The smallest of the retrievers, this medium-sized, athletic sporting dog is known for its distinctive reddish coat with white markings and enthusiastic personality. Originally bred for luring and retrieving waterfowl by playing along the shoreline.
Developed in early 19th century Nova Scotia, specifically in the Little River Harbour area of Yarmouth County, to 'toll' (lure) ducks within gunshot range by playing along the shoreline, then retrieve shot birds. Recognized by AKC in 2003.
“The Toller is highly intelligent, easy to train and has great endurance. A strong and able swimmer, he is a natural and tenacious retriever on land and from water setting himself for springy action the moment the slightest indication is given that retrieving is required. His strong retrieving desire and playfulness are qualities essential to his tolling ability”
Quoted from FCI standard n°312. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory — Cardiac Laminopathy (CLAM) in the NSDTR. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
What a judge marks the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour and size. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
The Toller was bred to retrieve from icy waters and must have a water-repellent double coat of medium length and softness with a softer, dense undercoat.
The coat may have a slight wave on the back, but is otherwise straight.
Some winter coats may form a long, loose curl at the throat.
Featherings are soft at the throat, behind the ears and at the back of the thighs, and forelegs are moderately feathered
Shortened from FCI standard n°312 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health.
Weight (kg)
Size categories by adult weight, from Montoya et al. 2023.
The standard's words
“Ideal height for males over 18 months is 19-20 ins. (48-51 cm); females over 18 months 18-19 ins. (45-48 cm). One inch (2,5 cm) over or under ideal height is allowed. Weight: Should be in proportion to the height and bone of the dog - Guidelines: 45-51 lbs. (20-23 kg) for adult males; bitches 37-43 lbs. (17-20 kg)”
Quoted from FCI standard n°312.
An adult's measurements, per the standard. It does not say how big this puppy will be. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
10 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
Malformation of the hip joint that can progress to osteoarthritis. In Swedish screening of young adult dogs (2007-2016), about one in eight of 2,165 Tollers had some degree of hip dysplasia (grade C or worse), mostly mild.
What to ask for
Hip evaluation from OFA or PennHIP on both parents
An inherited birth defect described in this breed: affected puppies are born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate, and some with fused toes. It is recessive. Roughly one in eleven of 63 Tollers in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Cleft lip and palate with syndactyly (ADAMTS20, Toller type) DNA test result, on both parents
The chromosome-12 FGF4 insertion makes the spinal discs degenerate early, which raises the risk of a disc rupture that can cause pain or paralysis, and one copy is enough to raise it. The variant was first traced in this breed, through short-legged Tollers, and Tollers with disc disease were among the cases in that study. It is very common in the breed — in a screen of 63 Tollers about half carried it and about one in twelve carried two copies.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
A recently characterised recessive condition affecting the cerebellum and the muscles, causing loss of coordination and balance that began between 10 weeks and 6 months old; two of the four puppies described also developed muscle weakness and exercise intolerance. About one in fourteen of 380 European Tollers and one in 38 of 153 North American Tollers carried it.
What to ask for
DNA test for CDMC on both parents
A slow, progressive disease of the spinal cord causing weakness and eventual paralysis of the hind legs, usually starting between 8 and 14 years old. There is no cure, only management. Dogs with two copies of the SOD1 variant are the ones at risk, and not every such dog develops the disease. In two small screens, 7 of 59 Tollers carried the variant (one of them with two copies) and roughly one in eleven of 63 did.
What to ask for
DNA test for the SOD1 gene mutation on both parents
A recently identified, fatal heart condition causing dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden death in young adult dogs, typically before 18 months old. There is no treatment. It is mainly recessive: the dogs with two copies died suddenly between 10 and 15 months old, and one carrier also died suddenly at five years. About one in eleven of 300 North American Tollers carried it, against only one of 422 mostly Swiss Tollers.
What to ask for
DNA test for the LMNA gene deletion on both parents
Malformation of the hip joint that can progress to osteoarthritis. In Swedish screening of young adult dogs (2007-2016), about one in eight of 2,165 Tollers had some degree of hip dysplasia (grade C or worse), mostly mild.
What to ask for
Hip evaluation from OFA or PennHIP on both parents
The chromosome-12 FGF4 insertion makes the spinal discs degenerate early, which raises the risk of a disc rupture that can cause pain or paralysis, and one copy is enough to raise it. The variant was first traced in this breed, through short-legged Tollers, and Tollers with disc disease were among the cases in that study. It is very common in the breed — in a screen of 63 Tollers about half carried it and about one in twelve carried two copies.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
A recently identified, fatal heart condition causing dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden death in young adult dogs, typically before 18 months old. There is no treatment. It is mainly recessive: the dogs with two copies died suddenly between 10 and 15 months old, and one carrier also died suddenly at five years. About one in eleven of 300 North American Tollers carried it, against only one of 422 mostly Swiss Tollers.
What to ask for
DNA test for the LMNA gene deletion on both parents
An inherited birth defect described in this breed: affected puppies are born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate, and some with fused toes. It is recessive. Roughly one in eleven of 63 Tollers in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Cleft lip and palate with syndactyly (ADAMTS20, Toller type) DNA test result, on both parents
Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
An inherited eye malformation ranging from a small area of underdeveloped tissue at the back of the eye with no effect on sight, to retinal detachment and blindness in its more severe form. It is present from birth and normally checked for in puppies before sale.
What to ask for
DNA test for CEA/CH on both parents, or an eye examination under a recognised scheme (CAER/BVA-KC-ISDS) on puppies before 8 weeks old
Progressive, incurable degeneration of the retina leading to blindness.
What to ask for
DNA test for prcd-PRA on both parents
A juvenile form of hypoadrenocorticism in which the adrenal glands stop producing essential hormones, typically appearing around 5 months of age with lethargy, vomiting and diarrhoea, sometimes alongside eye inflammation. It needs lifelong hormone replacement once diagnosed.
What to ask for
DNA test for the RESF1 gene variant on both parents
An inherited eye malformation ranging from a small area of underdeveloped tissue at the back of the eye with no effect on sight, to retinal detachment and blindness in its more severe form. It is present from birth and normally checked for in puppies before sale.
What to ask for
DNA test for CEA/CH on both parents, or an eye examination under a recognised scheme (CAER/BVA-KC-ISDS) on puppies before 8 weeks old
Found in roughly one in a hundred to one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened.
A second inherited birth defect described in this breed, separate from the one above: affected puppies are born with a cleft palate and a shortened lower jaw, like Pierre Robin sequence in children. It is recessive. When it was found, 16 of 96 Tollers tested carried it; a recent screen found one copy among 61.
What to ask for
Cleft palate (DLX6, Toller type) DNA test result, on both parents
A second inherited birth defect described in this breed, separate from the one above: affected puppies are born with a cleft palate and a shortened lower jaw, like Pierre Robin sequence in children. It is recessive. When it was found, 16 of 96 Tollers tested carried it; a recent screen found one copy among 61.
What to ask for
Cleft palate (DLX6, Toller type) DNA test result, on both parents
Median survival 13.2 years
95% confidence interval from 12.2 years, upper bound not estimable, from 47 recorded deaths among 248 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.65 (0.49, 0.87) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Few deaths recorded for this breed, so the figure is imprecise.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
A recently characterised recessive condition affecting the cerebellum and the muscles, causing loss of coordination and balance that began between 10 weeks and 6 months old; two of the four puppies described also developed muscle weakness and exercise intolerance. About one in fourteen of 380 European Tollers and one in 38 of 153 North American Tollers carried it.
What to ask for
DNA test for CDMC on both parents
A slow, progressive disease of the spinal cord causing weakness and eventual paralysis of the hind legs, usually starting between 8 and 14 years old. There is no cure, only management. Dogs with two copies of the SOD1 variant are the ones at risk, and not every such dog develops the disease. In two small screens, 7 of 59 Tollers carried the variant (one of them with two copies) and roughly one in eleven of 63 did.
What to ask for
DNA test for the SOD1 gene mutation on both parents
Progressive, incurable degeneration of the retina leading to blindness.
What to ask for
DNA test for prcd-PRA on both parents
A juvenile form of hypoadrenocorticism in which the adrenal glands stop producing essential hormones, typically appearing around 5 months of age with lethargy, vomiting and diarrhoea, sometimes alongside eye inflammation. It needs lifelong hormone replacement once diagnosed.
What to ask for
DNA test for the RESF1 gene variant on both parents
