Standard, Nova scotia duck tolling retriever

 Homeland: Canada

General Appearance: Medium-sized, compact. Powerful, well-muscled. A heavily feathered tail, constantly moving.

Temperament: The Toller is highly intelligent, easy to train and has great endurance. A strong and able swimmer, he is a natural and tenacious retriever on land and on water.
His strong retrieving desire and playfulness are qualities essential to his tolling ability.

Head: The head is clean-cut and slightly wedge shaped and must be must be in proportion to body size. The broad skull is only slightly rounded, the occiput not prominent and the cheeks flat. The muzzle tapers in a clean line from stop to nose. Hair on the muzzle is short and fine.

The nose color should be flesh-colored or black. Lips fit fairly tightly and the color should blend with that of the coat or be black.

The correct bite is tight scissors, full dentition is required. Jaws are strong enough to carry a size able bird.

Tollers got eyes set well apart, almond shaped, medium sized. Color amber to brown. Flesh around eyes should be the same color as the lips.
The ears are triangular, of medium size, set high and well back on the skull with the base held very slightly erect.

Neck: Strongly muscled and well so on, of medium length with no indication of throatiness.

Body: Deep chested with good spring of rib, brisket reaching to the elbow. The neck is short and straight, the topline level, the loins strong and muscular. The ribs are well-sprung, neither barrel-shaped nor flat. Tuckup is moderate.

Forequarters: Muscular with the blade well laid back and well laid on, giving good withers sloping into a short back. The blade and upper arm are roughly equal in length. Elbows should be close to the body turning neither in nor out, working cleanly and evenly.

The forelegs should appear as parallel columns straight and strong in bone. The pasterns are strong and slightly sloping. The strong webbed feet are of medium size, tight and round, with well-arched toes and thick pads. Dewclaws may be removed.

Hindquarters: Muscular, broad and square in appearance. Rear and front angulation should be in balance. Thighs are very muscular, upper and lower sections bent approximately equal in length. Stifles are well bent and hock well down, turning neither in nor out. Dewclaws must not be present.

Tail: Following the natural very slight slope of the croup, broad at the base, luxuriant and well feathered, with the last vertebra reaching at least to the hock. The tail may be carried below the level of the back except when the dog is alert, it curves high over, though never touching, the body.

Coat and colour: The Toller was bred to retrieve from icy waters and must have a waterrepellant double coat of medium length and softness with softer dense undercoat. The coat may have a slight wave on the back, but is otherwise straight. Featherings are soft at the throat, behind the ears and at the back of the thighs, and forelegs are moderately feathered. Color is various shades of red or orange with lighter featherings and underside of tail, and usually at least one of the following white markings - a tip of tail, feet, chest and blaze.

Gait: The Toller combines an impression of power with a springy gait, showing good reach in front and a strong driving rear. Feet should turn neither in nor out and legs travel in a straight line. As speed increases, the dog should single-track with the topline remaining

 Height:Ideal height . . .

3 cm over or under ideal height is allowed

Weight: Weight should be in proportion to the height and bone of the dog.

Weight guidelines:

Disqualifications:

?         White on shoulders, around ears, on back of neck, across back of flanks.

?         Silvery coat, grey in coat, black areas in coat.

?         Lack of webbing in feet.

?         Undershot bite, wry mouth. Overshot bite, by more than 1/8".

?         In adult classes, any shyness.

?         Butterfly nose.

?         Any color other than shades of red or orange.

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