There are myths and mysteries associated with interbreeds between canine species. One such crossbreeding is a Coydog, a mix of Coyote and a domestic dog. Choosing from numerous dog breeds itself is crucial in terms of temperament, care, happiness, and comfort of your dog. But in the case of interbreeds, you need to be more careful as one parent of your pet won’t be a domesticated animal. I’ll try to cover as much as possible about Coydogs in this article so that you can decide if you should keep them as pets or not.
A Little Bit About Coydogs
Like other wolf-like breeds of canines, interbreeding is possible in coyotes and dogs as well. After knowing some facts about Coydogs, we will see if you can get a Coydog as a pet or not.
Their Presence in Nature
Coydogs are rare to be found in the wild. The reason behind their rarity is the difference between the breeding preferences and mating season of both the species. Also, coyotes don’t socialize with domestic dogs so there is a slim chance of them mating in the wild.
If there are male Coyotes in a community with no females, they may mate with domestic dogs and give birth to Coydogs. Coydogs are also partially fertile unlike other interbreeds such as mules and ligers. That can make the Coydog population prominent. However, due to other factors, there are not many Coydogs in nature.
CoyDog Temperament
This breed hasn’t been developed with focused efforts for decades and decades, hence they’re unpredictable. Half of a Coydog is a domestic dog that has so many breeds to choose from. The best way to predict their behavior is to know what dog ancestors it has.
Coyotes are wild and can easily get angry and afraid. Let me explain it. When your dog gets back home after a walk or a play session in the park, he will be excited and tired. But a coyote is not the same. He may get angry or freaked out rather than becoming excited. You can expect the same behavior in a Coydog.
Coydog puppies are not as playful as dog puppies. They are not as sociable as dogs also and should be socialized at an early stage of life with the people they are going to spend most of their time as an adult.
How Do They Look?
Their physical appearance of a Coydog again depends on the dog that it has been developed from. But in general, they have a stout and athletic build. They are medium to large in size, have upright triangular ears, a long muzzle, and a bushy downward pointing tail.
Coydogs communication is a mix of a dog’s high-pitched bark and a Coyote’s howl. A Coydog also inherits the ability to ‘gape’ instead of snarling like a dog from its coyote ancestor. It can also hiss like a cat which most dogs can’t.
Coydogs are good hunters and have high energy requirements. They tend to make a special bond with only one person.
Their Exercise Requirement
Coydogs are highly energetic. They need heavy exercise at least once a day. Their habit of roaming around and explore can also make them escape the house for even a couple of days. All in all, if you don’t get your Coydog enough exercise, he will start showing behavioral issues. Here’s a complete care guide on coydog.
Also, they need a safe outdoor space so that they can exhibit their species-specific behavior. They aren’t a good choice as a pet in an apartment due to the lack of spacious surroundings.
Exhausting exercises like jogging, running, and brisk walking are some common activities you can do to meet a Coydog’s daily requirement of energy spending. But along with physical exercises, your Coydog also needs mental stimulation. Some good exercises to achieve both the goals are obedience obstacle run, obedience contests, agility setup run, flyball, etc.
Training
You’ll have to start training a Coydog puppy as early in life as possible and target obedience training first. If you haven’t trained a dog before, you should appoint a professional trainer or enroll your Coydog puppy in obedient classes.
The key to successfully train your Coydog is to stay consistent and strict. However, this doesn’t mean you should be harsh on it as there are chances that your pet might react with anger. Also, trainability will depend upon the dog breed ancestry present in your Coydog.
Should You Keep Coydogs as Pets?
From the things we have discussed in this article, it’s quite clear that you can keep them as pets. They are legal to keep, however, check with the law in your states to stay on the safe side. If you’re to be a pet parent for the first time, I won’t recommend you to get a Coydog, because you need to thoroughly understand how a dog thinks and behave first.
A Coyote part in a Coydog will make training and all the other aspects a little bit difficult to understand and manage especially for new pet parents. Also, Coydogs are not suitable for families as they can potentially harm family members with which your Coydog hasn’t bonded with.
On the other hand, you had have raised many dogs, you understand canines quite well, and are ready to train and raise a Coydog considering all the challenging situations responsibly, you can get a Coydog for sure.