JW, sorry it took so long to get back.
We decided to run pointing labs after owning numerous breeds and hunting with even more types of dogs. Our reasons are probably different than someone who hunts by himself no more than 3 days at a time.

Reason #
1. Temperament. I have seen three labs with unacceptable temperament. Owner error, breeding, interaction reaction, curable or not doesn’t matter. Those dogs In my not so humble opinion should have been put down. I don’t believe the dog whisperers bs either.
After having said this I dare say I have hunted with including those I have owned some where around 100 labs. I have been around ( tests, kennel visits ect ) probably 300 more. I would say the likelihood of one with bad temperament is poor. I can put a lab in the hunting bus with clients other dogs ect and not worry about a fight or bite.

2. General attitude. The lab seems to be as happy before the hunt as after the hunt. He enjoys a good scratching petting or any attention from any and every one before and after the hunt in his kennel or on the seat of his pickup. Keep in mind if you want a watch dog he may not work out but most dogs can be made to be cross if you really try. Most labs don’t care if they hunt cattails with ½ inch of ice or 16 inches of snow in 4 ft tall crp. When training ,every dog is different. PL’s can be made into a flushing dog quicker than some of the other dogs that point, however, labs are very forgiving to trainer error. Especially amateur trainers that are of below average ability, like me.

3. Toughness. Physically a lab well cared for and in good health pre season can hunt 15 days straight, sleep in an outdoor kennel, never have to have burs cut out or be groomed. No pink underbelly, no pink or bloody feet, no bright red strawberries under the males tail. Mentally he is just as happy every day at the end of the hunt as at the beginning. No guarding the bird pile. No picking fights because he’s cranky. No growling or biting people because he doesn’t want to be touched. I will say If a dog has an injury, is just wore out, has a little age on him ect we don’t push them as hard.

4. General ability. Labs have cons and pros in the upland field or in the blind. Here is where opinion enters into the equation. In our type of hunting ( wild birds in corn, cane, crp, cattails ect ) it takes a dog that works close and has a wide quartering search. We hunt with groups of 4 to 12 people in an organized predetermined effort. All in the hunt have input but before each drive there is a plan of attack. Therefore I don’t want a dog that I have to worry about hunting 100 yards ahead or into the neighbors ect. Can you imagine a dog 100 yards ahead in a corn field that’s been whittled down to 60 rows. Any dog no matter the breed can do that. But most labs lend themselves to good heeling ob and we don’t have problems. Honestly its very rare for a wild rooster to hold long in our vast crp fields here in SD until its worked down into a corner where blockers are waiting and keeping them from running out the ends. First snow,,, now that’s different. I do like a smaller lighter dog than most labs are. We breed 50 lb females and 60 lb males. I do own a 80 lb male that’s long and lanky that does a great job. We don’t use him for breeding but he is a great asset to our hunting business.

5. Monetarily. If I pay for every bird that hit’s the ground I cant afford not to have a retriever with the ability of a good lab. I run two dogs a day often shooting 40 birds. If 5 are crippled and 3 are found that means we would loose around 100 birds a year. Unacceptable. The price of a well bred well trained dog no matter the breed is expensive. I can run our hunting business easily with 4 good pointing labs. That allows for one to be on injured reserve and one to be either a little too young or old to go every day and still rotate the top 2 dogs. It would take a minimum of 7 with out labs.

6 Point. Its icing on the cake. I have sent many a client home with a new respect for a lab that points hard.

Sorry this is so long it could go on for a few more pages but these are the main reasons with out comparing breed to breed so as to say others are inferior in every type of hunting.