Are wild dogs an easy dinner for predators out in the wild? Can the bigger dogs go toe to toe against wolves or coyotes?
I’m thinking of the big breed dogs like the Pit Bulls, Dobermans, and Rottweilers.
I’ve heard dogs have a natural fear of predators that might render them helpless. I once had my Chihuahua scared by a hawk or big bird in the sky. He wouldn’t go outside for days afterward. I’d set him in the yard and he’d just shake and look up at the sky. I had a Boston Terrier once spooked by something outside. She just whimpered and refused to go out that night.
I do not have the scientific answer, but I have seen groups of coyotes interact with dogs and can say that 2-3 coyotes could certainly take down a much larger dog. The coyotes are smart–they will work as a group to continually bait the dog until it is exhausted and then cautiously move in for an attack. They are cowardly conniving.
You mention five different things: feral dogs, wild dogs, domestic dogs, coyotes, and wolves. Which are you actually interested in comparing against which?
I think of feral dogs and wild dogs as the same. They can be dangerous. There was a pack of wild dogs on a Air Force Base that I lived at in the 60’s. Some were probably abandoned dogs left behind when airmen got transferred or just runaway dogs that joined the pack. They were in this large wooded area near base housing. They eventually had to be hunted and killed because of the threat to kids in the housing area.
I wasn’t sure how a pack of dogs fared against predators. Whether they were a food source or equal on the food chain. There is a heirachy in the food chain. It sucks to be the rabbit.
I think of wild dogs as the “dingo-like” dogs that exist in various regions, and would define feral dogs as just abandoned domestic dogs that have turned aggressive due to their circumstance. One is aggressive by nature, the other by nurture.
Wild dogs are actually a species, better known as the African Wild Dog. They are fearsome and relentless hunters with a highly developed method of pack hunting, and with a well developed social network. They take down animals much larger than themselves, such as zebra, and strip it clean in a matter of minutes. It’s amazing to see. A feral dog such as a Rottie or a pit would not stand a chance.
Feral dogs can be very nasty and unsafe to have around. I grew up with lots of dogs that usually included a pack of about 6 guard or working type dogs, usually German Shepherd and Shepherd crosses. They were all as sweet and protective as any dogs I have ever seen but they would fight any intruding dogs or coyotes viciously if they posed a threat to the property.
On a few occasions, feral dogs would come because one of our females was in heat and that was always bad news. They hung around the perimeter of the property waiting for any opportunity and they were also quite aggressive. A pair of very large mutts tried to attack me one day until our dogs came to the rescue. The feral dogs put up a huge fight and injured two of our dogs badly by biting their legs and throat area and not letting up.
That was all I needed to see. They were quite dangerous, unpredictable, and did not back down. The problem was solved quickly with two 30.06 bullets. Our dogs recovered after a trip to the vet a rabies quarantine.
The question is also more complex than it sounds because the OP didn’t specify typical wild conditions vs. one-on-one fight.
Wolves and coyotes are pack animals. They are raised to work as a team and few dogs could survive an attack by a pack of trained killers.
Even one-on-one, though, your average wild canid has been hunting and killing almost its entire life, where a feral dog was most likely raised on dog food. Unless you’re talking about an animal escaped from a dogfighting ring, it’s at a severe disadvantage just from experience.
Most wild animals, given the opportunity, weigh their chances against an opponent and for the most part, choose safety over confrontation. A single coyote is unlikely to bother with a domestic or feral dog close in size to itself - too much risk of getting hurt. A very hungry and desperate animal may take greater chances.
A pack of coyotes or wolves could easily take out even a large dog by working together. Domestic dogs working together are often used to hunt other creatures, coyotes, wolves, hogs, or whatever critter is the game of the day for a hunter.
Dogs, domestic, feral or wild are hard-wired to work together. As a pack, they can be a lethal killing force. Individually, not so much, but many domestic dogs have been bred to not have a strong sense of self preservation, so may well go toe to toe against another canid. Doesn’t necessarily end well for either party.
Then again, some dogs are smart enough to figure out a dangerous situation. It’s not unheard of for large predators to pick off small dogs. Being afraid is a good survival strategy.
