I think that LG,FG and Rainer ,bring up great points ,in that breeding and bloodlines give you a much better chance at getting a higher performance dog than say the friends friend who bread the two becouse he thought they were both good dogs.Not saying that great dogs dont come out of those combinations but if you have 2 porsches odds on your going to get something better than the 2 fords.Again the ford might in his owners eyes be a great dog but what he has done to get to that position as compared to a well bred dog that picks up the training that much faster and is at a higher level with comparitevely less real time exposure as the other one can be substantial.I have experienced this in my time and have no qualms about picking a well bread dog from a reputable breeder as a starting point for a great partner.That being said have seen fords that have done exceptionally well but usually that's because most have experienced volumes of hunting and retrieving and are good just because of sheer numbers.My .02 worth