my lab did not become real good until he was around 3 yrs old,now at 4 ,he is getting even better.
1 to 2,he was not very good.

i think your dog just needs more time in field around birds.

hide a bird as often as you can if you cant get around birds.
i got mine real good at grouse by driving around before seaon on old dirt roads.
we would see a birds,i would back up, get out and let dog loose saying,BIRD..
after about 3 times of doing that, he knows now what is.

What I think he really needs to do is get some help from people in his area that knows what they are doing.. That is up to him to decide to do that or not, but if the dog follows me around I would not be taking it hunting until I knew how to help it out.

Thanks again, i'll probably be checking this regularily everyday, i am gonna hook up with the retriever club i think this summer, take her out and do a walk or two a day and not push it with her, if she doesn't wanna work, she can stay in the crate in the truck while i go walk with my uncle and his dog. there is a retriever club around the area, and i am gonna go there i think next summer w/ her, my uncle took his dog there and she is probably the best dog i've hunted behind, part of that is breeding and part training i know, but i mean from the way he handled his dog and the way i handle mine is similar, and she has a good background for bloodlines anyways. i'll just have to keep working with her, i'm not ready to give up on her yet, it is very frusturating to go out though with people whose dogs work well and your's doesn't work as well as you'd want after all the work you've put into the dog. oh well, she'll just have to come out with me anyways and figure it out and i'll work it out of her.

2 things other than what i said, may help.
heck, i am no expert but raised hunting dogs for 50 years.

labs love water, get her interested in water and throw bumper in and retrieve.
next, find a place you can walk your dog that has RABBITS.
i trained mine at school.usually rabbits come out real early in morning.

both those things could help.