Training a pointing dog is a lot of fun but it is a whole separate hobby in itself. The dog you end up has a lot to do with how much you were willing to spend on training. This is mostly in terms of your time but the actual monetary expenses can add up too. My favorite book on dog training is "Speed Train Your Own Bird Dog" by Larry Meuller who is the Outdoor Life dog editor. It has good section on choosing a pup. This might be good investment now as reading it will give you a good idea of what is involved in training a pointing dog. Even though they are more trouble than a lab, working with and hunting over pointing dogs is very addicting. It may be hard to believe now but almost all pointing dog hunters end up feeling that watching the dog work is even more fun than shooting the birds.