Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Retrievers & water dogs

Medium

Median 13.2 y

FCI group 8 · Retrievers, Flushing Dogs and Water Dogs · The breed standard (FCI 312)

Median survival across 333 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 10–15 y

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is a medium-sized gun dog bred primarily for hunting. It is often referred to as a "toller". It is the smallest of the retrievers, and is often mistaken for a small Golden Retriever.

Affectionate

Intelligent

Outgoing

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · reference ranges from the Kintail breed dataset

Adult weight

Reference

Male

20–23 kg

Female

17–20 kg

The breed standard (FCI 312)

Weight for age

Stock data

Male

Female

Expected range

Expected range from the breed's own adult weight, kilograms. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (15–30 kg band).

Heat cycles · females

Stock data

First heat

8–12 mo

typical

Interval

180 d

typical

Bleeding

~9 d

typical

Proestrus 9d

Estrus 9d

Diestrus 52d

Anestrus 110d

General figures for dogs, not for this breed — individual cycles vary widely.

Questions people ask

Adult males usually weigh 20–23 kg and females 17–20 kg. Most are close to their full size by around 15 months, though the last little bit of filling out takes longer. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (15–30 kg band).

No Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever cycle figures are published here yet, so this is general guidance rather than a breed number: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later.

The median is 13.2 y. Median survival across 333 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 10–15 y. How the later years go comes down to weight, teeth, exercise and regular check-ups far more than to the breed.