The 27th breed in our dog of the day series is the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever!
This breed is the smallest of the retrievers, and not surprisingly, it was developed to toll, lure and retrieve waterfowl. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has a water-repellant double coat in red with white markings. “Tolling” is an old hunting method in which a dog drew ducks and other water birds towards the hunter in the style of a fox.
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is a bit of a genetic phenomenon – a combination of Golden, Chesapeake Bay, Labrador and Flat-Coated Retrievers with some Cocker Spaniel, Irish Setter and small farm collies and spitzes thrown in!