Don't get me going , I love all hunting dogs and am willing to help owners train them all. Granted, gun dog bloodline bred Labs are good (best water dogs forever for sure because of their paddle feet). But compared to a versatile a dog you have not seen anything when they are on their game and you have the right bloodline. Refer to my versatile lab comment up above and I invite you to come up and see what a versatile dog that can hunt can do. They are more capable in every respect in that they will hunt, point , flush and retrieve and if you are less than foolish you will have to admit that a versatile dog can do it better. They are not for everyone and I still respect retrievers and train them without hesitation for clients all the time. All I ask is examine both and how they work and you will be convinced. My personal opinion for sure but I do this for a living.. Hate me if you want... P.S . Aeon you got a good one and for you and family a GSP would be a no go in your environment. as you stated previously. I get it.... P.S. for everyone else do you home work and figure out temperment wise what works for you. The biggest reason dogs get dumped into rescue is because folks don't do the research