Coyotes are sensitive to sound. They listen carefully when dogs bark to figure out “who” it is and “what it is about”. We people can sometimes figure out the meaning of dog barks if we apply ourselves. Coyotes will stop what they are doing, and may look in the direction from which the barking came from: they are trying to figure out the danger to themselves.
Several times I have heard much, much louder noises than dogs barking, and I’ve seen a coyote react. Once a huge truck in the area backfired, making an incredibly loud noise. The other instances include a fire engine siren which was close by and a helicopter that came close and low. These elicited a more intense reaction from the coyotes. In these instances, the coyotes initially became startled, and then fearful. The coyote became skittish and looked around intently, not knowing at all what to look for. The coyote then stood up tall, and walked in different directions, as if it could not make up its mind as to where to go. Ultimately, and fairly quickly, it ran off.
