Here's another vote for a lab.

Furthermore, I'm strongly against a first time bird dog owner buying a german shorthair. Why? German Shorthairs have a tendency to be nuerotic, super high energy, range out too far (for most conditions in WA) and are more difficult to train than any of the retriever or spaniel breeds. About half the GSPs I've hunted with have been good in the field and pleasent to be around, the other half were some combination of dog aggressive, people aggressive, extremely shyness, and a couple had BAD seperation anxiety. GSPs as retrievers are excellent (for a pointing breed) but are not apporpriate for waterfowl hunting in weather lower than the 40's.

Before you get any dog, look at it realistically. How many days per year will you bird hunt? If under 15 days a year, don't get a dog. You'll never have a reliable dog if they don't get in to birds often. If you hunt at least 15-30 days, get a retriever. If you hunt more than 30 days, you're making a case for a pointer. Pointers are the porche of the dog world and although they're excellent at what they do, they require much more maintence to keep them at a high level of ability.

The benefits of a lab are that they are easy to train, easy to keep, and very forgiving of a novice's mistakes. Get a few books (the 10 minute retriever is great) and take him/her to obedience classes earily and continue training throughout life.

When you decide to get a dog, please pick a responsible breeder. I have a dog that had to be retired at 6 due to bad breeding- she has severe elbow dysplacia- and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Its an expensive mistake. Make sure the parents are OFA'd for hips (and preferably elbows) and CERF'd for eyes. You can end up with a dysplacitic dog even from healthy parents, but you're stacking the odds in your favor with the health screenings.

If I were looking for a lab right now, I'd get one out of his kennel- http://www.rockingmlabs.com The Tanner litter and the Fire litter both are perfect for hunting and pets. With those pedigrees, you're pretty much guarenteed end up with a pup with all the tools to becoming an awesome dog.