re: What's the best way to keep a dog from breaking?

I like gonepecan's answer. I have trained quite a few retrievers and always recommend to leash the dog while hunting. Too many dogs get shot in the excitement and just not worth the risk. You are asking for perfection from an animal which may pay the ultimate price for being too excited. And don't use e collars unless the dog has been collar conditioned. The e collar is the best and worst training tool we have.