Sorry for the delay in the next toller puppy fix! Unfortunately one of the male Toller puppies died on the first night so we now have 2 girls and 5 boys. We thought it would be nice to list each puppy so you can see their individual markings. There are 2 pictures of each puppy. Enjoy!

Young Labradors ready for training, 2 black bitch’s available. Bold and intelligent. Keen retrievers and lead trained. They are kc reg and fully vaccinated. These will be fantastic workers or loyal companions. Can be trained on to your desired standard. Will make fantastic workers or family companions. Both parents hip and eye tested. Excellent working pedigree both grandfathers are I.G.L Championship winners. £450.00, please contact us direct if you require any further information.

On Saturday the 26th July at 19.15 Bear went into labour, by 19.26 we had out first puppy. The next 3 were closely followed all easy births and healthy. After nearly an hours wait she produced her 5th and final puppy. Both bear and puppies are doing extremely well. Some puppies have white markings and a good deep colour.

The puppies were then weighed and sexed, they were a nice even weight throughout the litter and the final count were 4 bitches and 1 dog.

You can view the High Res photo’s at our FlickR Photostream here.

Bizley went for his portrait last week and just look at the out come. What a picture!

The artist has really captured Bizley’s fantastic looks and colouring. If you would like any information on the portrait or a portrait done please contact Helen Critchell on 07748 984536 or email helen on helen@eesox.com  

Welcome to Sophie and Kiara’s diary.

Hello my name is Sophie and I’m 14 years old and have recently acquired my first gun dog which is a yellow labrador retriever named Kiara. She is a dark yellow bitch which is why i called her Kiara as this means dark and is also a very pretty name.

I got Kiara from Gill Bell in Lincolnshire, Gill had given Kiara the best start in life as she’s fazed by nothing, very loving and socialable. Kiara’s kennel name is Toprosell Chestnut, her father is Field Trial Champion Boltonabbey Remus and her mother is Brunbois Alice Go Lightly owned by Gill and is better known as Kelly.

Here are some photos taking in our first few days.

Hip scoring is a procedure used to determine the degree of hip dyplasia in dogs.The hip score is the sum of the points awarded for each of nine radiographic tures of both hip joints.The British Veterinary Association uses the following criteria to determine hip score:

1. Norberg Angle
2. Subluxation
3. Cranial Acetabular Edge
4. Dorsal Acetabular Edge
5. Cranial Effective Acetabular Rim
6. Acetabular Fossa
7. Caudal Acetabular Edge
8. Femoral Head \ Neck Exostosis
9. Femoral Head Recontouring

The lower the score, the less the degree of dysplasia present. The minimum (best) score for each hip is zero and the maximum (worst) is 53, giving a range for the total of 0 to 106.

To find out the average score of your breed click here.

The weekend of the 10th of May we traveled down to Ware in Hertfordshire to run Flint, our Golden Retriever Stud, in a Golden Retriever special puppy competition held by Eastern Counties Golden Retriever Club.

It was a record for the Golden Retriever Club as entries hit an all time high. There were three individual working tests to test the working ability of the Goldie’s. The 1st test was to test steadiness of the lead walking to heel with a marked retrieve along side gunfire. The 2nd test was a walk up to heel followed by a double mark. The 3rd and final test was a marked retrieve in water.

I think the hardest test of the day was dealing with the immense heat. At the end of tests the judges gathered to discuss the working ability of the Golden retrievers they had seen, a few minuintes later the results were announced……… 1st place of the Special Puppy Golden Retriever Test goes to number 7, Mr and Mrs Hutchison with Haddeo Thesfus Of Fallowfen “Flint”. We were over joyed and hope his success will continue.

Talking on Tollers

David Tomlinson watches Phillip Hutchinson in action with this extraordinary Canadian breed and finds out why these foxy-looking canines can make wonderful gundogs

The Novia Scotia Duck Tolling retriever is an adaptable breed, making it increasingly popular.

I am sure that you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of professional gundog trainers who specialise in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retrievers. On second thought, I think it’s more likely you can count on one finger the number of such specialists. If you want help training your Toller to the gun, then Phillip Hutchinson is the man to turn to.

Though Phillip owns both working Springers and Labradors and has experience training most other breeds of gundogs, the foxy-looking North American retrievers are what he has decided to concentrate on. Tollers are a fairly new import to this country, only arriving here in 1988 and relatively few are used in the shooting field.

Though they may have the longest name of any gundog, the Toller (as it’s generally known for short) is the smallest of the retrievers, with the ideal height of dogs just 19in to 20in, the bitches slightly smaller. They are very active animals, and enthusiasts insist that it is a great mistake to think of them as miniature golden retrievers, as apart from their colour and an ability to retrieve, the two breeds are quite unalike. (more…)

Casper is a Chocolate Labrador and a new addition to our kennels, he has been with us about four weeks and has begun his new life as a working gundog. As you will see he’s really good and really enjoys it!

This video will hopefully be a morale boost for Lina’s owner Kevin Dixon – Nutt who is currently doing an around the world trip by motorcycle in aid of charity along with good friend Andy Tricket. 15000 miles, 28 countries, 80days…ish!! Take a look Allthewayround