[RWebb]

well, my Golden is named for the Scottish word that means the crossing of a narrow strait of water...

re training and breeders - go talk to each breeder and discuss that specific (hunting?) task with each one -- a good breeder will want to interview you anyway to make sure their dog has a good home, but you probably knew that

scientists who have studied dogs have found that what we call "retrieving" is based on 3 innate behaviors that are bound together during training (developmental behavior is the term) and each has been selected for by breeders - unfortunately, it's been so long ago that I don't recall the articles on it or even all 3 of the behaviors - Let me try an educated guess tho: 1. desire to mouth and nerve endings in the lips & mouth; 2. return to companion (owner, butler or demi-god depending on the mind set); and 3. most likely the "give" behavior