History

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has been recognized as a purebred dog by the Canadian Kennel Club since 1945. The duck-attracting retriever dog from Nova Scotia, the Peninsula on the east coast of Canada, is the national dog of Nova Scotia. He is actually a highly specialized hunting dog, bred to attract ducks, similar to the decoy dogs in Holland and England, e.g. the "Kooiker", with which especially from the 17th to the 19th century this and similar forms of duck hunting were practiced.

When tolling on ducks, the hunter lets the toller retrieve from a hiding place with sticks on the shore. Since the Toller reacts to the slightest movements and is very lively, the ducks notice the dog with the conspicuous flor, color and the color markings and the rushing movement. Ducks now tend to want to control the danger, swim closer and observe the enemy, which they probably think is a fox. Once they are within firing range, the dog will be whistled off, the ducks will be shot, and the Toller will retrieve them from the water like clockwork.

Opinions differ about the Toller's ancestors. One theory is, that the "Kooiker" played an essential role and the breed came to Canada via Holland and England and developed there. Others represent opinion that the Mi'kmaq Indians observed foxes attracting ducks and bred dogs that resembled foxes in appearance and behavior. What is certain, however, is that as early as the mid-17th century, immigrants reported about foxes, which attracted ducks by "tolling" on the shore and caught them in this way. Accordingly, dogs began to be bred and trained. How however, the Toller is somewhat different from the English retrievers: more lively, nimble and playful.

That the breed was recognized by Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) in 1945 was largely due to the efforts of Colonel Coldwell. His interest in the breed began around 1920 and he acquired his first Toller in 1924. He quickly realized that these unique dogs were in danger of extinction, as many had been killed by the distemper epidemic between 1908 and 1912. In his efforts, he searched for Tollers throughout the country. In a span of 30 years, he owned a total of a total of 82 Tollers, from which he tried to form a breed standard. In 1945 the first 15 Tollers were registered in the CKC.

The Toller spread first in Canada and the USA and only 1980 came the first Toller to Denmark, in 1984 to Sweden, in 1985 to Finland. Only in 1988 the Toler came to England. In 1989 Linus Bos in Holland was the first Toller breeder. In Switzerland the first Toller litter fell in 1993 in the kennel "Objibwa". Toller breeding in Germany began in 1996 in the kennel "of Oskeola". Unfortunately, this kennel no longer exists. In Poland began the began in 2002 in the kennel "Virgo Vestalis".

Today, most Tollers no longer live in Canada (about 2,500), but in Sweden (about 3,200).