Coyote issue?

Question

My dog 80 lbs Bullmastiff came face to face with a Coyote this am in our yard for the second time, the first time being a couple of months ago. When I came out of the house it ran away and I grabbed my dog as she was going after it. I worry that now that it knows there is a possible food source for it, it will return to come after my dog.
I know that coyote's kill for a living, so though my dog is tough she would lose. This coyote was taller than her and healthy and if hungary enough will go after her. What should I do? She has to go outside! Help!
PS Coyote's are protected by law.

$10,000 + for the fence. Can't afford it.

The Coyote was as tall as her but did not weigh as much as her. And yes it is a coyote; there are no wolves in Ventura CA. I was suprised it was as big as it was too!

My dog is only 26" tall. She is VERY small for the breed!

She is an inside dog. I let her out to relieve herself; she'd been outside 10 min tops.

This coyote was in our yard at 9 am. Probably hadn't gone to bed yet!

I never had any intentions on harming the coyote what so ever. I found it beautiful and amazing and I was never affraid of it, but thanks.

Answer 1

Right on Wallace!! A coyote is not a threat to your dog. A wild coyote will not willingly interbreed with a domesticated dog people!! I myself live in rural Massachusetts and find it disgusting that people go out and kill these animals. A coyote naturally eats small mammals, birds, snakes, deer, fruits, and vegetables and yes a coyote will make a meal out of an outdoor cat or small dog. Now that people are encroaching on their territory coyotes are seen more often in suburban settings. Coyotes keep animals such as mice and squirrels in check. Just to clear this up-Wild coyotes rarely travel in groups or packs. They are mainly solitary. There is currently only one recorded fatal attack on a human by a coyote. It's the fault of people when an encounter with a coyote goes wrong. As long as you don't feed this coyote, it won't bother you or your dog. Just leave it be. Buy a fully fenced pen for your dog and watch your dog whenever it is outside. If you're that worried about it buy some fire crackers or noise makers and if the coyote is in your yard set some off to scare him away. I thought the fog horn was a great idea. (If he stays around call your local animal control and have him relocated.) He'll learn quickly that your yard isn't a good place to hang out. Make sure trash cans are shut up where no wild animals can get at them. Do not leave dog food outside. Whatever may attrack a wild animal get rid of it or bring it in the house. Keep your yard well lit at night. Make sure that your dog is up to date on her vaccinations. This coyote is no threat so leave it be.

It's good that you have no intention on harming the coyote. They are beautiful aren't they? If you ask me, you're lucky to have seen one and to have one around. We hear them at night all the time around here.

Answer 2

I don't know where you live, but if the coyotes are protected by law then you need to let the animal enforcement officers or police know that there is a coyote that is presenting a danger to your pet so that they can legally deal with it. I highly doubt a coyote would go after your dog...even a desperate coyote would not take on an 80lb mastiff. A whole pack might present a threat, but a single individual isn't going to risk a fight with a dog that large (unless they have rabies or some similar disease).

As for the supposed size of this coyote, you are either very mistaken and/or exaggerating or this animal is not a coyote. Coyotes are medium-sized canids at best, very rarely do they get to be larger than 40-45lbs (and that's a large coyote, even in the eastern part of the country where they tend to be larger than in the west) and they rarely grow to be more than about 24 inches tall. Plus, even a very tall and heavy coyote has a much slighter bone structure and build than most domestic dogs.

Answer 3

We just had a meeting in my town in upstate NY, with NY DEC, about coyotes.
The agent said any dog the size of a lab or shepherd is not at risk, the coyote and dog will work out a territorial arrangement. My daughter's lab chased one off her invisible fenced yard, the coyote turned and watched and learned where the dog's boundaries are and did not violate them again.
Cats are definitely at risk and should be kept indoors. Small dogs, it depends. If the coyote isn't really hungry and the pup acts submissive, sometimes the coyote gives them a pass. The dogs killed are usually small terriers because they tend not to do the submissive thing.
Fences, he said, are dandy and do help. While a coyote can jump or dig under one, it takes time and unless he has some real promise of prey there, he's more likely to hunt elsewhere. At least it would keep the dog from getting in other trouble while chasing Mr Coyote.
What's the up side of having coyote around? They eat a lot of rodents. Who couldn't use some help with that?
Don't feed the dog outside, though, or the birds or anything else. You touch the dish, it smells like humans. The smell of prey should not be associated with humans.
The agent also said that coydogs don't exist now. They may have on the leading edge of the migration from out west (after we so nicely dewolfed it for them) but coyote now have other coyote to breed with and do not want to breed with dogs. That's what he said!

Answer 4

We have coyotes in our area( live in the country) and they come into our yard and try to eat our chickens. My 60lb Collie has had no problem protecting the birds, when they see him they run away. We've only had one Coyote which has tried to stand up to the dog, but once we came outside it ran away. If a collie is more then a match for a coyote then I have no doubt that your mastiff will be fine. Just make sure your dog is up to date on all of its shots as coyotes have been known to carry rabies and other diseases

We have found that putting electrical fence(the kind for horses and cows) around our property has keep the coyotes out of the yard. If that doesn't work, then when you let the dog out keep an eye on your dog, by either being in the yard with it or watching through a window.

Answer 5

One on one I wouldn't worry. But where there is one coyote there may be more. They've been known to lure dogs to ambush.

Fence the yard & keep the flippin' 12 gauge handy.

I have no clue if the coyotes here are protected or not. I hear them right outside my fence sometimes. I generally obey the law but if they get inside the fence all bets are off.

EDIT: If fencing the whole property is out of the question, maybe fence a small portion for your dog to use at night.

Or just be sure to supervise your dog's trips outside. Coyotes fear humans, usually. Personally, I would be armed but it's probly not necessary.

Answer 6

I live in the midwest and we have coyotes constantly, all year around. We have learned to adapt-we have to, as they are protected here also. We have neighbors who have lost small dogs to coyotes, and have read many articles in the local paper about more owners who lost their dogs, but none of the dogs were that large.
I spent some time researching coyotes after we saw our first one, because we have minpins, which in coyote language means lunch. It is amazing how few people do any research and publish anything on coyote behavior! We did learn that coyotes are opportunists, and will take the easy way every time. This means they are more likely to go through your garbage or eat road kill than stand and fight where they may not win. They very seldom travel in packs unless necessary, and where I live that means in winter.
We put up a four foot fence around our yard. Sure, the coyotes could jump it easily, so could all of our dogs, but the coyotes are too lazy and have stopped coming in our yard.
In addition, we installed motion detector lights in the yard, which they don't seem to like. They usually hunt at night, around 3 am in our area, and you can hear them yipping as they sneak through our subdivision.
The only time I have seen coyotes during the day is when there are dogs in heat around the area, as they like to mate with domestic dogs-keeps the coyotes lines strong.
People who own more than one dog have greater success keeping the coyotes out of their yard as well, possibly something to do with the coyote not being interested in exherting that much effort to make a kill. Two dogs =pack.

I like the idea of possibly building a dog run in the yard where your dog can do her business and be safe.


Edit: Actually, the statement that coyotes will not breed with domestic dogs is incorrect. Every year, we have people turning in "coydogs" to animal control after their dog mated with a coyote. It is pretty common where I live, unfortunately. I also see a few suspicious-looking dogs in the local Petsmart from time to time-the ones the owners kept or gave away.
Many years ago, before I had my sheltie puppy spayed, I had to chase two coyotes out of my yard who were trying to mate with her. Hence the fenced yard on my property.

Answer 7

We have the same problem where we live. We don't have a dog, but two cats. We let them out during the day but before it gets the least bit dark out, we call them in. I heard that the coyotes usually hunt when it's dark (well at least that's what my vet told me). We have to watch out for birds of prey too. I suggest you stay with him when he's out -- coyotes are afraid of people and probably won't bother your dog if you're right there with him.

Answer 8

If it was a coyote (are you sure?), I really doubt it could hurt an 80 lb bull mastiff. Most coyotes only attack cats and very small prey. The average coyote is 40 lb or less and considerably shorter than a bull mastiff. Your dog knows what it's doing when it tries to scare it off.

Answer 9

For Christ's sake! The only danger you face is the possibility of your girl leaving the premises and getting lost, stolen, or hit by a car, etc..... there is no danger from a coyote. The coyote should learn quickly that your place is NOT the place to hang out!

Answer 10

Its not that simple. Coyotes are moving, invading territories that they previously were not found in, because they are more adaptive and less selective than foxes, smaller wild cats like bobcats, etc. They are not afraid to steal food from outdoor dogs feeding areas, are willing to eat road kill, and outside feral cat populations and small dogs left outside are easy pickings too. There isn't a larger predator that is present to keep their numbers in check because we have killed off the bobcats, cougars, wolves, bears close to our dwellings. I never saw a coyote in southeastern Tennessee until a couple of years ago, now they are a problem. They are as bad as starlings, feral cats, rats, and pigeons...those species that thrive in human conditions tend not to be the picky eaters.