The boy went to school today, to a very reputable trainer. He's not that far from me so I can stop in and see him from time to time.

The dog has the gift, and I realized I'm not qualified to bring it out of him so I took him to "the man". I spent a couple hours with the trainer and my dog and it's amazing what he was able to do with him in that limited time. The dog already is very well socialized and had basic obedience commands down-pat (mostly) but those will be 100% solid when he comes home. He will also "force-fetch". If you don't know what that is, here's a decent description though my trainer goes about it a little differently http://www.versatiledogs.com/ask/ret8.html

The trainer actually got very excited when he saw the boys bloodline and realized what he had on his hands by working with him.

I expect the trainer will try to talk me into leaving him with him for longer than the agreed upon time to "polish him up" for purely personal reasons. He doesn't charge for the additional time, so money isn't the object. He will want the opportunity to work him more so that when the dog hits the field he will be a testament to his skills as a trainer.