Possible Coyote mix?

[Windrider]

She's at least 2 and 1/2 foot tall.

Please clarify. Do you mean 2 1/2 feet long (as in she's that tall when standing on her hind legs)? Because I help measure dogs for agility trials and a 2 1/2 foot dog (30 inches) when measured at the shoulder is HUGE. Like getting into Irish Wolfhound/Great Dane territory! No coyote cross will be close to that height and even few pure bred GSD will be that tall.

Coyote crosses are much more rare than people think. Their breeding cycles don't sync well with domestic dogs, so unless your dog was created in a laboratory it is probably not one. Lots of people think they have coy-dogs, but in fact scientists have found almost all do not have any coyote DNA when tested.

I'm with dianerra, looks like a sable GSD. The breed varies widely in size depending on lines. You should see some of the GSD I see at agility trials; Border Collie size!

 

[kgdubois]

I live in far West TX, and worked for the local vet for many years. Our client base was filled with ranchers from way out of town, and several of them had coydogs and full-blodded coyotes that they brought in for their yearly vaccinations, etc. From my experience with these coyote/dog crosses, I feel pretty confident saying yours isn't one...she is much larger-framed & thicker (even being a younger female) than a coydog usually is.

Also, the coydogs & coyotes were VERY much different behaviorally than any dog I've ever been in contact with. They are quite timid, do not play as much as dogs do (even as puppies) and are quite prone to wetting & pooping on themselves when startled or unsure of an environment. This is actually common coyote behavior, and I was interested to see that almost all of the coydog crosses did the same thing. They were almost all very quiet animals, and would bite with no warning at all if they were scared (it was interesting also that almost all of them were not at all aggressive, just scare-biters). After several years of seeing the coyotes and coydogs every few months, a few of them got to where they trusted us at the vet clinic, but almost all of them were a "one person" animal, never getting social & friendly with strangers AT ALL.

Hope this helps!

 

[Oregon Blues]

That's a sable colored German Shepherd. Probably purebred of backyard quality breeding. Maybe a little bit if East German or Czech bloodlines somewhere back there, because that is the most common source of sable in German Shepherds.

Her muzzle only looks odd in the first photo because of the camera angle. It doesn't look that way in the other photos.

 

[dainerra]

Here is my boy Singe. 25" at the shoulder (when the OP said 2 1/2 feet tall, I assumed she meant from floor to top of the head?)
He weighs 75lbs
I get comments all the time about how "tiny" he is lol

 

[naturalfeddogs]

I agree, just a poor example of a GSD. Not all dogs are to breed standard, but in size she looks like GSD. I say no coyote as well. My first thaught was a poorly bred GSD.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Singe is a beauty.

 

[nzpouter]

is her tail up or down...? could be husky x gsd.

 

[watchdogps]

Also, the coydogs & coyotes were VERY much different behaviorally than any dog I've ever been in contact with.

Seconding that. If she doesnt act like a fruit loop, she isn't a coydog. If she does, it doesnt mean she is, but coydogs are NOT typical dog in behavior.

 

[java girl 2]

what is a GSD? the pics are so pretty!!! are they a livestock dog?

 

[dainerra]

GSD = German Shepherd Dog Livestock Guardian, no not really. They are intended to work 1 on 1 with the shepherd, though they aren't herders in the same way that border collies are. The GSD style of herding is called "the moving fence" - their job was to patrol the entire flock, in constant movement and keep them in a certain area.