RE: Duck Blind Ideas...
Why not start the pup working out of a boat at the beginning after he is comfortable with water retreives from land. The more he is in the boat the more comfortable he will be. Working off of the bank is probably the best way to work your pup, but the best thing for a pup is repitition and whichever way you can do that will be best for him or her.
Find some kind of light weight post like conduit and some type of netting for a lightweight ground blind.