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Keeping Small Dogs Safe from Coyotes

By Checked by CoyoteBytes Editorial TeamReview date First published Filed under Pets & Children

AZGFD says pets most likely to be endangered by coyotes are typically off-leash or smaller than 25 pounds, and that coyotes have taken cats and small dogs near their owners and occasionally right off the leash. Its advice: supervise small pets at all times outside, keep them leashed or in a secure enclosure, and remove food that draws coyotes. This page sets out the sourced steps.

Part of our guide: Protect Pets and Children from Coyotes in Arizona

If you have a small dog in Arizona, the most useful thing you can do is stay with it outdoors. This guide is part of our pet and child safety hub and sets out what agencies and extension sources say, and what they do not.

This is general information, not veterinary, medical or legal advice. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

Reviewed by the editorial desk against the cited sources. The desk holds no wildlife-biology, veterinary or medical credential; see our editorial policy. If your dog has been attacked, stop reading and call your vet now.

How big is the risk to a small dog?

AZGFD’s wording is direct. Coyotes eat whatever is available, and the department’s list includes seeds, dates and other fruit, dead animals, rodents, rabbits, garbage, pet food, house cats and small dogs. It says pets most likely to be endangered by coyotes are typically off-leash or smaller than 25 pounds, and that coyotes have taken cats and small dogs in the vicinity of their owners and occasionally right off the leash. It adds that coyotes have been reported to attack larger dogs when they are in groups, or after one or two have lured a dog away from its owner.

University of California IPM makes the same point from another angle: some coyotes learn to kill livestock and pets and will do so repeatedly unless corrective action is taken. University of Florida IFAS says coyotes are known to prey on cats and small dogs left unattended outdoors, especially during spring when raising pups. See coyote breeding and pup season in Arizona.

None of the sources we opened gives a count of small dogs lost to coyotes in Arizona or in Pima County, and we will not estimate one. What they establish is that it happens and that the risk rises when a small dog is unsupervised or off leash.

What the agencies recommend

Stay with your dog

AZGFD says to supervise small pets at all times when outside. University of California IPM goes further: keep small pets such as cats, rabbits and small dogs indoors or, if outdoors, within enclosed kennels, and never allow cats or dogs to run free at any time. UC IPM is a California note from 2007, and AZGFD does not set the same rule, but both lean the same way. For a small dog, that means short, supervised trips outside.

Use a leash, or an enclosed area

AZGFD advises keeping pets indoors or on a leash, and, when outside, in a secure enclosure with a roof or supervised at all times. It says to allow pets off-leash only in enclosed areas, and if a dog is off-leash to make sure it has immediate recall response to prevent conflicts with coyotes and other wildlife. University of Florida IFAS says small dogs should be kept on short leads in areas where coyotes are known to occur.

AZGFD also says bold coyotes have attacked small dogs on retractable leashes, so a retractable line is a weak safeguard. It says coyotes have taken small dogs “occasionally right off the leash.” A leash helps by keeping your dog close so you can pick it up, but it is not a barrier. A harness or a short lead keeps your dog nearer than a long retractable line. We could not find an agency source that rates specific leash types, so that is our practical reading of “keep it as close to you as possible,” AZGFD’s own wording for walks. See walking your dog where coyotes live.

Make the yard less attractive

AZGFD says that if there is a regular coyote food source in one yard on your block, coyotes will be active throughout the neighborhood. The department’s list of steps for a yard includes:

  • Do not feed wildlife.
  • Store garbage inside or in wildlife-proof containers, and put trash containers out at the last possible time on collection day.
  • Feed pets inside or remove uneaten pet food between feedings.
  • Trim back plants and bushes around the house to prevent hiding or resting places.
  • Install outdoor lighting.
  • The 2015 AZGFD brochure suggested a fence or wall at least 6 feet tall with the bottom buried a few inches underground and a top that prevents gripping. AZGFD’s current page cautions that a 6-foot fence is not reliable protection, so treat any fence as one layer and keep supervising.

AZGFD’s brochure also calls a unified neighborhood effort crucial; its current page says to work with neighbors to keeping coyotes away from your home and yard. A fence helps, but it is not a replacement for supervision.

University of California IPM gives fence specifications for California: a minimum of 5 1/2 feet, a buried wire-mesh apron, and an overhang. We do not repeat the full specification here because AZGFD’s current page says a 6-foot fence is unreliable and neither source tests a small-dog yard specifically. See our yard checklist for the yard-focused version.

We do not recommend, and the agencies do not suggest, leaving a small dog in a yard alone because it is fenced. We also do not recommend anything involving traps, poison or weapons.

Pet food and water

AZGFD names pet food among the foods coyotes eat and says to feed pets inside or remove uneaten food between feedings. Treat outdoor water bowls and fallen fruit as part of the same picture: AZGFD lists fruit among foods and identifies water sources as a concern for small children. We found no AZGFD statement about water bowls and dogs, so we do not make one.

If you see a coyote with your small dog

AZGFD says:

  • Let the coyote know you are there. Either gather your dog in your arms or keep it as close to you as possible, while using some of the deterrents the department describes.
  • Move toward an area of human activity.
  • Never approach a coyote. Do not run, because that can stimulate a coyote’s chase instinct.
  • Yell or make loud noises with whistles, music, or pots and pans, act as large and threatening as possible with aggressive arm and leg gestures.

We describe only noise, looking large, not running and moving toward people. AZGFD lists further deterrents; this guide focuses on noise and distance. We do not suggest throwing anything at a coyote. And our editorial rule: if the coyote seems sick, cornered, near a den or protecting pups, do not haze; keep your distance, pick up your dog, leave the area, and call.

If your dog is attacked or comes into contact

  1. Get your dog to a vet immediately. Veterinary attention comes first.
  2. Call local animal control and AZGFD to report the incident. Our reporting page lists how.
  3. If you were bitten or scratched while separating the animals, wash the wound right away with soap and water and seek medical care urgently, as the CDC advises for possible rabies exposure.
  4. Tell your vet the dog had contact with a wild animal. Ask the vet about rabies vaccination status, which the CDC advises keeping up to date.

AZGFD says Arizona Department of Health Services records show an extremely low occurrence of rabid coyotes in the state, while noting that coyotes can be rabid. Do not use that as a reason to skip the call.

Frequently missed points

  • Size is not the only factor. AZGFD names off-leash dogs and dogs under 25 pounds, but also reports attacks on larger dogs by groups or after a dog is lured away.
  • Indifference counts. AZGFD says an indifferent attitude toward a coyote in your yard has the same effect as feeding it. If a coyote is in your yard, make it aware it is not welcome.
  • It is a neighborhood issue. One neighbor’s pet food or trash supports coyotes across the block, according to AZGFD.

Emergency numbers and what AZGFD will and will not do

AZGFD (current Living with Coyotes page and April 2023 news release, both accessed 2026-11-14) says that if a coyote attacks a person, you should report it to the department or call 911, and that anyone who is bitten should seek medical care immediately. Its 24-hour Communications Center for wildlife acting aggressively toward people is 623-236-7201 (confirm before relying on it). If a coyote is approaching or has bitten someone, call 911. For a pet that has been attacked, call your vet first.

AZGFD does not respond to calls to relocate or remove coyotes unless there is a public-safety concern; for removal on private property it points residents to a licensed wildlife-removal business. The news release says predators that attacked people or show predatory or aggressive behavior toward people are removed lethally only as a last resort and cannot be relocated for public-safety reasons, and that removal does not help if attractants remain. Pima Animal Care Center dispatch is 520-724-5900 ext. 4 (pima.gov; confirm before relying on it).

Feeding wildlife (except birds and tree squirrels) is unlawful in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties under A.R.S. 13-2927, according to the AZGFD news release; some cities and counties have their own ordinances. Checked on 2026-11-14; confirm with AZGFD and your local animal control.

What we could not source

  • Arizona counts of small-dog losses to coyotes.
  • Any evaluation of commercial pet vests, deterrent devices, repellents or leash types.
  • Whether a particular time of day is riskiest in Arizona. UC IPM’s after-dusk and before-daylight activity statement is the closest, and it is a California note.
  • A “safe” fence design for a small-dog yard in Arizona; AZGFD says a 6-foot fence is not reliable.

Frequently asked questions

Are small dogs really at risk from coyotes?

AZGFD says pets most likely to be endangered by coyotes are typically off-leash or smaller than 25 pounds, and lists house cats and small dogs among what coyotes eat. It says coyotes have taken cats and small dogs in the vicinity of their owners and occasionally right off the leash. The department also says coyotes have been reported to attack larger dogs when in groups, so size is not complete protection.

Is a fenced yard enough to protect my small dog?

Not on its own. AZGFD's current Living with Coyotes page says to keep small pets indoors or in a roofed enclosure, supervise them at night and dawn, and always leash dogs. It says a 6-foot fence is not reliable protection because coyotes are skilled jumpers (its 2015 brochure suggested a 6-foot fence with the bottom buried). A fence is one layer, so stay with your dog and remove attractants.

Should I leave my small dog outside alone, even for a minute?

AZGFD says to supervise small pets at all times when outside, and University of California IPM says never to allow cats or dogs to run free at any time. AZGFD also says coyotes have taken pets near their owners, so supervising means staying with your dog, ideally on a leash, not only keeping them in view from a window or the patio.

What should I do if a coyote approaches while I am with my small dog?

AZGFD says to pick up small pets, let the coyote know you are there, keep it from stimulating a chase by not running, make noise, act large and move toward an area with people or a building. Keep your distance and do not approach the coyote. If the animal seems sick, cornered or does not retreat, leave the area and call AZGFD or animal control.

What if my dog is bitten or has contact with a coyote?

Call your vet immediately; for a pet attack, veterinary attention comes first. Any contact between a pet and a wild animal means calling your vet and local animal control, and the CDC advises washing human bites or scratches immediately with soap and water and urgently seeking medical attention. Do not try to treat a wound or locate the coyote yourself. Report the incident to AZGFD or animal control.

Should I keep my small dog inside at night?

University of California IPM says to keep small pets indoors or in enclosed kennels and to bring large dogs inside after dark. It reports that coyotes are most active after dusk and before daylight, though it describes California. AZGFD gives no curfew, but advises supervising small pets at night and dawn.

Do coyote deterrent products or coyote vests work?

We did not find AZGFD, CDC or extension sources that evaluate commercial deterrent products or protective vests for pets, and this site does not use commercial vendor pages as sources. We therefore make no claim about them. What the agencies do recommend is supervision, leashes or enclosures, removing food, and a neighborhood-wide effort.

Sources

  1. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Living with Coyotes (azgfd.com, accessed 2026-11-14) (azgfd.com)
  2. Arizona Game and Fish Department, TIPS to avoid conflicts with coyotes (news release, April 7, 2023; accessed 2026-11-14) (azgfd.com)
  3. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Living with Coyotes brochure (2015; older document, cited only where noted) (s3.amazonaws.com)
  4. University of California IPM, Coyote (Pest Notes, 2007) (ipm.ucanr.edu)
  5. University of Florida IFAS Extension, Commonly Asked Questions About Coyotes in Florida (ask.ifas.ufl.edu)
  6. CDC, About Rabies (cdc.gov)

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