I had a Lab-Pointer cross back in the 80s who was a dog in a thousand. Best pheasant dog I've ever seen. Courage, drive, nose...old Blue had it all. Retrieved well too!

But...even among purebred Labs, there is a huge difference between field breeding and show breeding. The are like two different breeds, when it comes to hunt.

If you are already attached to the pup, give it a try. If you are serious about having a hunting retriever, give the pup to somebody who wants a pet and find yourself a pup with the strongest field breeding you can afford.