once upon a time - the saying was that you trained a golden with a voice, a lab with a stick and a chessie with a 2x4.
they were strong dogs that retrieved from big water and then guarded the boat and gear at night
but i think you'll find the old reputation is no longer true, breeders have worked hard to breed a dog with strong hunting drive that is family friendly -
there are several guys on the
http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/for...m_view;forum=1 that love them.