The very best advice i can give you, doesn't answer your question, but I think most here will agree with it.
If you're thinking about getting a puppy, training, hunting, breeding, etc....
Seek out a local retriever club, and go ask a LOT of questions. Many have training days, tests, trials, seminars etc. You will likely be overwhelmed with all the dog talk and tell yourself " I don't really need all that, I just want a hunting dog." Don't let it all intimidate you. You might be VERY surprised at how serious you can get in a very short period of time. Just keep going and asking questions. You can learn a great deal, from other peoples trial and error, on anything from pedigrees, to picking a pup, to training, etc. If you are not committed to the pup in March, you may even want to hold off just a little bit, before you make any decisions. Retrievers are HIGHLY rewarding animals, and hopefully this is your first step of a lifelong passion.
I apologize for the rudeness. The reality is, you are heads and tails ahead of many of us when we were brand new to retrievers, just by seeking out this site, and asking the question.
Forgive the cliche' but it's not a dumb question, if you don't know the awnser.
Visit this site often. Ask more "dumb" questions. Lots of them. There is a LOT of good, and a tad of not so good info here all the time. If you read enough of it, you'll soon start to recognize the difference. There is a good search tool on here, that's very helpful. There are lots of good people, a few jerks, and a couple jerks that are really good people. (This thread is a good example)
I wish the internet existed when i first got started. Information is out there. Keep seeking it.
By the way, Welcome!
