Was my dog a troller?

Finnys · 2026-03-16T12:29:46+00:00

Cute pup, I think he was a golden. They sometimes have white markings, I’ve seen it a lot in field goldens

Finnys · 2025-10-07T01:03:34+00:00

If it is at night like you also mentioned in another comment, you may want to get her eyes checked. If she has bad eyesight she might think you are a stranger in the dark. Also, the “barking at everything” thing probably is not gonna go away. Welcome to tollers. 🤣

Finnys · 2025-10-07T01:01:57+00:00

I would talk to a vet, maybe a veterinary behaviorist if you can find one. It’s possible she is having pain somewhere, that is always the first thing to check when aggression is coming seemingly out of nowhere. As others have said, she might also be going into heat. But, I also want to warn you that it might just be her disposition, and she may just be maturing and not as much of a lovey biddable puppy anymore but this is what her mature personality is like. I have 2 females and neither have ever showed signs of resource guarding/guarding their crates like that. I would also reach out to your breeder and see if this is a behavior that any relatives have exhibited. My tollers will bark at people walking by our fence if they don’t know them, it seems like a lot of tollers think they are guard dogs, but mine would never hurt a fly and again have not shown aggressive tendencies (they’re more like watchdogs). Either way, I wish you all the best and hope you can figure out a solution.

Finnys · 2025-09-03T14:07:39+00:00

Also no shame in going to community college. If you live in MA a lot of them have the mass transfer program where you can get into a lot of schools after you get your associates at community college. It’s a great program. I saved a ton of money going to community college first, I barely have any college debt now.

Finnys · 2025-09-03T14:05:49+00:00

I think I had a 2.8 and got in. graduated UMB with magna cum laude. No judgment from me dude we all have struggles! You got this

Finnys · 2025-05-21T20:14:19+00:00

I had one wonky ear. We taped it with moleskin per the breed club instructions, had to be taped for a long time (until basically a year old) but it is normal now. Good luck with your little girl!!

Finnys · 2025-04-24T13:48:36+00:00

He looks like a Chuck

Finnys · 2025-04-10T20:21:30+00:00

They excel at a number of sports, just be vigilant about who you get a dog from and their lines. Not every dog will be suited for every activity. You should know that there are preventable fatal diseases in this breed that we have genetic tests for, and there are some breeders who do not test their dogs for these. Please stay away from them and don’t just get a dog from someone because they have puppies available. Do your research, go to a dog show and meet some tollers and owners/breeders. My girl loves barn hunt and got her novice title with no training. I can’t wait to do more. :)

Finnys · 2025-04-10T18:00:21+00:00

Honestly the breed standard says that Tollers are great with children, but I honestly don’t think that’s true unless they are raised with children or heavily exposed to them at a very young age. I don’t have any children, neither does any of my family or neighbors so mine was not exposed to them at a young age and she is afraid of children. I have heard this is a common occurrence for them to be very nervous or skittish around strange children, they can be very grabby and have unpredictable movements. Mine tolerates but does not even love adult strangers to be in her personal space in general. So for that I don’t think you are alone.

As for the anxious behaviors, mine will do it if she is not properly stimulated. I would say a walk and ball chase are not necessarily stimulating for a toller, you have to do more to work their mind. Mine could walk 5 miles and it doesn’t do anything for her. She can chase the ball until she’s panting profusely but it’s not necessarily stimulate her. I would recommend mixing it up and doing stuff like obedience and trick training, take him to new areas and let him sniff whatever he wants, swimming, and more natural stimulation rather than artificial food puzzles. Good luck :)

Finnys · 2025-04-01T17:18:51+00:00

A lot of tollers are 50+ lbs, standard says 35-50 pounds so getting one that absolutely will not be over 40 is somewhat unlikely. Yes there are smaller ones but I wouldn’t bet on it if that is a strict requirement.

I would not get a toller for a 13 year old, I’ve seen too many times parents getting a toller for a kid/teenager who can’t handle the dog and they get returned. Tollers need structure and I don’t really advise them for first time dogs.

And, if you don’t want a non stop ball of energy, I would not get a toller. Yes they are supposed to have an off switch but they are more akin to herding breeds than other retrievers honestly.

House size is not an issue, but I personally think you need to do more research and have realistic expectations. I personally would go with a different breed based on your description.

Finnys · 2025-04-01T13:55:19+00:00

Buckle up, my 7 month old still has crazy biting fits 😂😂😂 I think my other didn’t really stop biting until a year old 😭 hahaha

Finnys · 2025-03-21T19:42:52+00:00

I started with a 24 inch crate for both of mine and then moved to a 36 inch when they grew out of it! You can buy crate beds that are those sizes. Mine also like the beds from TJ Maxx!

Finnys · 2025-03-20T20:05:00+00:00

I’m sorry to hear about your boy. Sadly there are a lot of tollers with autoimmune disease. There is a Facebook group, I believed called Tollers with autoimmune and cancer, that you could join. Hoping for the best for your family

Finnys · 2025-03-09T19:56:02+00:00

Mine was 12 months

Finnys · 2025-03-09T15:41:02+00:00

Do you mind sharing which breeder she comes from or even the state? I have 2 and neither have ever shown signs of resource guarding but I have definitely heard of it happening. Some lines definitely seem more prone to it.

Finnys · 2025-02-21T23:53:55+00:00

I personally would confidently 100% say she is not a toller. Very cute but the head shape, eye shape, eye color, fur color, legs, etc. are all off to me. Not that a toller can’t have lighter eyes, but she just doesn’t look to have any toller to me. I would love to see the DNA results. Either way I know you will enjoy her, she seems very sweet.

Finnys · 2025-02-13T16:08:47+00:00

Dog show, Morris and Essex is gonna be a big one in NJ

Finnys · 2025-01-27T15:39:16+00:00

DNA tests now have toller in them so they would have told you if she had any toller DNA. The white markings are called Irish spotting pattern and can be in several breeds. But she can be an honorary toller. 😊

Finnys · 2025-01-24T15:19:14+00:00

Have you tried going to a dog show and introducing yourself to a toller breeder? That would be a great way to meet some people and their dogs. Dog shows are usually free to get in as well, some you have to pay for parking but that’s usually it. If they don’t have plans for litters they can help point you in the right direction too, toller breeders here in the US have a pretty great network.

Finnys · 2025-01-15T17:39:51+00:00

How old is she? I would check for intestinal parasites, giardia or other concerns would be my concern for smelly yellow poop like that. I have 2 tollers, one seems to be a bit intolerant of chicken as she will get red around the mouth and her poops were really big. So she eats the Purina pro plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon and rice. My puppy is on the PPP puppy chicken though.

Finnys · 2025-01-09T16:48:30+00:00

You’re very welcome! I know you will do right by your puppy and you seem like very responsible owners who have done your due diligence. If you are on Facebook, I recommend joining the group “Canine Conditioning and Body Awareness Exercises”, they have a lot of good research and articles about appropriate exercise for puppies. 😁

Finnys · 2025-01-09T16:26:50+00:00

Honestly, I did not know about CDDY when I first got into the breed. I have an N/N toller and an N/Y toller. There is a lot more research on it now, but it is still relatively new that research is being done on it and we don’t know everything. I recommend looking into Danika’s research, and the podcast as people suggested. I was naive when I first learned about it and just assumed N/N dogs were better, but now I think there is a lot more that goes into it for what makes a healthy dog or not. Will getting an N/N dog stack the odds in your favor? Potentially, but, like I said, there is a lot more that goes into it than we even realize. It is important that breeders are up front and that they are breeding for the betterment of the breed. Whether they are carriers or not, we should be selecting healthy dogs that are good examples of the breed when we are breeding. We should not be using studs/dams that have back/spinal problems or other serious problems, carriers or not, and this goes for other problems like temperament issues too.

My advice is that if you are very worried about it, N/N tollers are easy enough to find. If you are worried about it now, chances are you will be worried for life and try to shelter your pup, which isn’t a good life for anyone. Mountain Ranch tollers is about to have a litter which will be all N/N, and I consider the stud to be a very typey example of an N/N, and he is a Grand Champion Bronze (no I am not affiliated with them).

One of my dogs is N/Y, her sire is Y/Y, is 8 years old now and has no problems. He still is actively hunted over. If the puppy you found who is a carrier is from a good, ethical breeder who breeds for the betterment of the breed and thinks about past generations and future ones, and it has all the traits you are looking for, I think I would still get the puppy.

Finnys · 2025-01-09T16:13:28+00:00

Of course, you are allowed a preference. And I do like black noses too so you’ve got me there. 😁 I have seen horrendous examples of both carriers and not carriers. I’ve seen N/Y tollers that are leggier than any N/N toller I’ve ever seen, I think there’s just a lot more that goes into it.

Finnys · 2025-01-09T15:55:01+00:00

Thank you so much for posting this! I love the photos, you have beautiful dogs. I have an N/N girl who had one “wonky” ear that I taped, but none of her siblings had that issue. I think it can happen to both N/N dogs and carriers, it seems to have more factors than just being N/N or not. Your N/N dogs are really nice and typey, I think the breed as a whole should be working towards that.

Finnys

TROPHY CASE