Breed Description

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever bears the resemblance of a Golden Retriever. This medium-sized muscular breed is medium-to-heavy structured. A balanced breed, this hardworking dog weighs between 35-50 pounds, and stands around 17-21 inches high at the shoulders.

Coat

The coat of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is water repellant. This double-coated breed has a medium-length, soft, and dense undercoat. During winter season, their coats can form into a loose curl at the throat. Feathers may even appear, and are soft textured. Their coats can be any hue between red and orange.

Activity

The breed requires a great deal of exercise. They particularly love going for a swim, and retrieving. Both of these are ideal activities for this athletic breed. With proper training, they will do well in sports such as agility skill trials, obedience competitions, and fly ball.

Temperament

A highly intelligent, devoted, and affectionate breed, they are gentle and patient. They make a delightful family pet and a companion. These dogs are playful and active, and particularly enjoy playing fetch due to their natural ability to retrieve. This breed is generally wary around strangers, and will never hesitate to bark at anyone he doesn't know.

Overview

Originally developed during the 19th century, the breed was primarily developed to toll and retrieve waterfowl. These intelligent dogs were trained to play, jump, and run along the shorelines to get the attention of nearby ducks and lure them for their hunting masters to shoot at.

Care

The breed will do fine in an apartment dwelling provided that he is given enough exercise. This breed will need a lot of vigorous exercise; otherwise he will be destructive, or even depressed. He will do well in cold climates, and will not like being left outdoors in high temperatures.

Their coats should be combed regularly, bathing should be done only when necessary, and teeth should be brushed at least twice weekly.

Training

The breed has a character of great determination, high intelligence, and excellent stamina. These moderate sized breed has high agility. Training this breed is a pleasure as they will dedicate themselves to whatever task is given. This breed is eager to please, so training should be gentle. Tollers will do everything to make their owners happy, and disappointed owners will be a burden for these enthusiastic dogs. Training should be firm and consistent with heavy socialization, ongoing activity, and basic manners.

Character

The sporty Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has the character of great versatility, personality, and low maintenance coat. Smallest of the retriever breeds, they usually share a lot of same traits, including intelligence, happy disposition, and strong working drive.