[dean]

Today was a great day, we let the dogs out for a stretch.     Percy is one of my favorites, she is so fast and stays close until I give her the go-ahead... then all I can say is its amazing to watch her.  I know she hits speeds of 40+ mph, she's the fastest b**** we've got.  SlimJim is hard to clock, he likes to run next to any dog I put him with so it only leads me to believe that he can put out a little more.  I've never ran him with Percy but its coming.  I even got my wee dog out for an hour or two today, as usual he's full of hunt.

I'd like to put a long kennel off the back of my brewshed, I've got about 450 feet straight out the back that I could fence for them but I'm not sure if I want to dedicate that much room for them or if I can afford the fence they'll need for it.  I love to watch them run but I also need to reserve some space for a few head of cattle I want to get this summer if things work out.  As it is, we take them out of their current kennels which are quite large by most standards and let them have a stretch... sometimes they visit our neighbors and nobody has complained but still we like it if we know where they are at all times so we're going to look into some appropriate fencing for them.  Hell, I wish I could fence the property entirely but I'd have to win the lottery to do that.     No matter, they get plenty of time to play here and there, my buddy has nearly 700 acres they can run on even if I couldn't run them at home.     I've been a dog person most of my life and I love to watch a dog do what it was bred to do, whether its a labrador or a terrier, they all have their unique abilities that they accel at.   

[brewboy]

Have you considered an invisible fence? They work for little dogs, but not sure about big ones. I don't have one myself.

I live on a hill in the middle of the woods. There are about 2 acres cleared around the house and so far, all dogs that come here ( living or visiting), seem to view the tree line as a fence. They will occasionally wonder into the woods a little, but always come back. They'll perk up when they hear the coyotes howl some nights, but that's about it. No wondering into the woods then. I think they know better.

[dean]

Ha!  Funny you mention coyotes... I don't worry about them getting to my dogs so much as the neighbors do their dogs but then mine aren't really pets like most people's dogs.  My wee terrier is only 14 or 15 pounds (fat right now) and he's the only one on a chain not in a kennel run so he's kind of "open" to coyotes... I pitty the first coyote that is brave enough to face him though.      He may be little but he be mighty and he's faced plenty of foes below ground in tighter quarters.     I've retired him, not that he isn't up to hunting quarry below ground but because I'm not up to digging him out anymore... my back, shoulders and elbows just can't seem to take it anymore.     I've yet to get a pup off him and he's just turning 5 years this summer but I'm looking for a suitable b**** for him to cover this year so maybe I can at least get one pup off him.  He's not used to retirement... always hunting, I have to watch him like a hawk just in case he does find a good hole to enter while he's loose.   

Underground fences might work for my terrier but not my sighthounds... they'd blow through it before the warning beeper could go off.   

It was a really good day, best I've had in several months now... we needed a day like today.   

[brewboy]

When I hear them at night, it always a pack. It would be tough for any single dog to take them on, however they stay away from the house.

[dean]

Coyotes are kind of an enigma... they have no loyalty even amongst themselves.  If one is wounded, and they being opportunists will turn on their own littermate and fore-go the very game they were originally after because it is difficult to acquire.    A pack can and will take a dog if it has little or no grit.  They've visited here but they seem to know, sense of well-being or what I don't know but they've left ours completely in favor of neighborhood dogs, mostly house dogs let out to relieve themselves. 

[rabid_dingo]

My neighbor put in an invisible fence and it is adjustable to how much of a "Warning track" there is. It
may still work for you, Dean. I would not be to confident that coyotes will always keep their distances.
They study quite a bit. I have seen them brazenly walk within 200 yds of a house through my
neighbors property...They lost a cat to them...

[bluesman]

I love spending time with my dogs. I walk my dogs a couple of miles every day. They are raring to go as soon as I get home. Today was great, it was about 60F and the sun a shining. It's such a stress relief for them and myself to get out for that daily walk. I love my dogs like best friends. You know the old saying...

[BrewingRover]

My neighbor put in an invisible fence and it is adjustable to how much of a "Warning track" there is. It
may still work for you, Dean. I would not be to confident that coyotes will always keep their distances.
They study quite a bit. I have seen them brazenly walk within 200 yds of a house through my
neighbors property...They lost a cat to them...

I live in  fairly built up suburb and we see them around. A neighbor saw one chowing down on a rabbit at dusk the other evening.

[dean]

My neighbor put in an invisible fence and it is adjustable to how much of a "Warning track" there is. It
may still work for you, Dean. I would not be to confident that coyotes will always keep their distances.
They study quite a bit. I have seen them brazenly walk within 200 yds of a house through my
neighbors property...They lost a cat to them...

Yeh, I'm well aware of how keen coyotes are and he has good cover which I'm sure he would use to his advantage.     But I am putting him in a kennel run for sure, he thinks he's bigger than he is and I'd hate for him to come up missing or worse find him dead some morning.  I keep the sighthounds next to him, nothing gets in the yard without us knowing it, night or day, believe me its a helluva ruckus going on if a coyote is anywhere near.  In the winter if it was really bad I kept him in with the sighthounds.  Now that the weather has broke the coyotes are hunting more usual quarry and they don't poke around as often.  I haven't seen any really big ones here... probably 30 pounds..

[majorvices]

I've got so many dog and coyote stories I could fill up an entire book. We are loaded up on coyotes around here. One night my little dog, Sarah, who herself resembles a coyote, had runoff and was across the other side of the holler (yes, I live ina  holler   ) and getting into it with at least 2 coyotes. I don't know how I did it but, in my crocks (don't hate me because I wear crocks), I managed to sprint down across my property (which is on a fairly steep slope) jump two ditches and sprint across my nieghbors field. When I found her it was just starting to rain and the coyotes were gone and - thankfully - she was fine. Another few minutes I think they would have had here. But that dog is tough as nails.

I used to have a Black and Tan coon hound. Sweetest dog I ever owned. Also by far the dumbest. And also one of the toughest! When we lived in town if I left the back gate open she would simply walk around front and sit on the front porch. When I moved to the country she ran off first chance she got. I found her about 6 weeks later 8 miles away backing some chained pit bull looking dog away from his supper dish at some run down trailer. Got her back and not 2 weeks later she ran off again. A couple nights later I heard her howling as she was coming down the mountain. I got out and took off down the road on foot, hearing her coming. I didn't have a flash light and it was pitch black, I couldn't see anything. I heard her come about 20 yards in front of me howling furiously on the trail of something. I called but she just went on howling, up over the other side of the mountain. Never got that close to here again. I thought I continued to hear her for about a year here and there howling around the cove. Then one day I realized I hadn't heard that howl in a long time.

Usually people who run their dogs to tree animals are a PITA for people who camp or back pack. I have had so many stupid hounds hang out at my campsite that don't get the hint you don't want to share your food with them. Then again, last fall we had one stubborn hound chase a bear out of our camp. I was thankful for that one.

Two years ago this spring I was out hiking on the old logging trails behind my house when I came over a small rise and saw a mama coyote sunning herself early one morning on the trail with about 6 pups laying all around. She jumped up and took off for a couple seconds, then came to her senses, came back and yipped and yipped to get her pups to follow her. 4 of the did, getting up and trotting after her. Two kind of just got off the trail, one just hunkered down in the weeds and shivered within an arms  reach. Teeny thing, just a fur ball you could carry in your hand. Obviously I left it alone but I thought, just for a moment, what kind of a crazy pet that would make. Mamma kept yipping and yipping, even though I could not see her I could hear her. I walked along for a long while with her yipping after me from the cover of the woods until she finally felt I was not a threat any longer.

I could go on and on with stories like that.

[boulderbrewer]

Around by me it's the wolves that get the running dogs, never heard of a pack of coyotes taking a dog. Wolves get a bunch every year.   Dean seeing you are in the LP of Michigan, you may not have wolves yet, but in a few years you should. The MI department of Natural Resouces let two cougars out on his property just this past fall. Don't worry it was in the UP.   No permission asked.

[gail]

A few years ago the MI DNR confirmed wolf prints near Mackinaw City (northern tip of the Lower Penninsula), probably came over on ice from the UP.  I'm keeping my little guy close by when I'm up north (most of the summer).

[blatz]

I love spending time with my dogs. I walk my dogs a couple of miles every day. They are raring to go as soon as I get home. Today was great, it was about 60F and the sun a shining. It's such a stress relief for them and myself to gat out for that daily walk. I love my dogs like best friends. You know the old saying...

amen!

[majorvices]

Around by me it's the wolves that get the running dogs, never heard of a pack of coyotes taking a dog. Wolves get a bunch every year.   Dean seeing you are in the LP of Michigan, you may not have wolves yet, but in a few years you should. The MI department of Natural Resouces let two cougars out on his property just this past fall. Don't worry it was in the UP.   No permission asked.

Neighbors lost a small dog to the coyotes just last summer. Doubt they could get my Great Dane though, or my little mutt. She's about half wild herself, anyway. I'd love to have wolves around here, that would be awesome. Dumb-ass hunters would shoot 'em all though.

+1 on dog walking. I walk mine once in the AM and once in the PM just about every day.

[redbeerman]

Our guys like to go down by the river.  We need to look out for different species of raptors going after our little guy.  Nothing like walking down the trail and having a bald eagle or red tail eyeing you up.  They say we have coyotes around our area as well, but I haven't seen any.  Got tons of foxes though.  Here is our Aussie Shepherd being a goofball.