By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition

A mature female Anatolian Shepherd stands watch over a young goat kid at the Pottorf farm in Hopkins County. -- Staff photo by Kramer

Feb. 16, 2006 - Ray and Betty Pottorf can get some sleep at night without worrying that their new baby goats will become dinner for one of the many coyotes that roam near their Hopkins County home.

But six years ago, the situation was different. The Pottorfs, who began raising a 300-head goat herd in 2000, kept losing stock to predators. Ray had already purchased two Anatolian Shepherds, but the young pups were too small to guard his livestock.

“I started losing baby goats,” Ray said, who also raises cattle. “This got to happening every day.”

After contacting a friend, he was able to obtain an adult Anatolian that had previously been living as a guardian dog on a sheep farm.

“I brought him home, and to my knowledge, I never lost another goat,” said Ray.

Thrilled with the results, he bred the adult male dog to the young females he already had. In two litters, he ended up with 22 puppies. He sold most of them, but kept four to train and sell as adults.

Ray said many people call and want to buy dogs that are already trained, instead of young pups. 

Ray and Betty Pottorf (above) have raised Anatolian Shepherds since 2000. The couple moved to Hopkins County in 1998. They use the dogs primarily to protect their goats from coyotes. The dog’s trainer, Melvin Horne, said one to two dogs can effectively guard livestock on a 100 acres. -- Staff photo by Kramer

Today, the Pottorfs own four Anatolian Shepherds. The dogs, at different stages in the training process are scattered throughout their property. Near the house is a large fenced area that holds a young female. She has recently returned to the Pottorfs after having been gone for training. In her pen are goats and some white ducks. When a guest approaches, she eyes them from a distance. She watches and begins forming her opinion. She barks loudly as she circles around the enclosure, as if she was placing an invisible barrier between the guest and the critters she is being taught to protect. This is the basic way the dogs are trained to react. And while she lets the guest know she doesn’t want them near the animals she is guarding, undoubedtly, the guest will agree and head the other direction.

Another watchful, but silent dog, sits on the other side of the fence at the Pottorf’s place.

Two more dogs walk on leashes with trainers Melvin and Guyna Horne.

One of the dogs, born from the Pottorf’s litter, belongs to the Hornes. The other dog, a female is being trained at the Horne’s place and will later be returned to her permanent home with the Pottorfs. 

All of the dogs have an intimidating appearance. They are a light fawn color with massive heads and bodies. A full grown male (they reach maturity at 3- to 4-years-old) weighs between 110 and 150 pounds. Females weigh between 80 and 120 pounds. The dogs have a long life compared to other massive-sized breeds. They have a life span of 11 to 14 years. 

And while they are known to be loyal to their owners, their heritage drives them to make decisions for themselves. 

Anatolians, a formal Livestock Guardian Dog, originate from Turkey. There, they were placed in fields of sheep to drive away predators. Thousands of years later, it has become natural to them. Once they bond with their stock, they choose to protect it. And still, like the days when they were first used, they are capable of doing it all without being given commands. 

Yet, it is the natural instincts of the dogs that require extensive training.

“These are Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs), not guard dogs. They don’t need commands,” said trainer Melvin Horne. “It’s more like training a horse; you’re working with a free spirit here.” Unlike guard dogs, LGDs will not attack on command, but only when they feel their property is in danger.

Melvin said even without training, the dogs will “do what’s in their natural context to protect,” but without the human interaction, even the livestock owner may be viewed as a threat by the dog. The goal is to help the dog create a bond between the stock and with its owner. Without human bonding, wrangling the dog for veterinary visits and care would be nearly impossible. 

“They need a foundation of proper training,” said Melvin.

Melvin said training begins when the dogs are very young. The young pups are trained not to jump fences, which at full grown would be an easy obstacle to defeat. Then, they are placed in a pen next to animals they might potentially guard. 

“As they mature, they’re exposed to more,” explained Melvin.

Once accustomed to the actions, noises, and appearance of the stock, the dog is moved into the same pen with the animals. This is done repetitively and under supervised conditions to make sure the stock and dogs are kept safe. 

“You have to be careful that the dog isn’t injured,” said Melvin.

Ray said big goats can hurt young dogs that are not fully grown.

Once fully grown and trained the dogs are accustomed to both the animals and  people. They are able to decide what is a threat and what is not.

The dogs will spend hours at a time patrolling their fields. They, like security guards, walk the perimeter, listening and watching for signs of a threat. When they sense a threat, they go into action.

Ray said when the dogs hear a sound, they will run and get as close as they can to the noise.

“They’ll go all the way to the fence,” he said.

Then, the deafening, low, loud bark is served up. It’s a dominant bark that itself sounds loud enough to swallow a predator whole.

“(The dog’s) going to try to run it off just by barking,” said Ray. “That barking seems to keep the coyotes out.”

But, he added, that if a predator did come through the fence, it would meet death in the jaws of the massive dog.

Ray said his dogs do not like the coyotes or armadillos (evident by the numerous vacant armadillo shells scattered throughout the goats’ pasture). 

But his dogs seem to like their stock.

In the front pasture down a dirt path from the house, between two rocky driveways, there is a pasture holding a medium-sized herd of goats. At first glance, the dog, a mature female Anatolian, is easy to miss. Her fawn coat blends with the coats of the Boer goats. As Ray pours corn over the fence to the goats, she joins the party. But something on the other end of the pasture has her preoccupied, so she goes to investigate. A stray Pitt Bull has been corralled near a livestock trailer and chained up until the owner can be found. The Anatolian circles, staring in the direction of the unwanted guest. She returns to where the goats are eating and paces along the fence-line.

A few minutes later, satisfied that the stray dog and human onlookers are not a serious threat, she runs to the center of the pasture and begins sniffing some baby goats. After spending a few minutes with them, she sits next to Betty, Ray’s wife, and watches the young goats. When a baby gets loud, she runs to it, sniffing, licking, and  consoling the youngster. And when a baby goat is born in a secluded corner, she tends to it, despite calls from her handlers. She has decided she will care for it, and she carries out her intentions.

She is doing the same job her breed has done for thousands of years. And while the dogs are capable of taking commands like “sit” and “stay,” it does not come as natural to them.

“These aren’t guard dogs or household pets,” said Melvin. “An LGD needs a job to do.

“Large sheep or goat ranchers would benefit from having one,” said Melvin. But added when buying a dog, make sure it is a dog that has been trained and is good with people. 

The dogs are expensive, costing nearly $2,000 for a mature trained Anatolian. But Betty said buying a dog is a good investment.

“If you lose a lot of livestock, you can pay for one of these dogs,” she said.

The dogs, which can also be used to guard cattle, are still a relatively new breed to the United States, but the Pottorfs and the Hornes hope that more people will learn about the Anatolian breed and it’s potential uses as a livestock protector.

For more information about Anatolians, visit www.anatolian-shepherd-dogs.org or www.anatoliandog.org.