Journey (Ch. Gamekeepers Sentimental Journey CD SH AX OAJ WCX), owned by Mitch and Maria White and Susan Adkinson, demonstrates that flat-coats make fine waterfowl dogs.

"I laughed at her. It was a mistake. Now I can't sit down on a hunting trip unless I have my back to a tree or a fence post. Flat-coats are also not a put-him-in-the-yard-and-forget-about-him breed. This is a breed that has a high level of activity and mischief between the ears, which means that they need to be trained and maintained in lifestyle situations. They are also less likely to be 'self-raising' than some other breeds."

This is also a breed that has a very high energy level and is quite stylish in the field, according to the people who hunt with flat-coats. They combine the best qualities of the setter style with the fetching capabilities of a retriever. "Flat-coats differ from Labs and goldens when they're working in that they tend to initially scent and quarter, carrying their heads high, similar to a setter," observed White.

"They are equally good hunting upland birds or waterfowl. However, I do have favorite dogs for goose hunting or duck hunting or pheasant hunting, as certain style traits of these particular dogs makes them more fun to hunt with such as big water entries, perfect quartering or tenacious in cover on pheasants."

While generally easy to train, flat-coats do require that their trainer have a great deal of flexibility in his or her training techniques. "Flat-coats are intelligent and love to learn," said Fuhlman. "But this intelligence can be a challenge in itself. They don't always take training at face value. They think there might be another way to do things.

"They do tend to be on the softer side with regard to corrections. They do not usually do well with a heavy-handed, regimented routine. To be successful with a flat-coat, you need to be a bit more creative and thoughtful in your training techniques. If I have a dog that is in the part of training that requires a fair amount of pressure and repetitive drills, I try to break it up by going back into the field, provided there are no training issues that can carry over. It breaks up the monotony for the dogs and keeps their attitude up.

"While most take kindly to the obedience necessary for field work, sometimes they add a twist. They'll come when called but they may make a stop or two along the way. Sometimes they can be a bit strong-willed but they'll usually yield. Personally, I prefer a dog that has the intelligence and grit to thumb their nose at me on occasion but will yield when I push the issue. They need to be able to think on their feet and solve problems if they are going to be good working dogs."

Freeman added that if you are talking about comparing a flat-coat to a field-bred Labrador, flat-coats do not have the ultra high degree of trainability of a field-bred Lab. "Even if you have a hard-core field-bred flat-coat, they don't have the kind of 'I'll try harder' trainability that you see in field-bred Labs.

"Again, comparing them to field-bred Labs, even a birdy flat-coat doesn't 'rivet' on the spot of a fall. There are some great marking flat-coats but they are not the norm and they can be found most often in a few bloodlines. However, where flat-coats greatly differ from field-bred Labs is in the area of resiliency to corrections and more importantly to training mistakes. If you make a serious mistake in training, you may be faced with rebuilding for a few weeks or even months with a flat-coat, while a good field-bred Lab will spring back and forgive.