my dog killed a coyote

[Bruce Schwartz]

There are lots of coyotes on the farm where I live and yesterday I was on a walk with two pudelpointers ( female age six and a neutered male aged two and a half). In the walk I watched a coyote trotting on a nearby hillside and she apparently didn't see my male up ahead. The male PP saw the coyote and gave chase and within sixty yards or so caught up with it and in what seemed like a second or two killed the coyote and started to retrieve it. The female coyote weighted about 30 lb and my dog 55. It surprised me that it was over in a flash and then things went back to romping and enjoying the walk.

The PP lives with two cats in the house and we have two other dogs, goats and donkeys, etc. and there's never any arguments or fights. This morning another coyote came around the outside house fence and two dogs went crazy barking, etc. but the PP that killed the coyote just laid around and chewed on a bone.

Is this the sort of behavior that's imbedded in PP's from Europe?

[Dmog]

Wow, I don't think I have ever seen a single dog kill a coyote that quick and without taking some damage! Let alone run it down that fast...Wish I could have seen it...wondering if the coyote was healthy? Don't know the answer to the imbedded behavior other than every hunting/working dog I have ever been with that has encountered a coyote has wanted to tangle with it and this would include Irish Setter, Blue Heelers, Australian Shepard, Vizslas, GSP, Brittany, Griffs, and PP. I also know when they spot a coyote by the alarm they sound...there is a distinct difference in how they react.

[Sooty42]

That’s crazy. My Griff thinks he wants to tangle with a yote or a raccoon. At 65 lbs he would outweigh them by a lot, but I’m not sure he knows what he’s getting himself into.

[orhunter]

Pretty sure European dogs are expected to do this.... or at least try.

My first Griff certainly had the enthusiasm for it. One I'd shot with the .22 while up for a hike in the woods. It was hit a little far back so ran off a little way. She tracked it down and found it on top of a stump, still alive but unable to go farther. She grabbed it and gave it a good shake but I think it bit her on the belly just as it died and she spit it out. Another time she and the second Griff ran one down in the brush and all I could do was hear a little bit of a ruckus. Both dogs came out of the brush and then two Coyotes. I was scared to death when they went in the brush because I couldn't call them off. The older dog Cassie loved killing cats but the wild dogs fought back. Ellie the younger dog loved the chase but not a bit of fight in her. She'd been in on a couple of cat kills but don't think she had the drive for it.

You've got a great dog Bruce.

[Bruce Schwartz]

You've got a great dog Bruce.

ups and downs actually... but pretty laid back when not killing coyotes. A ways back he was asleep on the floor and I was vacuuming the floor and since he wouldn't move I just ran the suction wand up his back and over his head. He tolerated the whole event until his ear went in - then he jumped pretty high. He was only four days out from getting neutered when he tangled with the coyote.

[Oregon Woodsmoke]

Dogs don't like that wild smell that coyotes have.

Coyotes can kill a bigger dog than a PP, so be cautious about it. A solitary coyote isn't too dangerous to a large dog, but they are very rarely alone.

I've hunted them with sight hounds but would not allow the hounds to chase them into heavy cover.

[Densa44]

I had one from Germany and she killed a new born fawn and retrieved it. No a good day. I'm told that they are bred to kill cats. I don't have a dog like that now.

[Expert]

My new breed of dogs are lovers not fighters.

Where I live we have too many deer running into cars, yappy dogs, and wild cats. The more coyotes the better!

[JONOV]

Wow, I don't think I have ever seen a single dog kill a coyote that quick and without taking some damage! Let alone run it down that fast...Wish I could have seen it...wondering if the coyote was healthy? Don't know the answer to the imbedded behavior other than every hunting/working dog I have ever been with that has encountered a coyote has wanted to tangle with it and this would include Irish Setter, Blue Heelers, Australian Shepard, Vizslas, GSP, Brittany, Griffs, and PP. I also know when they spot a coyote by the alarm they sound...there is a distinct difference in how they react.

i have, but the dog was a Great Pyrenees, so it was bigger than your typical bird dog. The dog didn't take any damage because that massive fluffy fur layer prevents works as armor of a sort. Dog handled it quickly. But it was 3X the weight of the coyote.

But mostly, the only sporting breeds I've known to do it had help from their owners that shot the yote first.

[AzHusker]

I had one from Germany and she killed a new born fawn and retrieved it. No a good day. I'm told that they are bred to kill cats. I don't have a dog like that now.

Yep, in many areas in Germany, and here, feral cats are the #1 killer of eggs and hatchlings of game birds.

It's dog eat dog out there....err dog eat cat, anyway.

[AzHusker]

There are lots of coyotes on the farm where I live and yesterday I was on a walk with two pudelpointers ( female age six and a neutered male aged two and a half). In the walk I watched a coyote trotting on a nearby hillside and she apparently didn't see my male up ahead. The male PP saw the coyote and gave chase and within sixty yards or so caught up with it and in what seemed like a second or two killed the coyote and started to retrieve it. The female coyote weighted about 30 lb and my dog 55. It surprised me that it was over in a flash and then things went back to romping and enjoying the walk.

The PP lives with two cats in the house and we have two other dogs, goats and donkeys, etc. and there's never any arguments or fights. This morning another coyote came around the outside house fence and two dogs went crazy barking, etc. but the PP that killed the coyote just laid around and chewed on a bone.

Is this the sort of behavior that's imbedded in PP's from Europe?

That's a damned good dog, Bruce. Mind if I ask the breeding? I've heard descriptions of a PP killing a cat. Hard grip of the neck and a shake and the lights are out. Takes about a second.

[Bruce Schwartz]

thanks for your interest in the breeding but I'm uncertain if it's something that one should encourage. Seems strange that this dog accepts all dogs and cats in his life but apparently sees the coyotes that roam constantly around the farm as aliens. I'm afraid he could misjudge a stray dog or get himself hurt. If you want to talk about it more please PM me. B