Our Brit was (generally) a great retriever and all around bird dog.

Once, she had ahold of a rooster by the tail. Got hime revved up, let him go, and my dad missed. He said she was rather pissed at him when she looked at him.

One time, she was retrieving a quail my Dad shot. She went out in the filed, got it, and set it down in the ditch halfway back to Dad. He had to go get it.

Hunting pheasants again, we dumped one in a creek in high flow. Susie jumped in, got the bird, and then got tangled in a willow. Was stuck, wouldn't/couldn't get out, was thrashing the water, so I waded in. When I got there, in belly deep water, she dropped the bird and swam to shore, leaving me to bring the bird in.

Gotta be smarter than the dog.