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Meet the breedThe small retriever with a clever jobCharacter, size, and what surprises new owners
The Toller is the smallest retriever, developed to lure and retrieve waterfowl. Its quick mind and athletic build make a better match for active games than for a life spent admiring its red coat.
Adults commonly weigh 35–50 lb; a typical lifespan guide is 12–14 years. These are breed-wide guides, never targets or forecasts for an individual pet.
Daily life & exerciseA day with a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling RetrieverExercise, play, and a practical daily rhythm
Your Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever may need an active day. Walks are a start; training games, play, and time outdoors add work for both body and brain. Build a puppy's activity gradually and ask your veterinarian about the right pace.
For the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, a small obstacle game can be fun to learn together; keep jumps and difficulty suitable for age and build.
What would your Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever love?
Add their age, size, and favorite things. We’ll find a few good places to start.
Training & temperamentLearning together with a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling RetrieverGood manners and individual personality
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is often intelligent, affectionate, and outgoing.
Give your Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever a suitable search, fetch, or chase game when they enjoy it, and practice stopping and returning before excitement runs away with the lesson.
Coat & groomingThe Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever coatGrooming and everyday care
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever's short coat is simpler to brush, but a grooming session is still a useful chance to check the skin and paws. A weekly brushing is a sensible baseline; add sessions when the coat sheds or tangles more. Expect a bigger shed at certain times of year.
Bringing home a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppy?
Plan their first days with a little help from our puppy welcome kit.
Build a puppy welcome kitProduct starting pointsGood finds for your Nova Scotia Duck Tolling RetrieverFood, play, care, and rest
Choose food for your Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever's life stage and measured weight. The breed range is a clue, but the portion and fit should follow the individual. Use your dog's measurements for a harness, carrier, crate, or bed; a breed name is not a size chart.
For your Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, start with something suited to agility-style games, plus a brush chosen for the actual coat. Add a comfortable rest spot; a good product list should follow this dog's interests, not a breed stereotype.
Health & lifespanCaring for a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever over time12–14 years is a guide, not a forecast
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has a lifespan guide of 12–14 years, though no range predicts one dog's future. Keep a record of weight and changes in appetite or activity, and plan preventive care with your veterinarian.
If you are meeting a breeder, ask to see the parents' screening records. The AKC lists hip evaluations, heart examinations, and eye examinations for the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. These checks are questions for breeding stock, not a prediction of a puppy's future health.