[birdman]

First off, is your dog a retriever?

This is not that uncommon of a problem and can be fixed with a bit of effort. I cured a similar issue with my dog several years ago when he would only bring back birds part of the way, drop them, and wait for me to pick them up. Will your dog even pick up a bird now? If your dog routinely finishes retrieves with bumpers and other items thrown, it's time to work with him on "force fetching". This can be accomplished in many ways and I suggest doing some quick internet searches on this subject. Basically, you'll start out making him hold a bird in his mouth. This often times requires using rubber bands, rope, elastic, etc. to actually lock his mouth down. Next you work on the give command. You will eventually start a series of small retrieves where a bird is thrown say 8-10 yards away and get your dog to retrieve. Make sure and use lots of praise and even a reward snack. Once he's comfortable with this, start extending distance until he has to hunt for it.