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Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever breed guide
The American Kennel Club calls the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever the smallest of the AKC's retrievers, intelligent, affectionate and eager to please and says you can play fetch with a tireless Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever until your right arm falls off. It will ask you to throw left-handed.
The little hunting dog with the big name has a stunning crimson coat from golden red to dark coppery with white markings.
Temperament
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are upbeat athletes that need outlets for boundless vigor: hunting, hiking, camping and, of course, swimming. They are a curious mixture of stubborn and soft, with at times the brain of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the heart of a spaniel.
That mixture can make them challenging to train, since you do not always know whether the dog is putting one over on you.
Lifespan
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers live 12 to 14 years. Addison's disease often does not surface until middle age, by which time the dog may have already produced offspring. Efforts to develop a gene-marker test have not succeeded so far.
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are also somewhat more prone than other breeds to autoimmune-related issues.
Care
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers need weekly brushing, often daily in shedding season, with special attention around and under the ears, where the coat is finer and knots more easily. Because they should be presented naturally, they need little additional grooming.
Most Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers have a medium to high energy level and a brisk 30-minute walk or a couple of ball-chasing sessions a day suffice for many, though some need more.
History
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, also called the Decoy Dog, was bred by 19th-century sportsmen in the Little River District of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia and Yarmouth Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and Little River Duck Dog were once alternate breed names.
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers were made for an ingenious hunting method: they imitate the curious activity of foxes, whose color and quick movements fascinate waterfowl, so a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever playing fetch along the shoreline draws ducks offshore with its feathery tail and red coat.
AKC trait ratings
| Trait | AKC rating | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Level | 5 of 5 | Couch Potato to High Energy |
| Trainability Level | 5 of 5 | Self-Willed to Eager to Please |
| Shedding Level | 3 of 5 | No Shedding to Hair Everywhere |
| Barking Level | 2 of 5 | Only To Alert to Very Vocal |
| Adaptability Level | 4 of 5 | Lives For Routine to Highly Adaptable |
| Good With Young Children | 5 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Children |
| Good With Other Dogs | 4 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Other Dogs |
| Watchdog/Protective Nature | 3 of 5 | What's Mine Is Yours to Vigilant |