# Young Coyote teaches Vizsla lesson



## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

"One hour into our walk this morning, Bailey and Chloe came across a hill loaded with ground squirrel dens. The squirrels were running around as the dogs chased them back into their holes.


I have come to notice that up in our wild spaces, where these "squirrel towns" exist, coyotes end up being close by.

This area was perfect for a coyote den: water, cover, and a steady food supply.


This lone young coyote was interested in what Bailey and Chloe were doing around his "dinner table" and came out to see what was going on.

Bailey ignored the coyote and went on forward. He had tangled with them before and does not find it all that interesting.

Chloe was interested and so I was glad that this young coyote taught Chloe an important life lesson.

As I watched, Chloe went running up to the coyote. The coyote hunkered down. When Chloe came within 5 feet, the coyote charged and snapped at her. This all happened within 20 yards of me.

She came running back to me with her tail firmly between her legs. The reaction was what I wanted. I hadn't set it up, but it worked perfectly. No injury. She learned that coyotes do not want to play with her.

One on one, a coyote and a healthy Vizsla are fairly equal.

But coyotes hunt in packs. That is where coyotes become dangerous."

Pictures about this story on redbirddog.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com

Happy trails and keep looking for new learning opportunities.

Rod


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

A good lesson for Chloe, to be sure...

My previous dog, a V mix, had an instinctive fear of coyotes. I discovered this during an on-leash walk at a county park near my home. There are miles and miles of trails through the woods (used for cross-country skiing in the winter) and we were about ten minutes into our walk. An ambulance went by, at a distance, siren screaming... and that set off the park's coyote pack. They all howled and howled in unison. They weren't far from us. My dog turned and pulled mightily to get back to the car, clearly frightened. 

I asked an old friend, a neighbor in his 90s at the time, how my dog knew the howling came from coyotes, and not from other dogs. He was a wise old fellow. He just said, "You knew, didn't you?" And he was right. A singleton dog is no match for a pack of coyotes, and my dog just seemed to know this.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

We have yotes in our area. I have always heard they are afraid of people; however, a very young girl was recently attacked in her backyard while jumping on a trampoline. The ever present bump between wildlife, development, livestock etc. They are quite adaptable. I have seen a pack of 3 crossing the road on a morning run about 2 months ago. I think Pumpkin would be afraid but would certainly defend herself if necessary--I hope :-\ No chance in a pack though. I worry about this sometimes when walking at night. Should I?


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> I worry about this sometimes when walking at night. Should I?


Kellygh,

Coyotes mostly hunt in packs at or just before sunrise and around sunset. This is when they are in hunting mode. Other times they will come out to defend their dens if a Vizsla gets too close. They will chase. 

As long as food is abundant a Vizsla is too much work to mess with usually.

Around the SF bay area, coyotes know they are protected and have little fear of humans. I will grab a stick if I am in thick cover late in the afternoon.

A can of pepper spray would be a good investment.

Rod


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Have they run into a ground hog yet?


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> Have they run into a ground hog yet?


No, but I image Bailey would find it tasty. Don't know if they live in this part of California.

Rod


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

I've got a nice scar in between my thumb & pointer finger from a groundhog's hefty chompers ;D


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