# Could our dog be part coyote or is he just a Husky mix?



## ohmicide (Jul 10, 2013)

We just adopted a dog from a rescue that rescued him from a shelter a day before he was going to be euthanized. He was a stray so there's no way of knowing exactly what he is. We were told that he was a Husky/Border Collie mix but some of his traits have raised a few questions.

When I was trying to figure out why he runs and jumps around like a fox and the first thing that popped up was coyote dog traits.

I've been doing some reason and the things that might point towards him being a coyote mix are

1. fox like tail, never curls up, usually down but straight out or straight and slightly bent down if he gets excited or alert
2. fox like running and jumping, arched body
3. he's very fast and has very quick and almost cat-like reflexes, on his first play date he outran a pitbull and could jump out of the way if he ever got close
4. coyote-like eyes, although could just be the part Border Collie as well

at first glance people seem to think he's part Husky, but I've also been told many times he looks like a wolf which coydogs tend to look like except much smaller

he also makes weird howl whiney noises when he want to play with another dog, we're still working on that but he's been called a Husky a few times because of the noises he makes

age wise, the shelter said he's somewhere between 1 and 2 years old but we think he might be closer to 1

height wise, he's around 22-23 inches tall from the floor to the highest part of his arch

coat wise, we don't know how long his coat really is yet, he was shaved at the shelter supposedly to make sure he didn't have any skin conditions because he was in horrible shape when they found him

here are some pictures!


















































































I know DNA tests might be the best way to figuring out if he is part coyote or maybe even wolf, but I rather stay away from that if possible

I'd be happy knowing he's some sort of Husky/Mallamute and Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix

any help might be greatly appreciated!


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

To me he looks like a husky/border collie mix


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

No coyote. I do see husky X Bc though


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

I see no coyote. He is gorgeous however! I would say BC X Husky.


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## JazzyTheSiberian (Feb 4, 2013)

Husky/ BC mix to me.

Don't see any Coyote. Is it possible? Yes, but I sure won't count on it. It's very unlikely you have coydog.

Huskies tend to howl,so I wouldn't use that to assume you have coydog.Theres other behaviors the dogs show that are normal to the domestic dog(or a specific breed).

Stunning dog though, I love his eye color.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Agreed with everyone else. 

He's fast, agile, and all but well. He would be as a husky/bc mix.


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## ohmicide (Jul 10, 2013)

thanks guys! he says thanks for all the compliments!

good to have educated opinions, not a lot about coydogs on the internets and the little I was reading left me wondering

there was also quite a few pictures of coydogs I found that looked a lot like him, but I wont post those because of their graphic nature, plus I found them quite upsetting

he does act a bit weird though, he's very indifferent with people when he's outside but barks at my roommate when he gets home

he can be very affectionate sometimes but when he needs his space he goes and lays on his own, he does choose areas where the AC circulates well so I'm guessing that's just because he's trying to stay cool and once he cools off he comes back and lays with us

he's also a bit weird with other dogs, he seems like he wants to play with them but them growls and can become a bit agressive when playing, we're trying to socialize him as much as we can and keep him calm during walks before we take him to the dog park

we've thought about some basic training classes but the only real problem we've had so far is staying calm when other dogs are around, and we've only had him for a month

I'm guessing all these things are more related to the fact that he was a stray and then relocated 3 times in a relatively short amount of time, first he was at a shelter for a week before being rescued and staying with 8 other dogs for a couple of weeks before coming home with us to no other companion dogs

could be separation anxiety perhaps, hopefully we can get him to socialize properly so this isn't a problem anymore

at least now I know almost for sure that it's not because he's got coyote in him, but there's always the possibility I guess, we'll never know what his past was like or how long he was a stray but for now he's in a loving home being a very obedient and smart dog!


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

My foster (kind of) barks at people in the house too -- she's just very timid so she barks at everything lol she barks at my boyfriend when he comes out from another room, etc. she also barks when she is excited, she also barks at the doorbell and at other dogs barking outside... so yeah you get the point lol  Maybe it's just the vocal husky in her 

And my dog growls when he plays too, but it's a play growl -- there is nothing in his demeanor that indicates that he's being aggressive. He might just play roughly. Just be careful with dog parks because it can really be a mixed bag of dogs and owners.

Congrats on your new addition, and he's super cute


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## ohmicide (Jul 10, 2013)

good to know that's normal! this my/our first time adopting a dog from a shelter/rescue as opposed to from family of friends but so far its been a great experience!

and thank you for the compliments!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I see absolutely 0% coyote.

Pretty dog though. I would definitely agree with husky mix.

Also, all of the weird and quirky behaviors you've described are typical with newly adopted dogs or those who weren't socialized well. None of them make me think coydog at all.


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

I don't see any coyote either, but he is a very pretty husky mix!

The behaviour traits you mention are really typical for a rescue, especially the reactivity with other dogs. Its a problem I deal with with my rescue when he goes for a while without walks. It sounds like he's friendly with other dogs (as is mine) its just that seeing a dog is way too exciting and he wants to play but is constrained by the leash so the frustration comes out as barking and fixation. Keep taking him for regular walks and keep him below threshold (keep him far enough away he doesn't start barking). You'll slowly be able to decrease that distance as he practices acting calmly.


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## ohmicide (Jul 10, 2013)

We walk him for half an hour to an hour every day or else he's way too excited in the house, it's great cos I'm getting way more exercise than before! But we do tend to take him out at night because we are in the middle of summer in Florida so not a lot of dog interaction happens. He has gotten a lot better though, he used to choke himself out to the point where I had to sit him down or else he'd start coughing. I thought about getting him one of those harnesses with the leash at the front but he's really not that bad anymore. He still gets a bit too excited though. 

I have ready about the pros and cons of dog park and there's no way I'd be letting off the leash until I know for sure that we won't be getting into trouble. I definitely want to get him used to meeting new dogs without problems. We want to be able to take him out to the dog park for him to run around because of the apartment situation.


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Almost all the "coyote" behaviors you listed are common in huskies. Looks like a very nice husky/border collie mix to me!


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

Most of everything you described about this dog seems like the perfect mix of a husky and a border collie.

I am going to say that half an hour or an hour is not going to be enough for this dog. Huskies and Borders on their own are very intelligent, active, energetic dogs and tend to get crazy destructive when they're under stimulated. Keeping the heat in mind, I would give him no less than an hour of focused exercise every day then finish off with some games/training to work his brain.


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## ohmicide (Jul 10, 2013)

we do train with him every day, play games in the house until he gets tired or bored

overall he's a very laid back guy, only times he's been overly excited in the house is whenever he's had to stay in his crate alone for a few ours or on days that we couldn't walk him because of non-stop storming

we do play with him during those days to tire him out, but there's only so much we can do in our apartment, I do basic training whenever I get the change and he's been getting those down very well even when hanging out outside with tons of people walking around

took less than a week for him to learn that he needed to sit before we put his leash on and wait until I walk outside for him to get up and go out, he also learned to sit as soon as we get home before going in the house and again when we're inside so we can take his leash off

I've even started teaching him to heel and he started getting it down the first day we started, only took a single piece of salami too, now whenever we're walking outside and he starts walks past me I just stop and tell him to heel and he comes right back to my side

I'm definitely trying to work his brain as much as possible, he's already chewed out a couple of shoes so we definitely don't want that happening again

we still want him to be able to run around at least a few times a week though, which is why I really want to get him to be calm when meeting new dogs so we can take him to the dog park

at least now I don't have to worry about his socializing problem doesn't have to do with him possibly being part coyote in spite of the similar traits, he definitely didn't seem much like a coydog to me from pictures which is why I had to ask

would it be a good idea to still take him to a basic training class? he's doing very wel so far but at least he'd be in a controlled environment with other dogs, I am worried they would ask us to leave the class for private lessons though


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Training classes are almost always a good idea, if you make sure the instructor is a positive reinforcement trainer and knows their stuff. I'd start asking around as to which trainers and facilities are the good ones.


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