The Breeder's Story: From Casa Toller Kennel

Our encounter with this magnificent breed happened by chance in 2003, when we first saw two dogs working as therapy dogs with children with Down syndrome and autism; those same dogs became the founders of our kennel a year later.
The kennel was officially established in 2005, coinciding with the first litter.

From the very beginning, we tried to gather as much information as possible, particularly from breeders abroad. In fact, the breed was so rare in our country that there were no articles, magazines, or documents (let alone in Italian) to read and study. Special thanks go to the owner of the kennel Shaggy Toller’s (DK) who, in addition to being a constant source of advice, also allowed us to import five dogs from Danish lines that helped lay the foundation for our breeding program.

We therefore started with mainly European dogs, which remain, without a doubt, our favorites.
Over the years, we’ve also welcomed dogs from Sweden and then from Canada (the breed’s country of origin).
We breed with the following priorities, in this order: health, temperament, aptitude, type, and conformation. Our dogs and puppies are born, raised, and live in our home with us; we can’t imagine living with them any other way. Before they become our breeding dogs, they are members of our family.

Breeding Nova Scotians is no easy task; there are numerous health clearances required for hereditary conditions, and the desired matings aren’t always possible. On top of that, there are only a few bloodlines (it is a very recent breed, considering the year of its official recognition), and we must also consider temperament, aptitude, and conformation. We have therefore searched worldwide for dogs that possess the qualities we aim to promote through our breeding program.
We must not forget that the Toller is primarily a working dog, so we strive to be active in this field as well by participating in retriever trials and promoting Tolling, the activity for which the breed was created.
Today, our puppies live as excellent companions in wonderful families, as socially useful dogs performing rescue, search (on the surface, in rubble, and in avalanches), and pet therapy work, and as outstanding breeding dogs at kennels in various countries.

Our story began with two dogs adopted out of love, and later with breeding champions—Italian, international, European, and world champions.
We have also achieved some special accomplishments that we cherish deeply for their uniqueness and prestige, such as Best of Breed (BOB) and Reserve Champion (CC) at Crufts 2016— the first two Tollers born and bred in our country to achieve this coveted honor.
Let’s not forget other important firsts, such as the first Best in Show All Retrievers for this breed, the first Best in Show Junior and the first Best in Show Pairs, also at the All Retrievers Club Show, or the first Bisagno and Benelli Challenge—that is, the title of the absolute best retriever born and bred in Italy—won for the first time by a Toller in the history of the Italian Retriever Club, achieved by Nano in 2017, or the first four Tollers to become Social Beauty Champions in the history of the Italian Retriever Club, namely our Nano, Matita, Fanny, and Dustin (owned by Carlo Paraluppi), including Brave , who became a Field Trial Winner in France under handler Chiara Berzacola, or the very first Tollers ever to be selected as breeding dogs (healthy, talented, and beautiful); continuing with puppies in 20 countries and 5 continents, with collaborations, support, exchange of ideas, and friendship with many foreign breeders.

We have reached our FIFTH generation of healthy champions, with excellent physical and behavioral qualities. It hasn’t been without hard work and moments of discouragement, doubts, and worries; things haven’t always gone our way, but our love and passion for this breed, along with the affection of our dogs, have always given us the strength to keep going. All the hard work and worries have been more than rewarded by immense satisfaction, and honestly, we consider this a good start; moreover, if we consider that when we started breeding there were about 25 dogs in Italy, and that the main question people asked when they saw them and heard the breed’s name was: “NOVA WHAT?!”

In just 15 and a half years, we can say that the breed in Italy is beginning to gain recognition for its extraordinary qualities, while continuing to be—perhaps fortunately—(and we hope that anyone who decides to “get involved” with this heritage does so conscientiously, by asking questions and doing research, with humility and a desire to understand and learn before “playing around” at being a small-scale breeder—which is the only way we all have to preserve this fantastic breed), a rare breed. And anyone in the world of dog breeding knows how wonderful it is that it’s still rare, so we can’t help but feel satisfied, and we plan to keep doing so, with humility and dedication, knowing that there will always be more to learn.

For the future of our breeding program, we will continue to devote our heart, soul, and time to improving or maintaining the breed, as appropriate; knowing that simply mating two champions does not guarantee the birth of champions, we will continue to select based on quality rather than reputation, avoiding the pursuit of the “hypertype,” and maintaining a clear vision of the type that best represents the breed for us, always in accordance with the breed standard. Aware that breeding is a process that takes years, that the perfect dog does not exist, and that for the good of the breed there must be genuine collaboration among breeders—based on sharing experiences rather than passing judgment (something that fortunately exists, though not with everyone, and for which we are grateful)—who should collectively serve as its guardians. So, as always, in our future I see rolled-up sleeves, open books, a flexible mind ready to collaborate, to learn more and more, out of love for this breed, which is the only one that has truly captured our hearts.

Mirko Guolo
Chiara Ludovico

Diusa Pet thanks the breeders Chiara Ludovico & Mirco Guolo for choosing Alleva feed their beautifulNova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers

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