Because human populated places offer a constant food supply and shelter, coyotes are drawn to them, resulting in increased contact with humans and dogs and a rise in the potential for conflict. Coyotes generally live peacefully alongside us, but the dynamic between us is complex, particularly due to our shared lives with their domestic canine relatives.
Because human populated places offer a constant food supply and shelter, coyotes are drawn to them, resulting in increased contact with humans and dogs and a rise in the potential for conflict. Coyotes generally live peacefully alongside us, but the dynamic between us is complex, particularly due to our shared lives with their domestic canine relatives.
valuable ecological balance. Coyotes help mitigate the spread of diseases and protect vegetation by preying on rodents, rabbits, and gophers. Through resource competition, coyotes limit the abundance of other urban carnivores such as raccoons, skunks, and feral cats, which helps to increase wild bird populations. A reduction in coyote numbers can set off a chain reaction, allowing smaller carnivores to thrive and alter prey populations.
Coyotes exhibit exceptional behavioral flexibility, enabling them to adjust their behaviors to changing environments. This adaptive trait is essential for coyotes to successfully navigate encounters with human-made environmental conditions such as roads, buildings, novel foods, and domestic pets. Over time, we’ ve witnessed coyotes effectively adjust to the changes we’ ve imposed on the environment as well as the ways we manage wildlife in urban areas. Because human populated places offer a constant food supply and shelter, coyotes are drawn to them, resulting in increased contact with humans and dogs and a rise in the potential for conflict. Coyotes generally live peacefully alongside us, but the dynamic between us is complex, particularly due to our shared lives with their domestic canine relatives. be misinterpreted as aggression. Often, dog behavior plays a role in whether or not a coyote engages in a confrontation. There are a variety of additional factors that influence the type and outcome of interactions between dogs and coyotes.
FACTORS INFLUENCING DOG-COYOTE INTERACTIONS
• Who’ s bigger: Coyotes usually weigh between 18 and 30 pounds. They are less likely to make physical contact with a dog bigger than they are; however, small dogs may appear as prey.
• Reproductive status: Spayed or neutered, in estrus( yes, dogs and coyotes can reproduce).
• Time of year: Breeding season( Winter) and rearing season( Spring and Summer).
• Time of day: Urban coyotes are visible most often from dusk to dawn, but it is normal for them to be active and visible during the day too.
• Age: Young coyotes may be more naive and curious.
• Health: Sick or injured coyotes may be more defensive.
LIVING WITH COYOTES We’ ve created an ecological opportunity for coyotes, much like the one we created for wolves long ago, where living alongside humans offers advantages. While coyote domestication is unlikely, some scientists suggest natural selection still favors boldness in wild
FAMILY TIES Domestic dogs( Canis lupus familiaris) and coyotes( Canis latrans) are members of the Canidae family with a close evolutionary connection. They share a common ancestor and certain characteristics but are two distinct species. As social and territorial animals, canids tend to be more aggressive towards outsiders, which may explain some of the conflicts that take place between dogs and coyotes. Much like dogs, coyotes may engage in defensive behaviors if they’ re cornered or injured. Despite what the media might suggest, coyote-dog interactions are not solely defined by attacks on domestic dogs. Dogs have been observed killing coyotes as well. While coyotedog interactions may include predator-prey behaviors, they also engage in social behaviors, including mating and play, which can
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2025 11