Toller Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy a Toller?

Either route can work. The Dogs Australia breed standard, which places the breed in Group 3, Gundogs, describes “a medium-sized, powerful, compact, balanced, well-muscled dog” with “a high degree of agility, alertness and determination”. Its temperament line reads: “The Toller is highly intelligent, easy to train and has great endurance. Loving and playful to his family, he can be reserved with strangers, without being aggressive or overly shy.”

A registered breeder who DNA tests for juvenile Addison's disease, cleft palate and PRA and scores hips gives you the best odds against the breed's known inherited problems and a puppy you raise yourself. Rescue gives you a dog whose energy and manners you can see first; check the live listings, as numbers change daily. The route to avoid is an online ad for a cheap “duck toller” with no health results and no breeder you can check.

Reference figures: the RSPCA Victoria adoption page, read 12 November 2026. Not a quote. Breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them.

What is a Toller like to live with?

Friendly, quick to learn and busy. Dogs Victoria says the Toller is very easy to train and is a loyal companion, that Tollers have a friendly personality but may be reserved with strangers, and that their easy-going, fun-loving nature means they are well suited to families. It also says that because Tollers are very athletic and like to work and play hard, they require plenty of outdoor exercise and will ideally suit people or families with active lifestyles. The breed excels in dog sports including obedience, rally and agility.

The name comes from the job. Dogs Victoria explains that the Toller is the only retriever that uses its fully feathered, thick tail to lure the duck, and that “this is what tolling is”. The breed was first developed in the Little River District of Yarmouth County and was originally called the Little River Duck Dog. Dogs Australia's puppy-choosing advice says a working dog or gundog “will be active in mind and body and will require regular occupation and a lot of exercise”, which fits a retriever bred to work all day in cold water.

Sources: Dogs Australia breed standard and Dogs Victoria, read 12 November 2026.

Which health tests should a Toller breeder show you?

Dogs Victoria calls the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever generally a healthy breed, but says conditions that occur occasionally include hip dysplasia, juvenile Addison's disease (JADD) and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), and recommends an eye examination by an ophthalmologist and a cardiac exam. The UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory describes three of the breed's DNA-tested conditions this way:

• Juvenile Addison's disease. Addison's disease occurs when the adrenal glands stop secreting necessary natural steroid hormones, and in the Toller a genetic form can occur in puppies.
• Cleft palate (CP1) and cleft lip/palate with syndactyly (CLPS). There are several genetic causes of cleft palate in the breed; the most common form has been identified as CP1. The CLPS variant causes cleft palate and/or cleft lip, sometimes with fused toes.
• PRA-prcd. Progressive rod-cone degeneration is an inherited, late-onset form of progressive retinal atrophy identified in many breeds.

Here is what Dogs Victoria names, next to what two overseas bodies list: the UK Royal Kennel Club and the US national breed club's recommendations published by the American Kennel Club. The overseas lists are for asking an Australian breeder questions, not Australian rules:

Sources: Dogs Victoria Toller profile, the Royal Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club's list of national breed club recommendations, read 12 November 2026. A buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

Ask to see the certificates for both parents, with names that match the litter. Dogs Victoria warns that a claim of “clear of all hereditary disease” based on a DNA test alone should ring alarm bells, because there are many breed-specific diseases without a DNA test; hips and elbows, for example, are checked by X-ray scoring. A puppy that seems unwell, at any age, needs a vet straight away.

How much is a Toller puppy from a registered breeder?

We quote no breeder price, because none of the member breeders whose websites we read published one. In November 2026 we read the own websites of Toller breeders who are members of Dogs Australia state bodies, leaving out listing and classified sites, and found no published price. Few of the Toller breeders we found link to a website of their own, and we found no guide price from a breed club or state body. We cannot speak for every breeder, so ask each one.

Ask for the price in writing and compare what it includes: the parents' DNA, hip, eye and heart results, the vet check, vaccination and microchip, whether the puppy is on the Limited Register with a desexing agreement, and whether the breeder will take the dog back if your circumstances change. Dogs Australia also suggests asking whether your own vet can check the puppy.

You may need to wait for a litter. Dogs Australia's registration figures show 180 Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers registered in 2025, against 162 in 2021 (registrations, not litters bred). The dog cost calculator gives a first-year budget beyond the purchase.

Survey of member breeders' own websites, November 2026. Any price a breeder gives you is theirs to set; prices change, so check with them. Nothing here is a quote.

What do Tollers in rescue look like?

It varies. Check the live listings above, as numbers change daily; a Toller in rescue may be an adult or a cross, and a good rescue will tell you how the dog is with children, other dogs, recall and time alone. If you adopt, ask whether anything is known about the dog's health history, and ask your vet about an eye check.

If you are flexible on breed, browse family dogs listed by rescues: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

What does a rescue Toller cost?

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change and some dogs are priced individually, so check with the rescue. Read our guide to adopting a dog in Australia.

How do Toller puppy scams work?

Scamwatch warns that scammers set up fake websites, and fake profiles on social media and online marketplaces, for pets that do not exist, and that if a pet is very cheap it is likely a scam. Dogs Victoria's puppy scam fact sheet adds that fake ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders. Checks to make before you pay:

• Health results. Ask for the parents' JADD, cleft palate and PRA results, hip scores and eye and heart examinations, with certificates whose names match the litter.
• Colour. The standard disqualifies any colour other than red or orange shades, and silvery, grey or black areas in the coat, so a “Toller” in another colour is not a pedigree Toller.
• Borrowed numbers. Dogs Victoria says to contact the organisation a seller claims membership of and check the number is valid and matches the breeder's name, location and breed.
• Copied photos. Dogs Victoria passes on the ACCC's advice to use a reverse image search to check whether the photos appear on other websites.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the state-by-state table of breeder numbers, how to check each one, and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone, and if you want a Toller puppy specifically, waiting for a registered breeder is reasonable. Check these before you pay:

1. Registration. Ask for the breeder's prefix and membership number and check them through Dogs Australia's breeder search or your state body.
2. DNA results for both parents: JADD, cleft palate (CP1 and CLPS) and PRA-prcd at least.
3. Hip scores, an eye examination and a cardiac exam for both parents.
4. An honest health history of the lines.
5. A written contract covering health problems, register type, desexing and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is a Toller the right dog for you?

The appeal is real: a clever, playful retriever of a sensible size that loves its family. Be honest about three things before you apply anywhere: plenty of outdoor exercise and something to do every day, ideally retrieving or a dog sport; regular brushing of a shedding double coat; and patient socialisation, as the standard says the breed can be reserved with strangers. Not sure? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz, the dog exercise calculator and the adoption readiness check, and compare with our guide to family dogs.

Find a Toller near you

Tollers and Toller crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• Tollers for adoption in Sydney
• Tollers for adoption in Melbourne
• Tollers for adoption in Brisbane
• Tollers for adoption in Perth
• Tollers for adoption in Adelaide

More retriever and gundog adopt-or-buy guides: Golden Retriever, Labrador, Brittany, Cocker Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel.