Hycottage Farm Collies

Hycottage Farm’s Lincoln (call name, Watson)

Registered OTSC/SCPS

Watson is a 2019 male out of Hycottage Farm’s Willow x Mountain Wave Newt of Windspun

Health Information for Watson

Hycottage Farm's Lincoln (Watson): born February/7/2019     Coat: Tri-factored Sable   

See Watson’s pedigree here.

Height: 24 inches     Weight: 65 pounds     

Watson is Normal/Clear for ALL of the following mutations:

MDR1 - Normal/Normal 

Cyclic Neutropenia (Normal/Clear)

Degenerative Myelopathy (Normal/Clear)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Rod-Cone Disease 2 (Normal/Clear)

Von Willebrand Disease II (Normal/Clear)

CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly (Normal/Clear) 

Hips & Elbows:

OFA Elbows: Good / Negative for elbow dysplasia

OFA Hips: Good

PennHIP: Distraction Index R/DI .48 L/DI .45

No radiographic evidence for Osteoarthritis of either hip. No cavitation present.

Watson’s Dam and Sire

watson’s Temperament:

Watson’s temperament can best be described as a desire to please. From the time I began working with him on scent detection for low glucose levels at 6 weeks old he has displayed a strong desire to work together and accomplish a task. He loves problem solving and is eager to gain our attention and approval. He is goofy and loves to play games. Watson is very athletic and has a body built for speed and work. He enjoys exploring and has a great off-switch when the work is done. Cuddling is one of his favorite pastimes. He is very gentle with children and small animals. When a visitor (animal or human) arrives he will announce their presence with a bark and then wiggle and beg for attention. We love his playful personality and he is a favorite with guests.

You can see video of Watson’s early low glucose scent training on this page. He was still being called by the litter name of Lincoln at the time.

Watson has been tested with Better Bred

Why is Better Bred’s genetic panel important for the future of the Scottish Collie gene pool?

In modern breeding populations, humans make most of the decisions regarding mating pairs and over time this focused selection can cause a loss of genetic material. Due to humans’ selection of breeding dogs for phenotype, temperament, and working abilities, the population of breeding dogs in the OTSC and SCPS is focused on a smaller number of dogs than the larger population of all rough Collie types. When you have a smaller group of dogs you are working with a limited combination of alleles, a limited gene pool. If, over time, various alleles are eliminated simply because they did not get passed on to the next generation that gene pool could face increased health issues and undesirable mutation issues. This is why biodiversity is so important to the future of any breed. For a more in-depth look at the importance of preserving rare genes in a breed, check out this article about Biodiversity at Better Bred.

You can find Watson Better Bred results on the Scottish Collie Page of Better Bred here. If you click on the tab in the middle of the page that says most Recent Dogs you will find Watson (Hycottage Farm’s Lincoln) listed near the top. If you click on the tab that says Public Dog’s and scroll down you can find Watson (Hycottage Farm’s Lincoln) Or read them with a brief description below.

Outlier Index : Watson .58 OI (breed average .27-OI) Watson has above average OI. That is a good thing.)

Outlier Index, or OI, is a measure developed in consultation with conservation geneticists and based on thorough review of current scientific research as well as extended pedigrees, and by testing different metrics. The Outlier Index is a calculation that tells you how important a dog’s overall genetics are to preserve in the population. Those with a low Outlier Index carry genes that are very well represented in a population and not at risk of being lost – therefore one may judge them with very strict criteria for structure and temperament when selecting which ones to breed. A dog with a higher than breed average Outlier Index is more likely to have under-represented overall genetics in the breed and should be more carefully considered for the preservation of biodiversity of the breed. - Better Bred.com

Average Genetic Relatedness: Watson -.18 AGR (breed average -.01 AGR)

AGR is another measurement that is meant to identify dogs whose genetics may be under-represented in a population. It is inversely related (with statistic significance) to OI. This helps support both measurements’ validity as well as show how they might complement each other when breeding for the preservation of a breed and its biodiversity. To breed to preserve biodiversity, select for a lower than breed average AGR. - Better Bred.com

Internal Relatedness: Watson -.05 IR (breed average -.01 IR) Watson’s numbers show he is more outbred than the breed average.

UC Davis estimates the inbreeding value of a dog using a measurement called Internal Relatedness or IR. This estimates how inbred a dog is using the frequencies of the breed in a somewhat complex calculation. The higher this number (more positive), the more inbred. The lower this number (more negative) the more outbred. According to Dr. Niels Pedersen, DVM PhD, an inbreeding value of .15 or above would be considered high within a breed. - Better Bred.com

DLA Haplotypes: Watson Haplotype 1 [1045/2039] Haplotype2 [1045/2039]

DLA HAPLOTYPES - Dog Leukocyte Antigen (the region of the genome that controls the immune system of the dog) Loss of biodiversity or allelic richness in a breed due to genetic bottlenecks seems to be linked to increase in immune dysfunction, which in turn speeds up further loss of diversity and increase in homozygosity breed-wide.

The DLA is found on a single canine chromosome, Chromosome 12. So, while breeding for identified DLA haplotypes is not the main factor to consider, we do still want to maintain diverse genetics in this region.  We can do this by selecting for heterozygous haplotypes when possible, and for less common ones, too, as long as the dogs who have them are healthy. Breeders therefore should be aware of the DLA haplotypes that are not well represented in their breeds, so that they do not lose more biodiversity through genetic drift. What does genetic drift mean? Essentially it means a random loss of variation in genes in a breed. This happens when some of genes become less and less common due to chance – rather than because they are “bad” genes. Better Bred.com

Renew Collies Cricket Serenade of Hycottage

Registered SCPS

Cricket is a 2020 female out of Dancing Echo x Glen Eilalorne Jenson

Health Information for Cricket

Renew Collies Cricket Serenade of Hycottage: born September 3, 2020     Coat: Tri-factored Sable   

See more information about Cricket’s dam and sire here.

Height: 23 inches     Weight: 49 pounds     

Cricket is Normal/Clear for ALL of the following mutations:

MDR1 - Normal/Normal 

Cyclic Neutropenia (Normal/Clear)

Degenerative Myelopathy (Normal/Clear)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Rod-Cone Disease 2 (Normal/Clear)

Von Willebrand Disease II (Normal/Clear)

CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly (Normal/Clear) 

She is also clear by parentage for Hyperuricosuria (HUU) and both parents tested low risk for Dermatomyositis (DMS).

Cricket’s Temperament:

Cricket is very curious and wants to be with her pack, both human and canine. She loves being in the middle of any activity and has kept a playful personality even as she matures. Fetch is her favorite game with tag being a close second. She is gentle with small animals and is entranced by children. She has a good off-switch indoors and loves to meet new people. She has been a great nanny dog for Willow’s past two litters and she engages the puppies in a quiet manner. Cricket learns quickly and loves performing tricks. She and Watson are best buddies.

Hycottage Farm's Willow - Registered OTSC/SCPS (retired from raising puppies)

Willow is a 2015 Scotch Collie out of Heritage Sgt. Pepper x Ozark Ridge Ranch Bimi

Willow is retired from breeding and is enjoying life here on our homestead.

Health Information for Willow

Hycottage Farm's Willow: born Nov/1/2015     Coat: Shaded Sable   

See Willow's Pedigree here

Height: 23.5 inches   Length: 26 inches   Weight: 55 pounds     

Willow is Normal/Clear for the following mutations:

MDR1 - Normal/Normal 

Cyclic Neutropenia (Normal/Clear)

Degenerative Myelopathy (Normal/Clear)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Rod-Cone Disease 2 (Normal/Clear)

Von Willebrand Disease II (Normal/Clear)

CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly (Wild Type/ Mutant - Carrier) Willow carries one copy of the mutant gene for Collie Eye Anomaly. She is not affected by CEA, she is just a carrier. As long as she is bred to a stud dog that is clear for CEA her puppies will not be affected by CEA.   

Hips & Elbows: Not tested

Health Information for Willow's Sire and Dam

Sire: Heritage Sgt. Pepper

• Born: Feb/16/2013

• Ears: naturally down Coat: Tri-color

• Clear: MDR1 -Normal/Normal

• CEA: carrier

Temperament:

Willow is an excellent family dog. Her behavior with children is gentle and she enjoys playing games with them. She likes to play tug and fetch and does not display any type of toy possessiveness or resource guarding. She wants to console crying children by nuzzling them. Our youngest daughter was 4 years old when she wanted to take a turn "training the dog". Willow has always responded to her cues even though she is "taking orders" from a child. Willow is very eager to please and responds quickly to new cues. She has a moderate energy level and is willing to run and play games, but quickly settles when the activity is over.

 Willow is calm with other dogs and plays with them when invited. She is protective of her property line and people by sometimes giving a warning bark or quiet growl when a stranger or strange animal comes on the property. But she quickly quiets and accepts the stranger by wagging her tail and licking or nuzzling them when she is told they are okay. When we are in public she is eager to meet other people and dogs. She has a strong prey drive and will hunt voles, mice, and chase rabbits. She is learning that cats are not rodents and will respond to "leave it" when told to leave them alone. One of her best buddies is Link, our indoor male cat, because he discovered if he lays down Willow can't chase him. She has a loose gathering style with the cattle. She will try to keep chickens in a group and sometimes will hold one down to keep it from wandering out of the group. She does not ever try to hurt them, but her style of gathering and holding is not always appreciated by the chickens. We are working on improving her chicken gathering style. When she is trying to keep the baby goats together she uses a loose circle to keep them in one place. 

We love Willow's coat. It is medium length with moderate feathering on the legs, so she is very easy to groom and keep free of debris. People often comment on how soft and smooth her coat is. 

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about Willow or Scotch Collies in general. Click here to see our available puppies.

Marushka Farm’s Cody at Hycottage - registered SCPS

(retired from breeding)

Cody is a 2019 sable male out of Astromelias Salomon at Marushka Farms X Strathyre’s Alexis

Health Information for Cody

Marushka Farm’s Cody of Hycottage:    Coat: Sable   

See Cody’s Pedigree here

Height: 23 inches     Weight: 55 pounds     

Cody is Normal/Clear for the following mutations:

MDR1 - Normal/Normal 

Cyclic Neutropenia (Normal/Clear)

Degenerative Myelopathy (Normal/Clear)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Rod-Cone Disease 2 (Normal/Clear)

Von Willebrand Disease II (Normal/Clear)

CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly (Normal/Clear) 

Hips & Elbows: Not tested

Temperament:

Cody has a quiet and soft temperament. He was a reserved puppy, usually deferring to pack-mates with toys, food, and activities. He is very people focused and likes to stay by your side. He loves strangers, after giving a good warning bark that they have arrived. He is very alert to any activity on the property as all collies tend to be. He has a great bond with Willow, he is good with indoor cats and can be a couch potato. Cody loves to snuggle and enjoys being groomed.