A wise breeder once told me, You dont teach a dog to hunt. You teach it to hunt with you. If you have a dog that doesnt hunt, you cant teach it to, and you need a different dog.

My vet is part of a clinical study at the U of M trying to figure out why Goldens life expectancy has become so short. A neighbor owns a pair of litter sisters, not hunting dogs that I can tell, that are 8 years of age, and look 14. His prior dog didnt make it to 10. The dogs receive excellent care, by the way.

There is something going on out there, with that breed. I would suggest you do your research, and be open to at least consider other breeds.

https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/golden-retriever-lifetime-study

Congrats on having kids interested in bird dogs and hunting.

Good luck.

Best,
Ted