A few comments.
First, congratulations on your pup it will be a great companion regardless of anything else.
Second, Water Dog is geared more toward a non-slip retriever such as used for waterfowl rather than upland game like waterfowl. A better choice would be Game Dog. Both are rather dated books utilizing theories and practices popular a few decades ago. That is not to say it is obsolete but there are some tools and thoughts that are more practical for this age.
I consult books for training spaniels when working with flushing dogs. Mine are older but they work for me. I look at them to understand concepts and then adapt them to my tools and techniques. I prefer pointing dogs but these books get me a workable dog. I have books on flushing and retrieving dogs on hand as some of the concepts transfer, especially when asking a dog to perform outside their norms.
Third, joining a training club is an extremely good idea and one I can't second heartily enough. Just make sure it is for the type of hunting you wish to do. Just as with training books, some gear towards waterfowling rather than the uplands. Find one that matches your needs and desires.
As for force retrieving, it is something I do with all my dogs. It is partly to ensure retrieving to hand but most importantly it helps establish better/faster obedience in the dog. Done correctly, the dog will show no shyness towards hands -if it does a mistake has been made by the trainer. Surprisingly, it often lessens or even corrects instances of hard mouth in a dog. It is not a guarantee but it works pretty often though some dogs need a refresher now and then.
I also expect perfection out of my dogs, no different than I do with those I have coached or those who have coached me. To do otherwise is to not push the instructed to better themselves. If a coach did not push me to be perfect, then I would consider my money and time to have been wasted. The same for my dogs, I have high expectations for them which keeps them at their peak much of the time. Like me, there are some downturns but the expectations keep me and my dogs from backsliding. Pushing one to "Do your best," generally gets one further in the long run than settling for "That's OK."
