Along the same line's I took my young female black lab to a working retriever test last summer she has ton's of drive (almost too much)she dig's bird and will retrieve endlessly.I had worked her with dead bird's and such but just throwing them myself. I was worried abought her marking a live bird since I throw everything for her.So they throw a live duck up abought fifty yard's out proceed to shoot it's head clean off.
She's on it headed straight for the bird,cool piece of cake
Not so fast She get's to the bird head down abought to pick it up and this fricken duck get's the last laugh and jump's straight up abought two feet. Scared the crap out of her I think she jumped three feet in the air and came running back to me with no duck.
Got some live pidgeon's and let her chase them around for the rest of the summer. she's over it now all is well.