Doc,
We owned and ran American Britts (many) for 40 years and hunted them from the Maritmes to the Dakotas for many of those years. Also were active in breed club activities on the East Coast. All this before and during the AKC name change and the introduction of HB handling to Brittany field trials, which I think was not a good thing on balance for the breed.
Am Britts are a great dog for the first time PD owner/trainer. They are just as "smart" as any other breed and make great pets/house dogs. I have never seen a well bred Britt who couldn't be made in to a decent bird dog for the average bird hunter. Most can be molded into a super gun dog in the right hands. Not so, for some other breeds IME.
Two GOTO names I would offer if I needed a good Britt:
Rick Smith (I believe his/his dad's bloodlines (Bazooka) are available from the Ronnie Smith kennels in Big Cabin, OK. Rick and Ronnie also put on excellent training seminars.
Dave Walker in ID.
Both are supernice guys and have top tier bloodlines. Good Luck and pics of your new pup are a necessity!!
NB
