AHC: Make the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever one of the 5 most popular dog breeds by 2000

[PhilKearny]

Canada is the home of many things. Some are great and beloved, such as poutine, Crown Royal Whisky, the Williams Wabler, and the de Havilland Otter. Some are not so great, such as Ted Cruz, McMaster’s Whisky, and Newfie jokes.

One place where Canada shines is as a home of waterdog breeds. Canada is the place of origin for three of the greatest breeds of wasserhunde. Two of the three, the Newfoundland and the Labradog Retriever, are well-known. Indeed, the Labradog has been the most popular breed in the US for decades, according to the AKC.

The third great Canadian waterdog breed, however, is relatively unknown. That breed is the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Tollers, as the breed is popularly known, are great dogs. Smart and hardy, with a good temperament, few dogs make better companions. They are a convenient size, making them a far more practical dog for most people than, say, a Newfoundland. And they are unbearably cute.

Given all these pluses, they would seem to be an ideal breed, sort of like a smarter, smaller, better looking version of the Golden Retriever. (And sneakier, too. Not as sneaky as a Brittany Spaniel but still pretty darn sneaky. Especially around food and untended, freshly washed socks.) Still the breed remains fairly obscure.

What would it take to make them a super popular breed by the end of the 20th century?

(Pictures from the AKC webpage on Tollers.)

 

[ejpsan]

Animated Disney Movie staring the Nova Scotia Duck Tollers.

 

[overoceans]

This would seriously up the number of times the phrase "Nova Scotia" gets uttered outside of Canada. Definitely give "You're So Vain" a run for its money.

 

[PhilKearny]

Perhaps a documentary: "Canada, world leader in water dog technology."

Actually, I'd be more interested in the Toller become more popular due to the breed's inherent greatness, much in same way that the Labradog became popular.

Animated Disney Movie staring the Nova Scotia Duck Tollers.

 

[riggerrob]

WI the president of the United States adopts a Nova Scotia Duck Toller?

Portugese Water Dogs surged in popularity after one moved into the Obama White House. PWD are bright, athletic dogs, but too big for small apartments.

May be not fifth most popular ... but NS Duck Tollers are popular along the west coast of Canada.
For all the good reasons stated above.
Labs are still the most popular, but don't fit well in tiny west coast apartments.
Sadly, hunting dogs have been replaced by too many "dog spirits in tiny costumes" (read toy poodles).
Duck Tollers and Border Collies are far easier to respect.

 

[Derwit]

The Queen goes for Tollers instead of Corgis. She pretty much saved the Corgi from extinction OTL. This inspires the makers of Lassie to use a Toller as the star. Other roles follow for the breed over the years. These factors combine with the Tollers natural cuteness to make it a more popular dog.

 

[Tessitore]

Hmm. IIRC one of the reasons that Labs took off in popularity is that they were came to the UK on fishing vessels and someone liked the look of them or thought that they'd make a good gun dog (which they do), with things going from there.

Tollers wouldn't be able to get to the UK the same way due to occupying a different niche. They're also somewhat unusual hunting dogs since they lure ducks in by goofing around as well as retrieving them afterwards. Not sure how common that technique is in OTL.

Maybe have someone who's in a position to be influential outside of Nova Scotia when rich people shooting things was at its height see some Tollers in action, decide to get some, and then sing their praises to their friends and associates who also decide to get some. I figure that once a couple of dozen or so suitably posh and well-connected people have them things would snowball from there.

ETA: Alternatively, a Toller is adopted as a military mascot during one of the world wars. Some examples of such dogs in OTL became quite famous, especially if they did something noteworthy or looked good in morale boosting photos, which had the side effect of increasing awareness about their breed, e.g. Yorkshire Terriers were apparently an obscure breed before one named Smoky "served" in WWII (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoky_(dog) ).