My goal on Facebook always has been and always will be to promote love for our breed, to educate the public and as a breeder to allow my audience to see behind the scenes, to be able to have a small idea of what it's like for us (breeders) I want to have a connection with all of you, to share our triumphs, our dreams and along with that our failures and heartache. In the following story I'm going
to share with you some heartache and something amazing. Understand that when breeding there are very few things that come with out a price. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever was originally known as the Little River Duck Dog and originated in the Little River district of Nova Scotia Canada. The history of the Toller in those early years is still somewhat unclear but history notes that as early as the 17th Century ‘small ginger coloured dogs’ were used as decoy dogs in Europe to help lure waterfowl into nets. Historic records first describe such a dog in Nova Scotia in the early 19th Century. It is not known if the Toller originated from these dogs or was developed from a combination of other breeds to imitate what was seen in early Europe. The term ‘Tolling’ in the breed name descends from the phrase to toll (or lure) and retrieve waterfowl. A tolling dog runs, jumps and plays along the shoreline in full view of a flock of ducks, occasionally disappearing from sight and then quickly reappearing, aided by the hunter, who throws toys and balls for the dogs. The dog’s playful actions arouse the curiosity of the ducks swimming offshore and they are lured within gunshot range. The Toller is subsequently sent out to retrieve the shot birds from land or water. The Toller is an intelligent, medium-sized, powerful, compact, balanced, well-muscled dog. They show a high degree of agility, alertness and determination. It is often expressed that Tollers can have a slightly sad expression when at rest, then as soon as they go to work their appearance changes in an instant to one of intense concentration and excitement. When being worked a Toller has a speedy, rushing action with their head carried out almost level with their back and their heavily feathered tail held high and swishing. To keep the Toller agile and happy they must be stimulated both mentally and physically or they may turn into quite a delinquent dog – be warned, but having said that the Toller comes with an ‘off’ switch so providing they have been sufficiently stimulated they are very happy to chill for hours – usually in the roaching position. Powerful, well muscled. A heavily feathered tail, constantly moving. Characteristics
Jumps and plays to lure waterfowl into decoy. Retrieves dead and wounded birds. Temperament
Kind, confident, intelligent, easy to train. Playful. Head and Skull
Clean cut skull, slightly wedge shaped. Broad, slightly rounded. Occiput not prominent. Cheeks flat. Moderate stop. Muzzle tapers from stop to nose. Nostrils well developed. Nose flesh coloured or black. Eyes
Medium size, almond-shaped, set well apart. Friendly, alert expression. Brown to amber, blending with coat colour. Eye rims flesh coloured or black. Ears
Triangular, dropped ear of medium size. Set high and well back on skull. Base held very slightly erect. Well feathered at back of fold, hair shorter at rounded tips. Mouth
Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Teeth sound and strong. Softness of mouth essential. Lips tight fitting, flesh coloured or black. Neck
Medium length, strongly muscled, well set on, no indication of throatiness. Forequarters
Shoulders well laid back, muscular, medium length. Elbows close to body. Forelegs straight and strong. Pasterns strong, slightly sloping. Body
Deep chested, ribs well sprung, brisket reaches to elbow. Back short, level topline. Loins strong and muscular. Moderate tuck up. Hindquarters
Well muscled. Stifles well bent, hocks well let down turning neither in nor out. Feet
Medium size, round, tight. Toes well arched and strongly webbed. Pads thick, blending with coat colour. Tail
Set on, slightly sloping towards croup. Broad at base, well feathered; reaching the hock. Carried below level of back at rest; when alert, curves over, not touching back. Gait/Movement
Impression of power, springy, jaunty with good reach of forelegs and strong rear drive; parallel movement fore and aft. Single tracks at speed; head carried almost level with back. Coat
Straight, repellent, double coat of medium length and softness with a softer, dense undercoat. Slight wave on back allowed. Feathering at throat, behind ears and at back of thighs. Forelegs moderately feathered. Colour
All shades of red or orange with lighter featherings and underside of tail. White markings usual in at least one of the following places: tip of tail, feet not extending beyond the pasterns, chest and blaze. Lack of white not to be penalised. Any black in coat, buff colour or buff and white highly undesirable. Size
Ideal height: dogs: 48-51 cm (19-20 ins); bi***es: 45-48 cm (18-19 ins). Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work. Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the sc***um. TOLLER DIVERSITY
Tollers are working dogs, active, intelligent and driven. Individual dogs show varying degrees of these characteristics but the breed is essentially fast and smart. They are good natured dogs and interested in life and all its opportunities, so it is important to find activities that suit your life style and the needs of your Toller. Below are a few of the popular Toller activities available, others include Scentwork, Heelwork to Music and Rally – there really is something for everyone. GUNDOG
Being gundog retrievers, Tollers are natural hunting dogs on land or in the water. They have webbed feet and are excellent swimmers. There are plenty of ways to participate in this activity with your Toller, including Gundog training using dummy retrieves, field trials and full hunting tests. AGILITY
Tollers tend to love and excel in agility. They enjoy both the mental and physical challenge of agility and move like lightning around the course – participating in agility with your Toller, for fun or in competition, is definitely a hobby for those who are fit! OBEDIENCE
Obedience uses the Toller’s natural intelligence to great effect. Tollers take to the training quickly and the biggest problem is the handler keeping up! FLYBALL
Flyball is a team based sport which incorporates the Toller’s natural instinct to retrieve and utilises speed – but beware all that excitement can induce the “Toller Scream”
SHOWING
Showing a Toller in conformation is in some ways, a lot less strenuous than other activities, yet it still relies upon the Toller’s natural intelligence and flair so the handler and dog are one. Shedding and Mess
Tollers shed their coat seasonally and they are dogs who like to swim, roll and wallow. They are not the dog for the fastidious or the allergic. Drive
Tollers are part of the Gundog group and are traditionally bred to be working dogs. They have a frantic drive to work and will retrieve until your arm is ready to fall off. Tendonitis in Toller owners is not unusual. This may be cute now but after the 400th throw you may change your mind!
