Check your Humane Society. Just picked up a Lab/Shorthair. Looking good so far.

1000.00 duck dog
 

You show me a good finished 1000.00 duck dog and i will show you a dog that has more problems and holes in its training then swiss cheese. I live in west tn and a good reliable ready to hunt dog of what is called finished quality will bring 4000. all day long.

I got a Lab/Shorthair from Humane Society,3 years old. FINALLY have a dog that will point and retrieve both upland and waterfowl. Cost: $85.

I normally just browse and read the forums but I have to chime in on this one. I know you already bought yours but for anyone else reading this know that you can save a lot of money by buying a pup and training it yourself. I have done it multiple times and all you need is the patience and know how to get it done. You will also develop a better connection with the dog and it will be far more obedient and you can often get the dog to excel across more areas.

My current dog is just about out of gas being 12 years old so I'll be getting ready to train another up shortly. This was by far the best dog I've ever had, hell he could even get his own birds without me ever having to pull the trigger!

I train my own pups. Just bought a Boykin pup that I'll be picking up the first of December. Go to ebay or Amazon and get a book or video or just google search retriever training. To me it is much more enjoyable to raise and train a pup and then see them work. Caution though, you need to spend a lot of time with them.