Retriever (Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling)

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, also known as Toller, is a very unusual breed of gundog. This is mainly because of the way they came into being a hunting breed. They use their playful charms first during hunting and then go in to retrieve. They came in to existence in Nova Scotia around the end of 19th century and have also been their provincial dog since 1995.

The Toller runs, jumps, and plays along the river banks in full view of a flock of ducks or geese, guided by the hunter and his commands. Normally he would throw in a ball or a stick to keep the dog in playful moods. This playful nature of the dog lures the curiosity of passing by ducks to within gunshot range. This act of luring the ducks to approach is known as "tolling". The hunter also sends the Toller to retrieve the dead or wounded ducks. Tollers are very athletic, compact, and powerful with very sturdy and solid legs. Their coat is a shade of red. It varies from golden red to dark coppery red to chocolate brown in some rare occasions. They usually have at least one white marking on the fur. It could be on the tip of the tail or the feet or on chest or the blaze. The Toller’s are built to retrieve from icy cold waters and have a water-repellent double coat of medium length and a soft dense undercoat to keep them warm.

The Tollers are very intelligent, alert and always ready for action. The Toller's desire to retrieve coupled with their love of water and endurance, is very essential for it to be a good tolling retriever. They respond to many cues of normal city life too. Even an owner picking up the car keys to go out can light up their eyes. Even though it loves outdoors, it is affectionate with family members and children. Tollers adapt to any kind of weather condition from very humid atmosphere to the desert areas to heavy winter areas. Tollers still continue to be a rare breed, and the waiting list for puppies is normally around 6 months. They are the smallest of all the retriever breeds. They have always been a medium-sized breed; but they have grown to be larger dogs in the recent years. Many owners will notice that the Tollers are the happiest when working. The best way to train then is in a young age. It is very advisable to be firm and in control and still be kind enough during the process. Harshness would only lead them to be more stubborn.

However, like most dog breeds, they have certain genetic disorders. The small gene pool is to be blamed sometimes because most of the people buy the dogs that were specifically bred in Nova Scotia thinking these are the only “true” Tollers. But that is not true. The hereditary diseases include Addison's disease, Progressive retinal atrophy and Hip dysplasia.