After four Labs, three excellent dogs and one with every recessive gene possessed by the breed, and a one year failed experiment with a neurotic, biting Vizsla, I settled on a French Brittany because I no longer wanted to sprint after a flushing dog, I wanted a pointing dog that hunted with me rather than for itself, one that would check in with me more often and be a devoted house dog, and because I did not want a bigger, more wide-ranging dog. Americans created the American Brittany to be bigger and more wide-ranging. I hunted with another guy and his American Brittany for Gambel's quail, and his wider-ranging dog flushed many coveys so far away we got no shots.
Hunter, from Keller's French Brittanys in Arizona has been just what I wanted. He is just over two years old, and has tallied 82 blue grouse, 80 pheasants, and over 100 Gambel's quail in two hunting seasons. He travels well, likes fishing trips and rides in the pickup, and would just as soon be a lap dog. His only fault, aside from thinking I am the coolest thing on the planet outside of a game bird, is being a fanatic for finding birds(and balls) and retrieving them, but not to hand. We are working on that. This dog is every bit as smart as my Labs.
As someone said above, decide what you want in a dog, and get the breed that meets your criteria, whether other people think that's the breed you ought to have or not.
