Yay! Toller thread.
It's ridiculous really how excited I get when I see a Toller topic pop up, LOL.
Is there anything really specific you want to know? I'll try and explain the basics as I know them based on my experience with different Tollers and Dance, but if I miss anything that you are curious about, just let me know.
I find most Tollers to be very easy to live with... at least in comparison to other breeds I've owned and/or taken care of at some point. Dance and the vast majority of other Tollers I know are very apt to keep themselves occupied at home during the day without pestering you. Dance is very good at entertaining herself (in positive ways -- playing, goofing around by herself, etc.) if she's bored and I'm busy, and mostly she just sleeps the whole day. But when I want to do something, she's totally game and up for anything for as long as I want to do it. She
can go for hours, but she by no means
needs to. Ideally she should have 45mins to an hour of a walk and fetch per day, but if she doesn't get that for some reason, she doesn't becoming a nuisance. In the dead of winter, when it was like 40 below and we literally couldn't go out and do anything, I noticed she did start to becoming a little antsy and had a hard time just settling about 4-5 days into it. But we played little mind games around the house for a bit each day and she was fine. I'd say her energy level is about average of Tollers I know, though I certainly know some that very much are dogs who need to be kept much more active and busy. On average, be prepared to spend anywhere from 45mins to an hour and a half or so of playtime and exercise per day.
Temperament wise, Tollers should be reserved with strangers (but friendly! As many people seem to believe, breeders included,
reserved does not equal shy) but most are very devoted to their friends and family. Just don't expect a velcro dog completely. Tollers like to be with and near their people, but many also do enjoy their independence and are not glued to you 24/7. As an example, Dance follows me into every room I go and is very much a shadow, but she doesn't have to be with me necessarily. She just wants to be in the same room as me somewhere. Not all Tollers are very cuddly dogs either, which sometimes disappoints people. Dance is happy to lay (generally upside down, lol) in my lap for hours some nights, but other nights she'd good with just a few minutes of petting and then she leaves. Many Tollers are very silly, goofy dogs with a definite sense of fun and humour but they also know when it's time to be serious. That said, I also know some Tollers who are always serious and they're so serious that they kind of make you feel like an idiot if you want to goof around with them, LOL. Personally, I prefer a more silly, happy-go-lucky temperament... and that's the kind of temperament I see more often.
Tollers are not mindlessly people pleasing like a lot of Goldens and Labs can sometimes be, but they do definitely like to please you to an extent with a bit of a "what's in it for me?" streak. But I find them very easy to train overall, once you find the right motivator for your particular Toller (as with any dog really). Dance is 10x quicker to teach and learn stuff than my Dobermans are (she's more focused on me and the task at hand), and she gives everything her all. It doesn't take them long to catch on to something. If we're working on something, you can bet that she's going to try her very best to get it absolutely right (no matter what it is). But you do have to mix things up a bit with a Toller. Most get very bored very easily with a lot of repetition.
Tollers are generally very good with other dogs, although I do find they have a very low tolerance for in your face, rude, pushy dogs and will tell them off.
The key thing with Tollers is to socialize a
lot. This is not an area you want to be lazy on with a Toller. If you are, you will very likely end up with a fearful dog who will easily spook at everything. Make sure the dog gets used to people of all sorts, all kinds of loud noises, funny things like strollers, bikes and skateboards, other dogs, etc.
Beware of a Toller bark. It is ear piercing. Never mind the scream (which many dogs of any breed can do really, but a Toller's voice is so shrill that it can be even more annoying), the bark is enough to make you jump, haha. It's very high pitched, and lots don't really let out a real distinct "Woof! Woof!" sound all the time. It's kind of all jumbled up into one long, really shrill "aroo roo woo!". Especially an alarm bark, when the dog wasn't expecting something. That said, Tollers are not real barky dogs I don't find. They definitely alert you to things, but they don't bark for the fun of hearing their own voices.
Grooming wise they're very easy. They shouldn't take much in the way of brushing, and a bath every month or two or so is fine. I also trim feet and pluck and trim ears once a month too to keep the dog looking pretty and tidy. Otherwise the toe hairs get all long and Grinch like (which is messy) and the ear hair gets really fine and cottony and can knot (but the breed isn't known for knotting or matting otherwise). I brush Dance with a pin brush on her tail and pants/back leg feathers and I use a comb on the rest of her body. She has a really soft, fine coat. Some have more plush, harder (more correct) coats that require a pin brush (or even a slicker on some dogs) for the whole body and then a comb through.
Most of all, I find Tollers pure fun. They have such a zest for life and so much enthusiasm that I just haven't come across in other breeds I've been around yet. Tollers live with play games and have fun and a good time -- that's what life is all about! I can't imagine my life without a Toller. I'd be so bored. Dance brings so much laughter and joy to my life.
This site here will give you a list of loads of breeders in canada (and the rest of the world too) if you'd like to take a look. Just put in "Canada" and "kennels" in the search bar at the top. The NSDTR club of Canada should definitley be able to point you in the right direction also. I know of a few good breeders in Ontario and in BC and Alberta, but I'm unsure about who is recommended further east than Ontario and especially in the maritimes. I know Little River kennels seems to be a popular named tossed around from people in your area (they're located in NS I believe), but I've never spoken to them or anyone with their dogs. They might be one to contact though.
I hope that was a bit helpful! I'm sure I left out a few things as usual by accident, but hopefully it'll give you an idea as to my experiences with the breed anyway.
