It's as Battue stated above, a matter of the owner making the effort to integrate the dog into your life. If you leave it up to the dog, you are going to be disappointed and it will be no fault of the dog's. As I pointed out earlier, police and military K9s spend their first year or more with someone other than their handler. In 8 weeks the dog and new handler are a team that will work together and the dog will willingly do things much more hazardous and risky than the typical hunting dog will be asked to do.
The only Pointer I've had so far was a 3.5 year old field trial washout. It took me about a month of work to get him to the point I felt confident he would obey me in any circumstance. I don't think the dog would have ever reached the point he would not have obeyed the original handler but I doubt he would have put him over me after a couple of years.
If the first handler did their job correctly, it would make him much like a parent and at what point in your life do you start ignoring your parents? It may reach a point you do not instantly obey every command over say, your spouse but you will listen.
Worry over "bonding" is a non-issue. Worry over it will become a self fulfilling prophecy. Working and playing together will cement any bond that occurs. If a bond does not happen, there is something very wrong with either the dog or the owner or both.
