I have hunted over alot of breeds and the best by far have been the Labs. I am partial to the blacks personally, but a friend has a red lab that is a kick a$$ hunter as well. The best working labs are the pointing labs. They have all the retriever instinct you can ask for and they will hold a good point. Now I know that true pointer men (and women) will scoff at the " pointing" lab idea, but I have a great one and he has held 45 second points for me.

If I had to pick a pointer, I' d pick a Gordon setter, I have hunted with a couple of good ones as well and they know how to work.

Bottom line. A good dog is born AND made. I have seen many a good dog turned bad by mis handling and poor training, but it is rare to train a dog that just does not have it.