encroaching on the pack turf. I know people whose cats and small dogs have disappeared in broad daylight. I even know someone whose small dog was taken off their front porch, door open, dog chained up, by a coyote (or coydog) in the middle of the afternoon. The people were less than 5 feet away.
It's not uncommon there to find coyotes sitting in your yard watching you. Game wardens warn against letting small children out of your sight, even for a second. Coyotes have been seen stalking them on more than one occasion.
 
#39 ·
Well I live in kirkland wa in the suburbs so I don't see coyotes all that often, however my 2 year old lived on a farm and he was the protector or the animals in the neighboring farms. He has a strong prey drive and will generally try to chase and kill anything smaller than him except little children and small dogs. One time I took him out to pee before bed around 11(which I do every night), as soon as we walked out he started growling, barking and pulling me like the world was ending and I noticed he was FIXED on a coyote on our front lawn, he growled,barked and tried to drag me until the voyote ran away far enough that he was no longer on my property. We have never heard from said coyote again. Also a few days ago I was taking him out to pee before bed again, we noticed a family of racoons and again he had the same reaction and he TOTALLY scared away the racoons, I do however take charge when things like this happen, I always have my knife with me when I go out night or day and if I see a wild animal that might pose a potential threat to my boy, I will immediately put myself in between them, I can intimidate the animals into running away, if not I am more than willing to kill them without a second thought to protect my boy. Oorah devil dogs.
 
#44 ·
Did y'all see this: Coyote Shot After Attacks

Just more fuel on the fire...

Just one note to add, I've seen some crazy looking 'coyotes'. A women claimed a coyote was trying to get her dogs. A local critter-gitter trapped it and it was a clearly marked black and white like a border collie, dog.

The critter-gitter guy (who seemed to be a character) was quite convinced it was a coyote and the news reporter reported it as such. Moral of the story, sometimes it's domestic dogs attacking and being misidentified as coyotes......
 
#46 ·
Just the other day I was standing at the kitchen table when, on the front lawn, I saw what I thought was a perfectly matched pair of GSDs. NOT! They were two Coyotes just ambling across the lawn. B'EL was on the front porch and quickly took after them. They were not at all interested in any close encounters and took off like rockets! Here's a bit of info that I got from the internet.
Coordinated group hunting among coyote packs is rare because of their ability to survive on small mammals such as gophers. When coyotes do attack large prey they form a coordinated hunting group and target the weak or old individuals. In addition, coyote packs have been observed to collaborate in order to protect and defend a valuable resource from intruders. Due to the fact that coyotes depend so heavily on small mammals for much of their food source they have developed an efficient solitary hunting method. Although coyotes have a highly developed solitary hunting method they only make a successful kills 10% to 50% of the time.
 
#51 ·
Coordinated group hunting among coyote packs is rare because of their ability to survive on small mammals such as gophers. When coyotes do attack large prey they form a coordinated hunting group and target the weak or old individuals. In addition, coyote packs have been observed to collaborate in order to protect and defend a valuable resource from intruders. Due to the fact that coyotes depend so heavily on small mammals for much of their food source they have developed an efficient solitary hunting method. Although coyotes have a highly developed solitary hunting method they only make a successful kills 10% to 50% of the time.
You could not say this with a straight face if you'd seen their bumbling attempts to catch squirrels in my back yard.
 
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