Yes they make excellent water dogs. My trooper dog hunts 90% waterfowl as I live right on the pacific ocean. Geese, duck, brant you name it and I get nice points on snipe on the way to the blind. The learn blinds, mark well and take hand signal easily.
When they call them versatile hunting dogs they know of what they speak. We hunt grouse and woodcock in northern WI. Pheasant, huns and sharpies in MT and the Dakotas. Pheasant, quail and waterfowl in WA. After Jan is over he's my coyote dog in NV, UT. AZ and NM.
