The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever - Toller, as it is mostly called - is the smallest and most agile of the six retriever breeds. He is intelligent, docile, attentive and very persistent in his work. This little retriever is from the New Scottish Peninsula Nova Scotia, Canada. Which explains the first part of the name. The toller is a cross between the formerly resident Indian dogs and dogs that were brought with them by the immigrant Scots. These were bred to Brittany Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Flat Coated Retrievers, Irish Setters, Cocker Spaniels, and Collie-like species. It was recognized as a breed in 1945 and adopted by the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) in 1981.

The specialty of the toller is tolling, which means that the hunter hides in the reeds and throws his toller balls along the bank over and over again, arousing the curiosity of the ducks and geese. The toller retrieves the balls thrown to him without making a sound and ignores the approaching waterfowl. When these are close enough to the bank, the hunter emerges from his hiding place, the birds appear and are killed. On command, the toller retrieves the dead or wounded birds from the water. This explains the rest of the name. Duck tolling means attracting ducks and retriever, as most probably know, retriever. So it is a "New Scottish, duck-attracting retriever".