i spend a lot of time out after waterfowl especially geese and depending on what time of year and how much time you spend out on the waterfowl hunt it is a must (here in the uk anyway) to have a dog with a waterproof undercoat so cold water can't come into contact with the dogs skin. a few years ago i was shooting with a friend on an offshore island during a snowstorm after his spaniel had gone into the sea for the 6th time she nearly died of hypothermia because ess don't have the aforesaid undercoat . its not a pleasant site to see an experienced working dog doing its best to pass out of this world ! i would stick with any of the waterdogs which have been bred for wet cold conditions (horses for courses)ie labs , curly coated retrievers , chesapeake bay retrievers , irish water spaniels etc . in extreme weather conditions i suggest you steer clear of pointers , hpr's , terriers and such , i speak as someone who has owned and worked hpr's , labs and spaniels . for general rough shooting hpr's are great but be prepared for frustration when training them they are convinced they know best and i wouldn't recommend them to anyone who is not experienced in training a working gundog if only for the fact that you are training a dog which is bred to do three separate jobs - its like trying to train a pointer , a spaniel and a retriever all at the same time ! mind you when it all comes good its a great feeling . for myself my favourite is still the black lab !

whatever you finally choose good luck

cheers

christoph