In late summer or early fall when the female coyote is teaching pups to hunt, some unusual wounds may result from the pups' inexperienced hunting techniques. At this time, bites and rips to different body areas are common. In such cases more than one sheep of a flock can be injured. However, if coyotes are the culprit, one clean kill should have occurred. Wounds to numerous live sheep on body areas other than the head or neck are signs of dog predation.
Dogs usually attack from the side or rear inflicting non-fatal wounds on various parts of the body.
Frequently the skin and muscles in the flank, hindquarters and head will be ripped. Neck wounds will be superficial or severe lacerations, unlike the characteristic puncture wounds left by the teeth of a coyote. Lambs killed by dogs will have a slashed and ripped appearance. Clumps of wool lying spread around the attack area likely suggest an inefficient dog attack. Feeding Behaviour - Coyotes generally eat their kill.