Went to a ringcraft class with a friends new beardie pup last night ...just wanted to say how lovely I thought the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling breed is ..really caught my eye , gundogs dont usually float my boat .... but had to say how impressed I was by this particular breed couldn't take my eyes of them for the whole night. :)

They are very special :)

anyone who is interested in the breed have alook here http://www.thetollerclub.org.uk  The forum is very active and great fun :D

They are lovely, but I've noticed quite a big variation in size and head shapes etc. in the last couple of years.  They seem a lot smaller and chunkier to what they were say 12 years ago.

I agree they are very special ;-)

There still is quite a lot of variation, although breed standard is 18-19 inches for bitches and 19-20 inches for dogs, there are bitches as small as 16 inches and dogs as tall as 24 inches. Those seen in the breed ring are starting to be more similar though.

I have 2 bitches in the 18-19 inch range and a 24 inch male!! :-)

I will ask the owner if I can take some pics next week if I remember .... I know they are being shown at the moment so some of you may have seen them before.

Friend has had them/bred them for about ten years. Very versatile - obedience, agility, gundog. I like them and may have one in the future :)

I will ask the owner if I can take some pics next week if I remember .... I know they are being shown at the moment so some of you may have seen them before.

If they show, then I will probably know them :) We are a small breed and everyone knows everyone else.

They do vary alot in size in type, but they are becoming more even.  I have got a bitch that is 16 1/2 inches and a dog of 21 1/2 inches!
I like them all being different :)

Kayenine - I can guess who you are lol

> Kayenine - I can guess who you are lol

;-)

We have 2 at the ring craft and a credit to their young owner.  :)

I have always admired them as a breed too and one day when I don't have a house full would love to own one :)

Have to say I agree, they're gorgeous. My husband wanted one a while back but as he's always had labs which are normally very easy & he works all day (without his dogs!), I managed to persuade him not to (however tempted I might of been lol!)  I would have been the carer & think we have enough dogs needing our care & attention. 

I do still wander around the breed ring if I get a chance ;-)

Tollers are not really easy dogs, they are very intelligent!  and need to 'do' something with their brains, otherwise they will get bored.  A bored toller is not good!  They seem to learn differently to other dogs, they don't do repetitive training and if they can find an easier way of doing something, they will do it that way! 

Alot of people think they are small golden retrievers, they are not!!!

Tollers are not really easy dogs, they are very intelligent!  and need to 'do' something with their brains, otherwise they will get bored.  A bored toller is not good!

That's exactly why I persuaded him not to have a Toller.  His labs are content for me just to take them out for quick runs during the day (although they love finding dummies etc), but I felt having another breed to learn their foibles, especially ones with a brain, I did not have the time to spend that I would have liked, with kids & other dogs.........  we will still adore from afar :-)