Seattlesetters,

Your statement " I' d love for this thread to be only about bird dogs" sort of bewilders me. What is your definition of a bird dog? Retrievers, flushers, pointers -- these are all bird dogs if they hunt upland birds or waterfowl, just as trackers and sight-hounds are hunting dogs. Fact is, retrievers -- Labs to be exact, probably account for more game birds being shot than any of the other breeds combined.