Will he retrieve? I would love it if my dog stayed next to my side! He's usually doing his own thing.

Your problem may be that the dog is so obedient that he has be trained not to leave your side. What is the problem? Do you want him to flush birds and he's not or is he not retrieving downed birds?

Don't feel too bad. I have a 1yr old Lab that doesn't like the water. It's a good thing she's a family pet and not a hunter.

My son has the father, mother, and brother and they all love the water, but Dakota would rather sit on the bank and bark....

Go figure....