Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, originating from the southern part of Nova Scotia Peninsula in Canada, is of medium size, well-proportioned, compact structure, well-developed muscles, and high vigilance. Its expression gives a sense of sadness, but this does not mean that it does not have the talent of a hunting dog. On the contrary, it is lively and playful, obedient, tolerant, and easy to train. When it works, it becomes fully engaged, tirelessly capturing prey. It is especially suitable as a family pet and guard dog.
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, originating from the southern part of Nova Scotia Peninsula in Canada, is the smallest duck-hunting retriever with the ability to retrieve and fetch. In the peninsula, there are often ducks and geese migrating due to seasonal climate changes. In order to catch those ducks more effectively, the local Indians came up with a very interesting method. Because the reddish-brown fur of their dogs is similar to that of foxes, they pretended the dogs to be foxes walking back and forth on the riverbank, wagging their tails to attract the attention of the ducks. If a duck was deceived by the appearance of the dog and swam closer to the shore, the hidden hunters would quickly catch the duck. This method proved to be very effective and was later inspired by the immigrants who moved to the area. They used the local Indian reddish-brown dogs to breed and eventually developed this rust-colored duck-hunting retriever.
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is suitable for modern family breeding because of its lively, playful, and friendly nature, which is very suitable for integrating into the family. It is very strong and adapts well to the environment, even not afraid of cold icy water. Because it is naturally a hunting dog, it has a hunting talent and can become an excellent guard dog after training.
Toenail inflammation
Symptoms: The dog frequently licks its toes, the area between the toes becomes red and moist, and severe cases may cause lameness.
Preparation: Iodine, erythromycin ointment, Elizabethan collar
Instructions: Wear the Elizabethan collar, remove the hair on the foot cleanly, rinse with soapy water or wipe with iodine, wait for the inflammation to dry, and then apply erythromycin ointment between the toes once a day, repeating for one week.
Ear mites
Symptoms: The dog scratches and shakes its ears, the ears have a strong sour odor, accompanied by increased tear stains, hair loss in the ears, dark brown secretions, and earwax.
Preparation: Ear cleaner, ear rinse
Instructions: Clean the hair inside the dog's ears, flush the ear canal with ear rinse or Epi-Otic, gently massage the ear base for 30 seconds, wait for the dog to shake out the ear rinse, use a cotton ball to wipe away the secretions, and gently clean the auricle and ear canal.
Skin disease
Symptoms: The dog experiences itching, red and itchy skin, the dog scratches uncontrollably, the fur becomes dull and rough, there is more dandruff, and even patches of hair loss.
Preparation: Saline solution, topical ointment or spray, vitamin B
Instructions: Put an Elizabethan collar on the dog to prevent scratching and licking, trim the problem areas of the dog's skin and surrounding hair, then rinse with salt water for sterilization, and apply ointment or use spray, along with antibiotics and vitamin B.
1. It is not recommended to bathe Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppies before they receive their third vaccination. It is also advisable to avoid taking them outside, as their immune system is relatively weak before they receive all three vaccinations. Bathing and exposure to external bacteria can make them more prone to illness.
2. When raising Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppies, they should be fed smaller meals more frequently. It is also important to pay attention to nutrition and provide timely supplementation of trace elements to ensure their healthy growth. The amount of food should be gradually increased as the puppy's size increases.
3. If a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppy is overweight due to excessive nutrition, it is not advisable to immediately increase their exercise level. Instead, food should be reduced to achieve weight loss. Once the weight returns to a normal range, adjust the amount of food and exercise to maintain a healthy weight.
4. Since Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers love exercise, the space they are kept in should be large enough. During the puppy stage, they will need to chew, so it is important to provide them with special chew toys or bones to aid in dental development and prevent them from chewing on household items.
5. After four months of age, puppies can be taken for more exercise and outdoor activities, such as sunbathing, to promote the absorption of calcium in their bodies. Additionally, they can be introduced to swimming. Although they are not natural swimmers, they can gradually learn and develop a love for swimming. Swimming is an excellent way to exercise their bodies. After swimming, it is important to promptly dry the puppy's fur.
1. Do not bathe frequently
When bathing your dog, it is important not to do it too frequently. The frequency of bathing should be based on the dog's hygiene condition. In hot weather, you can bathe your dog one or two more times, while in winter, you can reduce it by one or two times. But in general, it should not exceed 5 times. Otherwise, it may damage the dog's coat and skin!
2. Brush frequently
Dogs shed their fur almost every day, especially during the spring and autumn seasons when seasonal shedding is more severe. To ensure good hair growth, frequent brushing is important. Pet owners can use a pet-specific comb to help remove naturally shed hair and prevent tangling. Brushing once in the morning and once in the evening for about five minutes each time is sufficient.
3. Sunbathe
Sunbathing is beneficial for the growth of a dog's fur. Besides making the coat more shiny, letting the dog sunbathe can also help kill bacteria. During sunbathing, pet owners can let their dogs exercise a bit, which can improve their physical fitness, promote blood circulation, and help grow healthier fur.
4. Deworming
Poor coat condition is closely related to parasitic worms. Parasitic worms absorb a large amount of nutrients from the dog's body, depriving them of their nutritional intake. Therefore, deworming is necessary. It is recommended to perform internal and external deworming together. Moreover, deworming medication can cause significant harm to the dog's gastrointestinal tract, so it is advisable to feed probiotics regularly to relieve gastrointestinal discomfort.
5. Pay attention to diet
In order to have a beautiful coat, it is important to establish a solid nutritional foundation and pay attention to daily diet. On the one hand, feed your dog with nutritious and healthy dog food that meets their needs. On the other hand, you can also give your dog a moderate amount of lean meat, cooked egg yolk, and vegetable oil.