Sorry to hear that you lost your dog to a retard vet, you expect them to come home from minor surgery and they don't, that's hard to cope with.
In answer to your question, yes I took Red on only two driven shoots, I was beating, he pointed and retrieved perfectly and he was as steady as a rock, the other dogs were mostly spaniels and labs and he was as well behaved as the best of them, even better at obeying the whistle and hand single, I'm not to keen on pheasants I like venison, so shotguns and beating weren't for me. good luck. regards John