If you're looking for a hunting dog why limit yourself to a retriever, look into the North American versatile hunting dog association, there is a plethora of what are called versatile dogs out there that can do anything a lab can do and much more. Labs in general are great family dogs and good companions but there are many versatile breeds that equal or surpass labs in personality and ability, check it out.
Got a great lab in the kennel right now for training (the best we've seen in awhile) from Louisiana that's gonna get er done when we get's she's trained up.
