Welcome to Wyndshear Tollers
Wyndshear is a reference to the turbulent breeze we get around Wellington, to Tollers brimming with energy, enthusiasm and independence and a link to our origins at La Brisa Tollers in Maryland, USA.
Located in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, we are a small registered breeder of Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (also known as Yarmouth Tollers, Little River Duck Dogs, or Tollers for short). Our highest breeding priorities are maintaining the health, temperament, sound conformation and original purpose of Tollers.
Tollers were bred in Yarmouth County in Nova Scotia as hunting companions able to lure (or toll) and retrieve waterfowl from cold waters.
"The Acadians' mainstay of survival was hunting and fishing. The Little River Duck Dog was thus developed out of the necessity for survival. The objective was to develop an excellent retriever that could withstand the strong tides and cold, rough waters of the area and also bring the quarry within easy range of the musket where maximum kill could be made with a minimum of powder. The black duck, in particular, frequented the area in vast numbers in the fall and winter and was a very important part of the local diet."
- Bill Sutherland quoted in A Breed Apart by Gail MacMillan