Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever '09 Specialty
Specialty Judge Ainslie Mills Happy With Type and Quality in Tollers
Jul 2, 2009
“I was pleased to see good overall quality and tendency toward a more consistent type in the breed,” said Mills. "With close to 200 entries in the Specialty, I was able to find good dogs in every class for wins and placements. My final cuts in the Best of Breed class were outstanding in quality and type and their owners and breeders should be very proud, even if they did not take home one of the major awards.”
National Toller Specialty Winners
The choice for Best of Breed was Ch. Anando Off Centre Toller Tyson, the Westminster Kennel Club Best of breed winner earlier in the year. He was co-bred and handled by Andrea Mills (no relation) and owned by Tanya and Gabe Bermago of Maple Ridge, B.C. and co-bred by Joy Hill.
“This was the first time I had judged my Best of Breed dog and he was a lovely dog, well-balanced, in good condition with great movement, good angulation, solid topline, nice head and expression and good coat,” Mills said.
Best of Opposite Sex went to Ch. Redfox Switch to Katyra, handled by owner Kathy Adorjan of Sherkston, Ontario and bred by John and Stephanie Halse of B.C.
“My BOS was feminine but with strong bone and good body development,” said the judge. “While a bit close in rear, she had lovely profile movement and a nice front coming in. She had a nice head and expression and lovely reach of neck which blended well into her shoulders.
“Both Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex had nice white markings on feet, chest and head, which was the icing on the cake,” she added.
Mills also commented on the quality of her Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. She said they both moved soundly and had pleasing heads and expressions. Winners Bitch and Best of Winners was Jocar’s Lil Miss Addi Tude, bred by Carolyn Doyle, owned by Til Niquidet and handled by Stacey Einck. Winner Dog was Cedar Fog Midnight Seduxion, bred by Elizabeth Fogg and owned by Kathryn Guerra of Illinois
Toller Structure Still Needs Improvement
While most dogs were sound, Mills saw some faults that Toller breeders need to work on.
“Function is always a consideration for me when judging sporting dogs,” said Mills, who breeds Golden Retrievers. “Based on the entry at the National, close moving rears are a major problem in the breed. They appeared in varying degree, but instead of a straight column of support which converged toward the centre as speed increased, many rears moved parallel from the hock to the ground.”
Incorrect bone lengths, a problem in Tollers for decades, and poor angulation still can be seen in some dogs, she noted.
“There was a tendency toward short upper arms and a lack of return of same,” Mills said. “An upper arm of correct length and set should place the elbow back beneath the tips of the shoulder blades if a line were drawn from that point to the ground. Many dogs also had straighter rear angulation and lack of bend at the stifle than ideal, although, as a judge, I weighed this fault against how the dog used its rear when moving in profile.”
She also saw a few animals that were too small, but also found a few bitches that were too large and masculine. Temperaments, however, were excellent.
“Temperaments were for the most part exceptional,” Mills said. “There were no nasty temperaments nor overtly shy dogs at all. Most owners and dogs seemed to be having a good time, as was I.”
For more information about Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, click here.
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