The “toller” originated in Little River Harbour in Yarmouth County and was officially declared the Nova Scotia Provincial dog in 1995. They are a medium-sized breed and the smallest of the retrievers weighing between 30-50 pounds and stand at about 20 inches. They are often mistaken for a mini golden retriever. The toller is highly intelligent and typically has endless amounts of energy.
Their name comes from their ability to lure waterfowl such as “ducks” which is called tolling. They look similar to the fox allowing them to frolick along shorelines attracting birds to come in to protect their nests on shore. The hunter who stays hidden then calls the dog back, shoots his prey, and the toller is sent out to retrieve. Although they excel at this, they were also bred to be a perfect overall hunting dog.
The toller is very athletic, well muscled, compact, medium boned and powerful. They can be found in various shades of red and typically have at least one white marking at the tip of the tail, feet, chest and blaze although some may have no white at all. Complete with a water-repellent double coat and a dense undercoat this dog loves to swim no matter the temperature of the water. Due to their high energy and intelligence they are happiest when they have a job to do so if not hunting they make excellent agility, obedience, and search and rescue dogs. If they aren’t stimulated, they can become bored and destructive.
While tollers can be very social dogs, socialization has to start from an early age. They are lovely with their family and people they know but can be reserved around strangers. Tollers have an intense prey drive so need to be exposed to as much as possible at a young age, especially to cats. They are a relatively healthy breed with no significant health concerns.
Featured pup is my duck toller “Bonnie Roslyn” which is Gaelic for beautiful little redhead AKA Rozzie. She is a ten year old full of beautiful energy toller. She certainly has her issues with social behaviour and has a massive prey drive, but she is a healthy, happy dog that adores her family.
Written by Erin Pettipas, VA
