meet the... Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, and slightly wedge-shaped. It is in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is sufficiently broad, only slightly arched in profile, and flat when viewed from the front. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles, to occiput not prominent.
• Expression: Lively, alert, intelligent, kind.
• Stop: The stop is moderate.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 5:4, with the topskull being just greater in length than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis may be parallel or just slightly convergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is full and broad, tapering slightly from the broader base toward the nose. The plane, or bridge, of the muzzle is straight and level. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are well pigmented, clean, and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws without overhang. They should never extend below the lower plane of the bottom jawline.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and self-colored according to the coat. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled and well-filled under the eyes. They should not appear chiseled or coarse.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, almond in shape, and amber to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Medium in size. Set somewhat high and fairly well back on the skull. There is a good lift at the base, but the tips are held close to the head without a fold or "fly-away" appearance.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never racy nor refined, nor heavy and cloddy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for a good head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers slightly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well developed without being excessively pronounced.
• Topline: Straight and level from withers to croup. The back is rather short, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, and level. The back is never elongated, swayed, or roached.
• Croup: Gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually just below the level with the topline, but carried gaily when working, the tip never touching the dog’s back and never tucked against the abdomen. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, or sabered.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are fairly long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are fairly long and equal in length, strong, moderate bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads. Toes are well-webbed for swimming.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: Thick, weather-resistant, water-repellant, double-coat that is medium-length, flat, or slightly wavy. The coat is short on the face, forehead, and front of the forelimbs and hindlimbs. The coat is longer on the neck, rear of the forelimbs and hindlimbs, and feet. The coat is fairly well fringed throughout the backs of the limbs, underline, chest, shoulders, and neck, and a well-plumed, bushy tail. The undercoat should be thick and protective.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Orange-red with white markings.

Movement

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever breed has a smooth, flowing gait with graceful movements. Energetic, effortless, and efficient, the characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

For the most part, the Nova Scotia Duck Tollin Retriever breed keeps a good disposition but tends to “sulk” until they are permitted to do their favorite activity: work. Tollers are exceptional working dogs, and their keen intelligence allows them to take on far more tasks than tolling work. If they are provided adequate training and exercise to combat their high-energy nature, they make excellent companion dogs. They are loyal, sweet, and devoted to their people. These dogs are energetic and lively. Regular training and exercise are recommended for this breed, as pent-up energy can manifest in behavioral issues later down the road.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper, healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.