Featuring Hunter

While the mother of a litter tends to get the spotlight since she's the one doing all the hard work, the father is certainly of equal importance in determining the puppies' temperament and physical appearance. I am beyond thrilled with the stud I picked for Nala, and I figured that all of you - puppy buyers especially! - would appreciate learning a bit more about the daddy of the Butterscotch Farm puppies.

Ryman's Shadow Hill Hunter: 

I've met Hunter four times now, each time with an in-heat female in tow, and Hunter was always a gentleman. He was in a fenced yard, and while he did whine, he wasn't frantic - he just patiently waited to meet his lady love. 

Hunter assists his owner's Livestock Guardian Dog in protecting the farm - not so much physically, as it's risky to pit a 45-pound Collie against coyotes - but he listens to the LGD and knows when she needs backup. Then he goes out and lends his voice, helping to keep a safe perimeter around the farm. I've been told he takes this job VERY seriously.

Hunter is great with his owner's grandkids, and very calm and friendly with people out in public. He was polite enough to say hi to me, even though he was far more interested in my intriguing canine companion, lol!

Hunter has a fitted, easy-care coat. It looks a bit scruffy in these photos, as he was "blowing coat" at the time. This happens a couple times a year with all double-coated breeds, and you will be amazed at how much hair you get off your dog during this time period! (Note - if you're into that sort of thing, you can technically spin a Collie's undercoat into yarn.)

Hunter is fairly low in energy and drive, but is extremely athletic - I've been told he could run circles around the owner's daughter's Collie. In my opinion, the combination of speed and agility probably means that he has phenomenal conformation (the way an animal is built). 

Hunter also has great genetic diversity. While Nala has very run-of-the-mill Rough Collie genes with little to no diversity, Hunter comes from old farm Collie lines, and has been tested as an outlier within the gene pool of the Scottish Collie Preservation Society. This diversity should contribute to great immune systems in the puppies, and may even improve their chances of having great longevity!

All in all, I think that Hunter was truly a phenomenal choice to pair with Nala, and I'm proud to say that I will have his genes in the next generation of my breeding program. ♥️