RE: Irish Setters:Are they any good?
Mike,
I think we are agreeing. What the article was saying is that overbreeding and breeding for looks, coat, conformation etc had diminished the original characteristics that were so desirable. Other examples are the Labs you mentioned and Standard Poodles that were origninally a retriever. In the case of the Irish setter the article argued that this had greatly diminished the overall intelligence of the breed. I think Irish setters were fairly popular in the 60's and 70's as pets because of their beautiful coats.
I agree that you need to be careful selecting a hunting dog and make sure that you look for the characteristics you want. Paying top $$ increases your chances of getting what you want.
By the way, I found the website of a guy in Texas who breeds Std Poodles for waterfowl. There are still a few that have the drive. I also know a guy who swears that his German Sheppard is the best retriever he's ever had and will beat any lab he's seen.
It's an uncertain world.