Get a standard-sized, field-bred poodle (originally bred to retrieve ducks from water in Germany). You can find a breeder in Gun Dog Magazine.
They’re just as good at retrieving ducks as Labs and a whole hell’uva lot smarter. Field poodles don’t need the sissy-clip jobs with which the tiny lap poodles are cursed.
Dont you dare call my noodle brain Lab a noodle brain!
Did you know that the ‘poodle cut’ originated to help them swim better? Their coats would pick up so much junk (leaves, briars, twigs) and created drag for the dogs that they would cut it closer. But the left the puffs on the joints to protect them from the cold water, since poodles don’t have the waterproof coats that many bird dogs do. If you look at a standard poodle cut, the hair is left longer on the shoulders, hips, ankles and chest, for insulation. And the tail puff helped the hunter mark where the dog was swimming.
Of course, now it’s evolved in some fancy-pants cuts, but there was a sensible reason for it, back when poodles were hunting dogs.
I've observed a number of poodles that supposedly are 'field bred' and there are actually 3 in our club. I understand breed loyalty, really I do, and there's no question that standard poodles are VERY smart, but no way those poodles are the retrieving equivalent of a Lab.
My observation is that they lack the desire and drive to go through tough conditions, and they just don't have the birdiness of the average Lab. I've been to a lot of hunt tests, both AKC and HRC, and I have never yet seen a poodle pass a test and I've seen some pretty odd behavior while they were trying to avoid making retrieves. Mostly they don't like to get in the water, especially if it's cold, but they also will run right over a land mark and refuse to pick it up. And they are persnickety about training (you can't force fetch them).
I know that a poodle got his HRCh because it was a feature article in Hunting Retriever News, but they have a long way to go before they're the equivalent of Labs. They're still more of a curiosity than anything else, and you would have to already have a poodle and want to train it for retrieving, and be a very good trainer. Your average hunter/hunt test handler is going to be better off with a good old black Lab.
It’s not just tiny toy Poodles who are clipped a`la Frenchies.