(I too will admit that this could be seen as a shameless plug, however I would like to add my comments to John Lawton's pertinent post.)
Coming from the UK and having shot in field trials and the shooting field for many years and also having trained a Spaniel to field trial' standard in the UK, when I arrived here 11 years ago, due to location and work commitments, I was not quite in a position to own or train a gundog. When I was ready, I found it very difficult to find information about retrieving trials and also a good breeder to get a dog from. (Although I had friends in the British field trial team who ran Labradors and Retrievers, I have a personal affection and soft spot for English Springer Spaniels.) Finally, we found a good breeder in Victoria, we had to wait a year before we could get our puppy. and now, four years later, we have been blessed with a beautiful springer spaniel (Wrangham Jane Eyre, aka Milly)) that in her first year of trialling has won several retrieving trials, a Spaniel field trial and is now an all aged retrieving dog.
We also run a website for hunting and outdoor enthusiasts Here's my plug(http://www.sportingoutbacksupplies.com.au). I realised that awareness to retrieving trials and availability of relevant training equipment in Australia was low, so we have put on a "gun dog training gear" category with over 150 products and we supply Australia-wide via the website. We are trying to encourage more people to get into the sport.
Trying not to deviate too much from the topic of 'can retrieving survive', to support and encourage the sport, although living in NSW we have also joined Gun Dogs Victoria, SSAA Gun Dogs and have supported the National Retrieving Championship with a beginners kit plus other prizes aimed at newcomers to the sport. With the help of Steve Austin whom I am sure many of you know or have heard of, we have conducted for the last two years, 'An introduction to Gun Dogs' training day at the NSW Gun Club for Australian Hunters International hunting club in Sydney and on both occasions had over 45 participants on each day whom had Gun Dogs of various breeds, but did not know how to train them or what the dogs were capable of.
The sport will surely survive if we try to introduce those around us to the pleasures of gun dogs and what they are bred for.
Living in the centre of Sydney with limited access to training grounds, my main daily training is conducted on an oval and whilst trying to avoid the social activities of other unleashed dogs, which I have to accept, I get the opportunity to discuss what I am doing with all manner of dog owners and it is surprising how interested they are, especially if they have Gun Dog breeds or even Cavoodles, Labradoodles, etc which all still have the Gun Dog Traits in their DNA. The conversations normally start when they see me hurling Avery or Dokken plastic Ducks across the field or in to the water. The interested people have no concern that Guns are used or that hunting or simulated hunting is an issue and I believe that this should continue in the field trial/retrieving circuit as this is where its roots lie. Education is key and an openness and willingness to share knowledge and training tips etc to others and to take someone along to watch and introduce them to the sport is what will help the retrieving and field trial sports survive. This is something that we should all encourage and if we all do our bit, we will ensure newcomers continue to come to the sport. John.