Dog Breed Guide

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Profile

Size

Medium

Country of origin

Canada

Origin

19th century

Bred for

Luring and retrieving ducks

Height

male 48 - 51cm (19 - 20in), female 45 - 48cm (18 - 19in)

Weight

male 20 - 23kg (44 - 51lb), female 17 - 20kg (37 - 44lb)

Life span

12 - 14 years

The smallest of the retrievers. With its reddish-orange coat and white markings on the chest, feet and tail tip, it looks rather like a fox. The water-repellent double coat and webbed toes suit it to work in the water.

Bright, lively and very clever, the Toller loves to play and will happily fetch a ball or toy again and again. It is affectionate with its family but can be a little reserved with strangers.

When excited or trying to tell you something, it may let out a high-pitched, almost screaming cry that fans call the "Toller scream." It needs a great deal of exercise, so give it plenty of physical and mental activity every day.

Good to know

To "toll" means to lure, and this dog's original job was, surprisingly, to lure ducks.

The hunter would throw a stick or ball along the shore, and the dog would dash back and forth at the water's edge, tail waving, to fetch it. Curious ducks would swim closer in a flock to see what was going on. The method is said to have been inspired by the way foxes frolic on the shore to lure waterfowl. Once the ducks came within range, the hunter fired, and the dog plunged into the water to retrieve them.

The breed was developed in Little River Harbour in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, in eastern Canada, and was once called the Little River Duck Dog. The Canadian Kennel Club recognized it in 1945, and it was later named Nova Scotia's provincial dog.