i have mine for almost 9 yrs and would thoroughly recommend the breed.he shoots with me twice a week and loves every minute.you have to get used to people thinking they are red collies or mongrels because they are a novelty in the shooting field.they have a lovely temperamentand make great companions.
i trained mine and found it very easy as the dogs are so intelligent and tireless.great swimmers with a double coat so a few shakes and they are dry.very handy for transport purposes.
mine is a real duck shooting enthusiast who can see ducks approaching long before i can and very good at hunting and retrieving both from water and cover.
as a peg dog some are noisy.that seems to be a bit of a feature of the breed.particularly good at catching runners and with a nose that seldom misses anything.mine is a really good finder and i have been astonished on many occasions when he has come back with a bird that i thought would never be found.
training was so easy because he seemed to understand hunting and retrieving without having to be taught.
have a look at the decoymans website.there are some good books and articles available about the interesting history and development of the breed.
theyre also very tough.mine was in pins for 4 months with a broken leg which my vet said was the worst fracture he had seen.he made a perfect recovery as he did from a snapped cruciate ligament and works as well as ever