Will a Coyote Attack My Dog? 10 Prevention Tips

While coyotes and dogs are relatives, that certainly won’t stop a coyote from attacking them. This is especially true for smaller dogs that can’t easily defend themselves. Still, if a coyote is hungry enough, it’ll even go after larger dogs.

Coyote attacks are a serious problem for dogs, but fortunately, there are a few things you can do to help keep your dog safe from coyotes. We’ve highlighted 10 of the most effective prevention tips for you below.

The 10 Ways to Prevent a Coyote From Attacking Your Dog

1. Keep Your Dog on a Leash

When you’re taking your dog out on a walk, you want to keep them on a non-retractable leash at all times. This will always keep them close to you, which is a huge deterrent for coyotes. Coyotes might feel like they can snatch up a small dog all on its own, but when they’re with someone far larger, they’ll usually stay away.

2. Clean Up After Your Dog

Coyotes are opportunistic hunters who use their sense of smell to find prey. The smell of animal droppings is strong and is sure to attract a curious coyote. If you clean up your dog’s droppings immediately and keep them out of your yard, it’s far less likely to attract a curious coyote in the first place.

3. Stay With Your Dog

A curious and hungry coyote might feel brave enough to go after your dog, especially if they’re small, but few coyotes want to deal with a human. If you stay with your dog all the time, a coyote might be watching but they’re unlikely to make a move.

However, if they spot an opening when you’re not with your dog and they think they can get away with it, they might attack. Staying with your dog is one of the most effective ways to deter coyote attacks and keep your pup safe.

4. Make Your Yard Noisy

Coyotes are skittish creatures, and if you add a few noise makers to your yard, it can help keep coyotes away. Cowbells, whistles, and horns are great ways to scare off coyotes. If you suspect there’s a coyote in or near your yard, making some noise while letting your dog out is another excellent way to help keep them safe.

5. Light Up Your Yard

While you don’t want to keep lights on in your yard all the time, if you get some motion-detection lights, it can do quite a bit to deter coyotes. Have the lights turn on when something comes close to the fence line of your property and it’s likely to scare coyotes away.

Just keep in mind that while lights are a great way to help keep coyotes away, you should never solely rely on lights. If the coyote feels safe enough, it still might come after your dog, even in a well-lit area.

6. Put Up a Fence

While a determined coyote can make their way through most fences with enough time, it’s a significant deterrent for them. Just keep in mind that you need a coyote-proof fence of some sort. A fence with large openings throughout won’t do a thing to keep coyotes away.

We know that putting up a fence is a more labor and cost-intensive task, but it’s probably the single most effective way to keep coyotes out of your yard.

7. Don’t Feed Wild Animals

While we doubt that you’re feeding coyotes, by feeding other wild animals in your area, you’re feeding the coyotes too. So, while you might like seeing all the other wildlife, you don’t want to overly encourage them to come to your yard. Otherwise, you are more likely to attract coyotes.

8. Avoid Twilight Hours

Ideally, you want to avoid both twilight and hours of darkness, but twilight is when coyotes are most active. If you can let your dog out when there’s plenty of natural light outside, it’s far less likely they’ll come across a coyote. The more daylight, the better!

9. Trim Bushes and Trees

Coyotes look for places to hide when they’re hunting and scouting out an area, and overgrown bushes and trees provide plenty of cover for them. If you properly trim trees and bushes, it’s more challenging for a coyote to hide behind them, and they’re less likely to linger in your yard.

It’s a time-consuming task, but it is a very effective way to keep coyotes from hanging out in your yard longer than necessary.

10. Stay in the Know

If your community has a Facebook page or any other way to communicate with each other, you’ll want to join those pages. If you see something, say something. If you and the other neighbors in your area do this, you can stay more aware of when coyotes or other wildlife are lurking near your home.

It’s not a foolproof method, but by working together, you and the other people in your community can make everyone a bit safer.

In Conclusion

While coyote attacks are a serious problem for dogs, with a bit of preparation and know-how, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of one attacking your pup. When you’re following the tips on our list, we recommend enacting as many of them as possible since the more you use, the less likely it is for a coyote to attack your beloved canine.

Featured Image Credit: Piqsels