OUR GOALS AS BREEDERS

Tollers have been part of our lives since 1993.   We are very passionate about this breed and have made it our commitment to preserve the original qualities of the breed by preserving the true temperament of the Toller.   We strive to select breeding pairs that are good representations of the breed, by their success in the conformation ring as well as proven working dogs.  Be they hunters or performance dogs.

Our adults have always been actively trained and proven in the hunt test game as well as additional types of dog sports.  

Why is it important to prove our dogs can work?  

Simply, they are not all created equal.  Not all breeders spend the hours we do working their dogs outside the home.  If we do not spend time training and working with our own dogs, how can we determine the strength and weaknesses in proper temperament?  Its critical for us to know, in order to work to improve on the puppies we produce.  We want to preserve the proper qualities of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, that make this a fantastic dog for the family pet/hunting/working companion.   They should be a dog that is easy to live with, has the proper drive to hunt and intelligence/biddability to work.  This does not come by simply breeding Dog A to Dog B.    

We are extremely selective of the dogs we use in our breeding program and our goal is always to produce quality over quantity.  We breed for the whole dog, we do not breed to one genetic test or to certain physical traits.  Its mind, health and structure to be able to perform. 

Our selection critieria for a breeding pair:

  •  breeding to the Canadian Kennel Club breed standard for the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, with the goal of improving on the structure and temperament of our own dog. No dog is perfect.  https://toller.ca/tollers/ckc-standard/

  •  require health clearances/genetic test results of both parents(OFA hips/elbows, heart, PRA, CEA, JADD, CP, CLPS,DM,DE, CDDY)   We also thoroughly research the pedigree of both parents and try to not double up on any health issues in the ancestors, to the best of our ability.  We want our pups to be given the best chance at a long, healthy life.  https://toller.ca/health/

  • temperament and working ability.  We ensure we meet the dogs we plan to use to know for ourselves that their temperament is what we want.  We seek pedigrees of known working and show quality lines to maintain our goal of top quality Tollers, that can succeed in the showring as well as be mentally and structurally great working companions.  

 We dont price our puppies higher than other breeders but we look for homes that respect our passion to maintain the qualities of the breed, so preference does go to homes seeking to do dog sports and/or hunt their Toller.  Active pet homes are still available to those that are willing to stay in regular contact with us and possibly consider working with their Toller.   Trust us, a well trained Toller is a fantastic addition to your home.  

PUPPY RAISING


We breed only on occasion when we have a significant amount of interest from homes seeking one of our pups.   Our pups are not sold via a waiting list but more to the homes that fit the criteria we seek.

The pups are raised in our home.  We start them off on early neurological stimulation and scent introduction and they get handled a great deal.  We basically are home all the time and on constant watch, sleeping at night in the room with them until we are sure they are healthy and strong to be OK with Mom. 

We follow a combination of puppy culture and other enrichment programs we have studied, all age appropriate. 

At about 4 weeks, they are moved to our enlarged puppy area, where they have more room to play and interact.  As they develop we introduce them to more stimuli and around 5 weeks, depending on outdoor temperatures they can start to have time outdoors.  We have an outdoor play area that is safe and which they can go in and out through a dog door.  They love it.  

We have visitors of all ages.  Take them on supervised adventure walks in our yard and the forested area behind our home.  They get introduced to water if warm enough, duck/goose/pheasant and live pigeons for assessment for hunt. 

They are introduced to a potty area at about 2 weeks and by the time they are 7-8 weeks, they prefer to potty outside.  

We do early clicker introduction, recall training with voice/whistle, crate introduction, car introduction, collar and leash introduction.

All pups are dewormed and vaccinated with DA2PP core vaccines, as per our veterinarian.  

Any questions we are happy to answer.  




Krista is currently a member of the Canadian Kennel Club, NSDTR Club of Canada, Pacific Rim Hunting Retriever Club, Salt Chuck Hunting Retriever Club, Upper Island Retriever Club and Cowichan Dog Obedience Training Club.  As well Krista is a recognized CKC hunt test and WC test judge.  Previous president of the NSDTRCC for 2 terms, current club historian.


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