The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is a medium-sized gundog bred primarily for hunting. They are particularly suited for retrieving in cold water climates because of their water-repellent double coat. Tollers are generally hardy. Tollers are generally hardy. However, like almost all dog breeds, certain genetic disorders are known to occur in the breed. This is sometimes blamed on a relatively small gene pool. The Finnish breed club states the largest health problems in the breed tend to be immunity related. They can be affected by eye problems and hip dysplasia and are predisposed to immune-mediated rheumatic disease and steroid-responsive meningitis–arthritis.