The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, is a Canadian breed that belongs to the gundog class. They stand between 17 and 21 inches tall and usually weigh between 37 and 51 pounds. They have a medium to long length coat that is thick and wavy. Their coats are red fox with markings on their faces, feet, chests, and on the tips of their tails. This is a great family dog as they are patient and playful.
History and Origin
The ancestors of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever of today have been an officially recorded breed since at least the 1890′s. The breed was developed in the early 19th century to retrieve waterfowl.
The breed originated on the eastern coast of Canada where there are millions of acres of wide open spaces and a suitable environment of coastal estuaries with large undisturbed water fowl habitats.
The Toller acts as a decoy; it lures the ducks within gunshot range by being playful along the shoreline. Then the dog is sent out to retrieve the dead or wounded birds.
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is a member of the gun dog group. They were originally used for flushing waterfowl and retrieving game; today they are used as gun dogs and as companions.
Appearance and Abilities
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has a close resemblance to a Golden Retriever only significantly smaller in size. It is a medium-sized, powerful, compact, balanced, well-muscled dog, medium to heavy in bone, with a high degree of agility, alertness and determination.
It has a straight, repellent, double coat of medium length and softness with a softer, dense undercoat. Also, it has a heavily feathered tail that is constantly wagging with excitement. Its gait and movement gives an impression of power. It’s step is springy, jaunty and displays good reach of forelegs and strong rear drive; parallel movement fore and aft. The breed is extremely athletic.
The coat color comes in various shades of red or orange with lighter colored featherings.
The breed is an excellent swimmer and is well-suited for retrieving water fowls.
Temperament and Tendencies
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is always in high spirits. It is a very lively breed that loves the outdoors very much. It is an intelligent dog, which gets along well with children. They are sensible and very devoted to their families.
Although quite similar in appearance to the Golden Retrievers, Tollers have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. A trait rarely found in Golden retrievers.
They are hard-working and clever, and enjoy being with their masters. Sometimes, its expression may seem low-spirited, but once in the fields to hunt, they become animated and happy hunters.
Training and Care of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers must have regular opportunities to vent their energy and do interesting things. Otherwise they will become rambunctious and bored which they usually express by becoming destructive. Bored Tollers can make a shambles of your house and yard.
They are ideally suited to the active, country dwelling family. They should be socialized from an early age. Dealing with this breed needs a sensitive but firm leadership. The Tollers can be quite independent. Owners must always assume the pack leader status to manage and train them effectively.
Their water-repellent, double coat should be combed and brushed with a firm bristle brush, paying particular attention to the dense undercoat. Dry shampoo regularly, but bathe only when necessary because it removes the natural oils in the skin which make it naturally water resistant.
17 Responses to “How to Train a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever”
I have a female toller, she is two and a half, she is agressive toward other dogs, any tips.
The first question I always have for someone with an aggressive dog is, ‘Tell me about the dog’s obedience training.’
Unfortunately some lines of Tollers are known to be aggressive. This is something you will have to control by enforcing your dominance. Tollers constantly push you just like the article says and you have got to be on your toes with them. They are kind of like naught little children =) When you have a clear establishment of your dominance they are very respectful and the aggression will decline substantially. However, you will need to watch her constantly around other dogs and get on her before she has time to growl or snap. Watch for signs such as stiffening of her neck and tail with the tail held high. Hair raising on her back, walking slowly…if you see those signs all you have to do is correct her and that will stop any potential aggressive behavior.
I have a female Toller who’s 3 and she is absolutely the best dog in the world. Smart, gentle with the kids, and very playful when she wants to be. Too bad many others do not know about this wonderful breed.
They are so rare it’s tough for people to get to know them. Glad to hear you’ve got a great one. Where did you get her?
we are getting a Toller in a few months ( we’re on a breeder wait list) at what age should we start formal obeidence classes?
It depends on a number of factors. Generally speaking you want to start training as soon as possible.
Hi
We just for our Toller puppy from a breeder in Huntsville. He is settling in nicely…and I am ready to start training him. He is just at the 8 week old mark. We will start with puppy socialization and obedience training…but this dog is my hunting buddy!! when can I start training him with bird wings etc.? I dont want my excitement and overeagerness to spoil a great long term hunting relationship.
Good question. TO be honest, I’ve never trained hunting dogs. I’d google some hunting trainers, best of luck!
I started training my girl around 12 weeks for hunting. As soon as she could heel and come back reliably I started rifle and shot gun acclimation and introduced her to wings and moved to whole birds only a few weeks later. Amazing how such a little puppy could hold a whole duck.
Interesting about the aggression. Mine is wonderful about hunting and training, and as long as I’m around we have never had an issue with her attacking my wife’s maltese, but once every few months I’ll leave and she will nab that little thing to put him in his place. I can’t blame her because its the rudest little dog I have ever seen, but we’re seriously afraid she might break or kill him one day.
I started training my Toller at about 4 months. I’m so glad I did because he’s 10 months now and he has been aggressive towards small, timid dogs. Were working on more training, but the puppy training and obedience classes is a good foundation for you and your puppy.
I have a three year old male toller. He has always been a bit of a handful but I love chis cheeky lively nature. I have one major problem I cant get him to walk passed another dog without leaping at it. He used to do this to people but now we have pretty much resolved that. Has anyone got any tips on the best way to get him to pass other dogs. I have tried distracting him with food bt to no avail. Help
Food training just doesn’t work for this type of thing.
Try this method- https://www.dogbehavioronline.com/crazy-man-method-for-leash-walking/
I adopted a sweet female Toller about a month ago. She had been living on an oil field in Oklahoma with her brother for some time before an employee finally delivered them safe to a shelter. I started out fostering her but quickly fell in love with her sweet demeanor and her love of my cat. The issue I have is she is extremely insecure and is scared of her own shadow. She is terrified of going in the door or go out of the door to my home. She also is super skittish of unexpected noise from the T.V. Or a knock at the door or even the vacuum. She cowers and dashes to hide and wets herself. I have never dealt with such a fearful dog in all my years. She is also scared of other dogs and seems to pick up on energy from people because some folks she is curious about and wants to greet and others she cowers and hides behind me. It doesn’t matter if they’re male or female, that’s why I say I think she picks up on their energy, I just don’t get it. She is between 2-4 years old, so she has a long life ahead of her. I would appreciate suggestions to help her gain confidence and eliminate her fear of other people and dogs. I tried a small dog park…..big mistake. Dog classes are my next thought, I just don’t know how she’ll do with other dogs there. I know that deep inside she is a gem of a dog. Her eyes tell quite a story, so I don’t want to be too forcefull too fast. Any suggestions would be a huge help. I am not in a position to pay for private lessons or I would. I just want my retirement years to be full of hiking, camping and exploring with my new companion and for her to enjoy it as much as I do! She is totally content to be by my side every moment of the day…..until something kicks in her fear response. Again, thank you for any suggestions anyone can share with me to help my pretty Maddie. We both appreciate your input! I want her to know that life is a wonderful experience, not a scary one! With gratitude from Colorado, Debbie and Maddie.
Hi Debbie,
I have a female Toller rescue, too - we are so lucky, aren’t we?! Mine isn’t that fearful since I adopted her as a baby, but she’s developing some troubling habits now that she’s 16 months old, like barking for hours, starting at 4 am, and lately, some fear aggression with certain dogs. (All despite getting tons of walking/running/play/training almost every day!) Not good. I consulted a behaviorist, who told me to give my dog treats when she reaches her closest limit to other dogs before she stiffens, to turn her taside so as to avoid a face-to-face confrontation, and to reassure her that she is safe with me by talking and petting her BEFORE she reaches that anxiety zone.
(Dog parks, btw, have always been a stressful experience for her. We went twice-never again.)
I just ordered a thundershirt http://www.thundershirt.com/Product/Thundershirt.aspx?item_guid=ad60b946-f758-45e2-a589-331dda09637e (they sell on Amazon, too), which I’m praying will stop the 4 am barking so we can get a full night’s sleep again. I understand the thunder shirt also helps with fear anxiety as you’ve described your Toller has.
Finally, I totally recommend obedience classes, not just for socialization, but to build your bonds with your Toller in a really healthy way. You should call up your local obedience class places, tell them you have a rescue who is very shy and afraid, so they can suggest the right class re time and content.
In any event, enjoy your beautiful girl!
I have a sweet toller girl, rescued almost 3 yrs ago. She was recently diagnosed with Addison’s disease. Since then she has become territorial and aggressive with some dogs. I’ve read that dog to dog aggression can be hormonal, and since Addison’s effect the adrenals, I wonder if that may be some of the reason for the aggression. Any thoughts?
(We have a total of 7 dogs between immediate family, so despite being adopted at 2 yrs old, she is well socialized)
Thanks for the help!
Hi, thanks for the comment
Could it be hormonal? Perhaps. That’s something you’ll definitely need to address with your vet. If there are hormonal issues at play then hopefully your vet can help you with that.
Training-wise, however, it’s going to require you to get an advanced level of obedience with your dog. Structure and leadership are the name of the game when you’re dealing with aggressive issues.
Also, I need to point out that being around 7 dogs does not make the dog well socialized. She COULD be, I’m not saying she isn’t. But there is so much more to proper socialization than simply being around other dogs.