Meet the rare, water-loving Canadian retriever that looks like a fox and surfs like a pro
Despite their popularity in their native Canada, the Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever is still a rare sight in the UK. Lottie Gross finds out what makes them tick.
The playful ‘dance’ of the Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever is a curious sight to behold. It typically takes place on the shoreline of a river, lake or sea, the dog’s voluminous, orange coat bouncing as they move from side-to-side, their body and steps designed to intrigue and attract the waterfowl paddling past. It is this skill — the ability to lure ducks from deeper waters by mimicking the behaviour of a fox — that makes the duck tolling retriever unique, and has cemented them as the faithful companions of Canadian hunters for centuries.
The Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever was recently thrust into the spotlight with the release of off-beat horror film Good Boy (2025), a story told entirely from the perspective of a dog, Indy (don’t worry, he lives), who belongs, in real life, to the film’s creator, Ben Leonberg. However, they are still relatively rare in the UK, with only a few thousand registered and fewer than 300 born each year.
Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers have water-repellant coats, webbed feet and natural buoyancy — and are regularly spotted competing in North America's increasingly popular dog surfing competitions.
Their origin story begins on the southern tip of the Nova Scotia peninsula, where hunting ducks on the squiggly coastline and myriad lakes of Yarmouth County has been a popular pastime since the 1800s. Duck tolling retrievers were trained to tempt the ducks into range and, once they were dispatched of, retrieve them.
They are also popular pets: Canadian ice dancer Tessa Virtue has one called Zoë; actor Steve Martin has one called Sonny. The retrievers made their way across the pond in the 1980s, but would-be owners beware. They are as demanding as they are delightful and you need to be prepared to put up with the ‘toller scream’, high-pitched and frantic calls that sound alarming, but are in fact their way of expressing excitement. Energetic, athletic and highly intelligent, duck tolling retrievers need hobbies, jobs and plenty of exercise. Think flyball, agility and dock diving. The upside? They are very trainable and pick up tricks quickly. Surprisingly, they are also sensitive, so may be cautious, or even suspicious, of strangers.
'Owners often report being stopped in the street by strangers'
Often mistaken for large spaniels, this breed is, in fact, the smallest of the retrievers. They have a deliciously soft, medium-length double coat with white markings and a feathered tail which requires regular brushing and the occasional trim around the paws and face — a small sacrifice for such a handsome hound. Their style is so unusual and demeanour so alert and intriguing, that owners often report being stopped in the street by strangers.
The Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever might be rare, but those who choose to take one on rarely have any regrets. Spirited and deeply devoted to their family, this breed will ask a great deal of you — regular exercise, plenty of patience and a good sense of humour — but it gives back far more in return.
