Coyote German Shepherd Hybrid Mix Dog Breed Guide
The coydog, also known as the coywolf, is a rare breed, and there are a couple of misconceptions about this breed. Some believe it is half a dog and half a wolf, but this may just be a misconception of a made-up story.
However, there’s indeed an animal that portrays this description. People living in states like Vermont in the United States can easily tell the difference between the German shepherd breed or the wild wolves and the coydogs through their calls. In this post, you’ll learn every vital information about the coydog, which is popularly known as the coyote German shepherd mix.
The History and the Genetics Information of the Coyote German shepherd Mix Dog.
From the wildlife experts’ point of view, the coydog is partially a dog, partially a wolf, and partially a coyote. This dog has the genes of all these three species. Generally, it should be called “coywolfdog” – a name coined from the three species.
A typical coydog from the east should have the composition of genes from the three-parent species in the following ratio;
- 10% of the domestic dog
- 30% of either eastern wolf or grey wolf or both and
- 60% of the coyote.
Nonetheless, this composition can vary as the location of the breed can influence the ratio of the gene present in the dog. With this composition, the coydog can be classified into a higher group of other related animals knows as the “clade.”
The above composition can also be used to represent the pictorial chart of the crossbreeding among these species. Also, all dogs, including the German Shepherd, are believed to be genetically related to wild wolves. So, naturally, the domestic dogs descend from the wild wolves.
However, the question remains how dogs and wolves are related to coyotes. According to Scholastic, the wolves and coyotes also share some common traits in their DNA. This implies that, apart from the coydog crossbreeding, the coywolf breeding is another similar but different crossbreeding on its own.
The major factor to consider before crossbreeding is that these species have similar traits genetically and so they can be crossbred to produce the desired result from the offsprings. A perfect example is a coydog that has been mentioned earlier in this post. The wildlife experts examined and confirmed that the coydog has the desired traits from the genes of the three-parent species.
Technically, there’s a difference between the two terms, “coywolf” and “coydog.” They are two different outcomes of crossbreeding.
A Brief History about the Coyote German shepherd Mix
This breed is referred to as the canid hybrid because it has inherited its genes from different canine species. It is advisable to learn about the history of this hybrid breed and the history of the parents’ species – which are the German shepherd Dog and the coyote.
So, let’s quickly go through their histories, one after the other.
The Coyote – Brief Introduction
The coyote, according to National Geographic, has been in existence for about a million years in North America. They are also known as the “prairie wolves” and make the howling sound. The coyote has a similar character to the cartoonist Wile E. Coyote who rose to fame due to the massive support he received from his supporters.
Although many of the early settlers thought that the coyotes are harmful to wild animals, later on, the Americans feel the coyotes offer more good than harm. The coyotes are related to the golden jackal to some extent. Although the golden jackal originates in Africa, the two species recently and separately began gaining more prominence as far as 80,000 years ago.
Since then, the coyotes have shown that they can survive both in urban areas and in the wild, but they are not ideal to be kept as a pet.
The German Shepherd
Unlike the coyotes, the German shepherds are a good pet dog. It is the second on the list of the most popular dogs. The German Shepherd is ranked second in a list of 195 purebred dogs registered at the American Kennel Club (AKC).
The German Shepherd has been in existence for as far back as the 19th century. They have proven to be a good herd and guard dogs. They have also served as military and police dogs and have greatly helped in a search and rescue mission.
The GSD – as popularly known, has featured in some movies, and they have shown great skills in athletics. They are no doubt one of the World’s finest dogs. With all these attributes and traits from both breeds, it has shown that the crossbreeding between these two canines will be a very nice, athletic, strong, resilient, and smart dog.
However, we can’t assume if the crossbreed will be habitable with humans. That is why there is a need to examine the breeds’ other traits like their temperament, adaptivity, and ability to yield to training. But, let’s examine the crossbreeding between domestic and wild dogs.
Breeding Between the Domestic and Wild Canines.
Although there are various hybrid canid species, and crossbreeding between wolves, jackals, coyotes, and other domestic dogs is also common, it is completely not advisable to do so. This is because it is completely illegal to do so except in some regions. Even if you live in an area where it is legal, it is still not advisable that you keep such hybrid canids as a pet.
Our advice is that if you are allowed to live with a hybrid canid in your region, always seek the rules guiding such before doing so. By rules of principles, no dog breeder should venture into such hybrid breeding where a wild species is involved. If by any means a breeder chooses to go into hybrid breeding or sales of hybrid canid puppies, then he should be given a wide space.
The Personality and Temperament of the Coyote German shepherd Mix
In hybrid breeding, until a dog fully becomes an adult, you may not know its temperament. Predicting the temperament of a dog in advance, as with any hybrid canid, can be difficult, whether fully domestic or mixed. In breeding, the first generation of crossbred puppies will inherit different genes that are not predictable in any way from both parents.
The coyote breed always prefers to be lonely except when it’s time for hunting. When they want to hunt fleets of prey, they hunt in pack and relay teams; thus, they overcome their prey. Coyotes are more active at night than in the day, and they urinate around their territory just to mark their territory.
A coyote will make the howling sound to communicate with another lonely coyote, even over a long distance. The German Shepherd, is a faithful and loyal dog even though it might appear as though it is a scary dog. They always want to be around their human families more times than being with other dogs.
They are good guard dogs due to their strong protection and guard instincts. But the coyote is used to the wildlife and has never been tamed by anyone. There is no history of medication, and it may be difficult to adapt to living with humans.
Only a few cases have been reported to have tamed and domesticated the coyote kits. However, there are high chances that these animals go back to their wild ways as they grow older. What then should be expected in the coyote German Shepherd Mix being domesticated?
This only means that it is a 50-50 chance. Although there are cases of this mix, adapting well to living as a pet, there is no guarantee that it will.
The Dimensions of a Coyote German shepherd Mix
Comparing the two breeds, talking about the size, weight, and height, the German Shepherd has more advantages than the coyote. But in energy and hunting skills, the coyote will make up for this. A fully-grown coyote can weigh up to 50 pounds and measures between 21 inches and 24 inches in height from paws to shoulder.
But an adult German shepherd can weigh up to 90 pounds and may be between 22 and 25 inches in height. Thus, the crossbreeding between the two canines will weigh between 30 inches and 70 inches, depending on the weight of the parents.
Training Needs and Energy Levels
These two canines are both energetic and active, but at different periods. The coyotes are nocturnal, i.e., more active in the night than day, unlike the GSD that is more active in the day than night. Also, an adult coyote can run as much as 30 miles in an hour.
Although some hand-reared kits can be trained to some extent, adults cannot be trained at all. The GSD, on the other hand, can be easily trained, and they can adapt to the family lifestyle with constant training. So, what you should expect from the crossbreeding of these two canines is a very high level of energy.
If the puppy/kit are used to training, it will also be easy to train them when it’s grown.
Health Issues and Longevity
The coyote in the wild may only have a lifespan of about three years. It may also live up to 14 years; it only depends on how exposed they are to diseases. The popular health issues common with the coyotes include Mange, Heartworm, Rabies, and so on, some of which are transmissible to humans.
The German Shepherd, on the other hand, can live up to 10 years, subject to the health challenges exposed to. The coyote German shepherd mix is then expected to have an average lifespan of 10 years.
