This is not to say that the other breeds are bad, but I can say that Britttanys are great dogs in every respect – I’ve had them all my life.
No matter how much you hunt (being retired, I hunt only on days that end in a “y”
) a bird dog will spend more time being a pet than actually hunting. To the extent that one can generalize (each dog is an individual just like people), they are gentle, loving and devoted companions and pets who will come to understand your every mood and feeling and who want to do whatever it is that you are doing each day. They are safe around children and not “sharp” with other critters (my neighbor has chickens and turkeys) unless you teach them to be (mine are trained to kill varmints like groundhogs).
They are intelligent and bidable – they live to please you. Those two characteristics are the most important ingredients of a good bird dog, IMO. I have had males and females and find no difference between them in terms of personality or hunting ability. Gently teach them commands for what you want them to do so they understand and then they will do whatever you want – even jump off a cliff if you just ask, so you must be responsible for them and careful what you ask.
I’ve never had a Brit without a strong prey drive. In the field they are tireless, smart hunters. If you let them learn how to hunt and don’t constantly hack them, they will do things like: wait quietly with you and help watch for incoming doves or ducks when you are pass shooting; quarter back and forth like windshield wipers in heavy cover; hunt from cover to cover where there are open areas; range a half mile out when in the vast high plains of the west and stick close in the tangled hell of the local ruffed grouse woods. They will break out of a thick row, run to the end and come back toward you to pin a running pheasant; carefully approach a jumpy prairie grouse on the back side of a hill like a cat stalking, etc, etc.
You will get stylish points:
They will honor one another’s points:
They are tenacious retrievers from land and water who simply won’t give up until they have tracked down that wounded running bird and laid it in your hand.
They will kill birds for you, east and west:
The only real downside (if you can call it that) of Brittanys is that they are not for sedentary or lazy owners. They are meant for an active outdooorsman. On each and every day when they are not hunting, they will want to run hard off lead for a goodly distance – this keeps them (and you) in shape both mentally and physically. You can’t (in the sense that it’s wrong for the dogs and for you) just feed them and ignore them like you can, say, with an out of shape Lab. They want and need attention, interaction with you and lots of exercise. They will repay you one hundred-fold.
I’m lucky in that I live way back in the woods in the middle of a decent chunk of my own land and I can run my dogs (or hunt) by just walking out my front door. There is water on the place to keep them cool in the summer. It sounds like you have a similar situation.
As to training, just join your local NAVHDA chapter and the folks there will happily train you how to train - it's not rocket science, but if you've never done it, it is helpful to have hands-on assistance from experienced people. Owning a bird dog isn't cheap in terms of time and money if you do right by the dog, but it's simply the best thing in the world. You'll wonder how you ever lived without one. I guarantee it!