Texas Ranchers Revive Ancient Guard Dogs to Save Livestock

Robin Giles thought his neighbors were exaggerating until he walked into his pasture one morning in 1970. More than 400 of his sheep and goats lay dead, throats torn open by coyotes that hadn't been seen in the Texas Hill Country for 40 years.

The losses nearly destroyed Hillingdon Ranch, a family operation since the 1880s. That single year cost them $82,000 in today's dollars, wiping out 70 percent of their income.

For decades, Giles fought back with everything he had. He set steel traps, hired helicopter hunts, and installed elaborate fencing systems. The coyotes just got smarter, digging under barriers and creating telltale "coyote slides" beneath the wire.

Then the problem exploded. As longtime ranchers retired and sold their land to weekend homeowners, predator control disappeared across the Edwards Plateau. Coyote populations skyrocketed, and ranchers like Giles struggled to keep their herds alive.

The breakthrough came from looking backward instead of forward. Livestock guardian dogs, breeds like Great Pyrenees and Akbash mixes, have been protecting flocks for at least 5,000 years. Ancient Assyrians even carved their names in cuneiform: "Biter of his foe!" and "Don't think, bite!"

The Giles family brought in trained guardian dogs in 2021. The change was immediate and dramatic.

These aren't herding dogs that chase sheep around. Guardian dogs live with their flocks 24/7, bonding with them from puppyhood. They patrol at night, barking warnings and physically confronting predators. Their mere presence keeps coyotes at bay.

The Ripple Effect

The solution is spreading across Texas ranching country. Families who spent decades losing thousands of dollars and countless animals to predators are finding peace again. The dogs work without poison, traps, or gunfire, making them ideal for the new patchwork of ranches, hunting preserves, and weekend properties that now define the Edwards Plateau.

Robin Giles is 83 now and still ranching the land his grandfather bought in 1885. After 50 years of battling coyotes with every modern weapon available, a 5,000-year-old solution finally brought him relief.

The ancient dogs are proving what ranchers are rediscovering: sometimes the oldest answers work best.