Kennel

Sessan 7 weeks old

Kennel Redborn is a small kennel, located on the outskirts of the town Ringsted, Denmark (no more than a half hour drive from Copenhagen).

To begin with, we never planned or thought about getting a kennel name, or even thinking towards breeding. But the more we got to know the breed and was lucky enough to have a dog of very high quality, the idea began to work in our heads ...

The plan was eventually to build a small kennel with Anina's dog Noah as foundation stud. In May 2009 Anina got a little bitch, a daughter of Noah home. So far she has met the requirements we would ask for a breeding bitch and the plan is therefore that the first litter of puppies from Redborn will come into the world in end 2011 - start 2012.

With us, females will at their earliest be used for breeding when they are 2 ½ years old. We think they should be given the time they need to mature. In some cases we could easily decide to wait further time, as lines can be very late in the physical development and mental maturity.
It shall be in place before puppies are made!

A young dog is not always easy to se how it ends on the mental level, as they often need a certain age and maturity before you see the finished result.

Breeding Goal's

Sessan 7 weeks old

Health

We want to have the whole package - Health - Mentality - Working abilities and Exterior. All parts are heavily weighted, so it will take time to find the right combination.
Therefore we do not have many litters, when the time comes max one litter a year, but more likely a litter every second year.

For us the goal is to breed beautiful working dogs that will also do well in the showring. Dogs that are eligible to be wonderful family dogs and works well with other animals!

There are no guarantees that we can accive this, but Anina spend much time to gather a lot of knowledge about the lines around the world for later use.
While Anina also is following the many combinations around and see how they grow up, both on the positive and negative side.

We are very focused on genetics and lines and Anina is doing much deskwork to find even the smallest detail ahead.

There is no perfect dog and we could never make the perfect dog, but the goal is to try to get as close as it is now possible!  :o)

Mentality

A good mentality means everything. We take great pride in the dogs we have, which we will use in breeding, also represent the Toller in the finest manner.
A mentality of a Uncomplicated dog, which initially has a positive attitude to all living animals is a must. Our animals are socialized with so many different animals as it is now possible.

Both Noah was and Sessan and Gustav has been used to come with me to a riding school owned by a good friend and have hade the opportunety to say hello to all the horses. Sessan and Gustav has also taken a step further and tried to sit on a horse  :o)

The Norwegian Forest Cat Sandro, is a part of the flock back home and participate equally with the other in play and parenting.
Although Tollers are hunting dogs, it is important to us that they can live together with live animals that they usually retrieve in a hunting situation, test or training. We have a tame rabbit ram that runs around the garden with the dogs and the dogs does nothing, although that Sessan loves to retrieve dead rabbits on hunting exercise.

Working Abilities

Noah and Anina

For us, the greatest asset of Toller as Hunting / Use are the Toller's intelligence. Time and again, Anina experienced experienced retriever people become fascinated by how fast and easily trained they are. Think the biggest problem for Toller owners is that the smarter their Toller is, the more independent they become, :o) It then gives an extra challenge at the other end!

There is much hunting in the genes of most Tollers and the dogs we breed are no exception.

Exterior

In order to get a good strong working dog, it is important that the dog has a good body and bone. In a hunting situation, the dog must be able to move, with easy fast powerful steps over shaky ground (marsh area) without any problems.

Noah in a "flying" run through a marsh area in 2008

In addition, it must be enduring physical and therefore it is important that the dog has good racial typical morphological characteristic of Toller!
We therefore wont go for breeding of big dogs or too limbed dogs, but a medium type.
This also implies that breeding animals must at least have "Excellent" several times, with good critiques from respected breed known judges.

Noah BOS at big Curcuit show at the WDS2008 in Stockholm	Noah at the top becoming BIG3/BOG3# at DKK int. Hilleroed 2009

In 2007 the Norwegian Toller Festival Anina experienced for the first time Tollers work in their element. In a final round after a Tolling hunt test on dummies, were the best dogs, including our own Noah competing  for placement. The task was that the dogs were doing a water mark. But to get out of it and back again, they should first go through a large marsh area.

Some dogs were very reluctant to move through, while others were just too heavy. But Noah, however, he looked just perfect for this task and almost flew through the marshes to the dummie and straight back again without getting out of breath: o)

Another time Anina and Noah was on a hunting course in Norway with friends, the dogs would work in a similar area with marsh tussocks that floated on the water. Again they had to work their way upstairs as well as up and down from these mounds in the water. And again showed Noah himself perfectly for this purpose.

Since then, we not been in doubt as to the type of Toller we will breed, that they must have the same structure as Noah and using his genetic material from his children, we will (if we're lucky) be able to stick with this.

Noah who enjoys working in water. (From training weekend in Norway 2008)

Contact
You are always welcome to come and meet our Toller. Whether to have a chat about Toller, or to see if this is where your new family member will come from. Just call or email so we can find a day that fits.

 Kennel Redborn/ V
Anina & Merethe Steentofte
Mobil : 23986032