Hello
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12-16-2008, 10:41 AM
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12-20-2008, 08:14 PM
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#14
12-22-2008, 02:37 PM
RE: Hello
Pleased to meet all of you.
The Nova Scotia duck Tolling Retriever or Toller is the smallest of the retriever breeds and perhaps the oldest. There are records and drawings of a dog breed that tolled in the 16th century....long before there were Goldens and Labs.
Males stand about 18 to 21 inches at the shoulders with the ideal being 19 inches. Females are 17 to 20 inches with the ideal being 18 inches. Everything about the dog is "medium" which translates into roughly...just a dog. However, the markings are distinctive as is it's role. Tollers are always red. It may be a light red or a dark red but always red. The dog will have from 0 to 4 white feet, possibly head and chest blazes and possibly a white tail tip. All of this creates a "autumn" colored dog.
When hunting the Toller serves as a live decoy. You sneak up on a pond with ducks and then put the dog "in play." You toss a stick or ball out 20-30 feet and the dog goes and get it. The dog may walk out and run back, run out and walk back...even run out and play around a bit and then bring something else back. It's all about creating motion on the shore. The dog is autumn colored with flashes of white. The ducks don't see a threatening dog....they see moving bits of red and white. When their curiousity causes them to swim towards you to investigate, then you hide the dog. When they stop coming, you put the dog back in play. IOW, it's the random appearence and disappearrance of a random motion on the shore that lures the ducks.
The thing that really intrigues me is that the dog seems to know when it's working and enjoys it. Retrieving is necessary work but the tolling is an enjoyablechallenge to the dog. The dog knows the ducks are there but won't flush them. Once Ihad a mixed bag of ducks and geese actually beach to get a look at my dog.
There are historically about a half dozen breeds thattoll birds but this is the only breed that both tolls and retrieves. The pictures I have all will need to be resized. In the meantime, here's a URL to a photo gallery of Tollers in the field. (http://www.nsdtrc-usa.org/2004photo_contest.htm)Shot #19 actually shows mydog with birds coming across the water .... in an urban setting.
Remember.....you asked.<g>
Eric Johnson
The Nova Scotia duck Tolling Retriever or Toller is the smallest of the retriever breeds and perhaps the oldest. There are records and drawings of a dog breed that tolled in the 16th century....long before there were Goldens and Labs.
Males stand about 18 to 21 inches at the shoulders with the ideal being 19 inches. Females are 17 to 20 inches with the ideal being 18 inches. Everything about the dog is "medium" which translates into roughly...just a dog. However, the markings are distinctive as is it's role. Tollers are always red. It may be a light red or a dark red but always red. The dog will have from 0 to 4 white feet, possibly head and chest blazes and possibly a white tail tip. All of this creates a "autumn" colored dog.
When hunting the Toller serves as a live decoy. You sneak up on a pond with ducks and then put the dog "in play." You toss a stick or ball out 20-30 feet and the dog goes and get it. The dog may walk out and run back, run out and walk back...even run out and play around a bit and then bring something else back. It's all about creating motion on the shore. The dog is autumn colored with flashes of white. The ducks don't see a threatening dog....they see moving bits of red and white. When their curiousity causes them to swim towards you to investigate, then you hide the dog. When they stop coming, you put the dog back in play. IOW, it's the random appearence and disappearrance of a random motion on the shore that lures the ducks.
The thing that really intrigues me is that the dog seems to know when it's working and enjoys it. Retrieving is necessary work but the tolling is an enjoyablechallenge to the dog. The dog knows the ducks are there but won't flush them. Once Ihad a mixed bag of ducks and geese actually beach to get a look at my dog.
There are historically about a half dozen breeds thattoll birds but this is the only breed that both tolls and retrieves. The pictures I have all will need to be resized. In the meantime, here's a URL to a photo gallery of Tollers in the field. (http://www.nsdtrc-usa.org/2004photo_contest.htm)Shot #19 actually shows mydog with birds coming across the water .... in an urban setting.
Remember.....you asked.<g>
Eric Johnson
#15
12-22-2008, 09:02 PM
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#16
12-23-2008, 03:12 AM
