coydogs aren't as common as many think.Looks like a yote to me.

So why aren't coydogs more common in rural areas? Actually, the issue is not as puzzling as it first appears. The reason there is little evidence of coyotes mating with dogs in the wild is simply because social habits and statistics makes the opportunity and probability of mating quite low indeed.



The coyote social structure is somewhat different from the domestic canine, and, quite frankly, coyotes would rather eat a dog than befriend one. Coyotes also have very different breeding cycles and mating behaviors. It is believed the male coyote sperm count remains low or dormant for most of the year and only picks up for about 60 days in the spring in conjunction with the female coyotes once a year heat cycle. Coyote males usually stick with one female through the breeding season as well, even assisting in feeding and raising the puppies. Some researchers believe they mate for life. Others believe only the alpha male gets to breed. So you see, and this is just my individual theory, it's simply a numbers game. For a coyote and a dog to mate, the choice of female coyotes would have to be so low that the male would not have a "girlfriend" to start with, then, he would have to meet a female dog (too large to eat), who just happened to be in heat within the same two month period that he was producing sperm. The above scenario is not impossible, just a rarity, statistically speaking