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Health Testing

We believe firmly in testing our border collies prior to breeding. There are several genetic conditions that are more common in border collies, and therefore we will always test for these to avoid producing at risk puppies. We also test our dogs' orthopedic integrity using OFA and PennHIP. All of our dogs will be tested for everything listed below.

Genetic Testing

What tests and why?

Genetic testing can help reduce the risk of passing on inherited conditions to puppies. In the border collie breed, there are over a dozen breed-relevant conditions that we know at present. This is continuously evolving as new markers are found. One of our goals is to stay up to date with testing our dogs to prevent avoidable health conditions. Below is a list of the current known genetic conditions that can affect border collies.

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  • EAOD - Early Adult Onset Deafness

  • CDPA - Chondrodysplasia MC-Myotonia Congenita

  • C Type 11-A Cystinuria HUU-Hyperuricosuria

  • IVDD - Intervertebral Disc Disease

  • CDDY - Chondrodystrophy

  • BCG - Goniodysgenesis / Glaucoma

  • IGS/ICM/B12 - Canine Imerslund Grasbeck Syndrome

  • NCL5 - Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis

  • HC - Hereditary Cataracts

  • MH - Malignant Hypothermia

  • PRA - Progressive Retinal Atrophy

  • CEA/CH - Collie Eye Anomaly / Choroidal Hypoplasia

  • DM - Degenerative Myelopathy

  • DH/RS - Dental Hypomineralization / Raines Syndrome

  • MDR1 - MultiDrug Resistance/Sensitivity

  • TNS - Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome

  • SN - Sensory Neuropathy

  • PLL - Primary Lens Luxation

  • EIC - Exercise Induced Collapse

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Every dog genetic panel out there will test for certain genes and conditions. At present, the only panel that tests for the Early Adult Onset Deafness (EAOD) complete markers is Optimal Selection. Unfortunately, this panel does not cover Border Collie Glaucoma (BCG). Therefore, we use multiple panels to cover testing for all breed conditions. All of our dogs are currently tested with Optimal Selection as well as at least one additional panel, such as Embark DNA or AKC Health, to be thorough with genetic testing. We will never breed carriers together or intentionally produce at-risk dogs.

Orthopedic Testing

What tests and why?

Orthopedic testing can help breeders make more informed decisions regarding conditions that are polygenic, and thought to be influence by both genetics and environment, such as hip dysplasia. Since border collies are an active working breed and because we are competitors ourselves with our dogs, we make sure to examine our dogs from head to toe for any sort of imperfections. All of our breeding dogs are tested for the following tests at the appropriate ages for official results.

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  • OFA Hips

  • PennHIP Hips

  • OFA Elbows

  • OFA Shoulders

  • OFA Patellas

  • OFA Thyroid

  • OFA Advanced Cardiac

  • OFA Dentition

  • OFA Spine - pilot study (therefore, no officials on OFA)

  • OFA CAER - eyes (done yearly through age 7)

  • OFA BAER - hearing

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The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is official database for the United States. We also use PennHIP to get a more complete picture of our dogs hips. All of our dogs health results are posted on OFA and can be found on their individual pages.

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