I've had four DDs and each one was/is a very good hunting dog with a reasonable amount of training. One reason I chose a DD was the fact that every dog bred under that German system has to be tested before they are allowed to be bred. IMO, that really increases your odds of getting a pup with the genes to make a good hunting dog. The downside to the rigid German system is that many folks won't put up with the tight rules required by the Germans, so there are relatively few DD breeders (and others like DK, PP, etc) in this country. That in turn reduces the number of pups born each year and helps drive up prices.
If you're serious about getting a pup in the spring of 2022, I would be contacting breeders right now. Many of these DD breeders have waiting lists and it could take you 2+ years to find a breeder close to your location. One of my dogs came from the Jugler's kennel in Casper (
https://www.sudlichenwald.com/) and she's an awesome dog and they are super great folks. They got started in DDs and were mentored by Roger Green when he lived in WY. Roger and his wife Marge are some of the best Draht folks in North America (
http://rogermgreen.com/vom_elderbach/homepage.html).
Other kennels you should check out are Heather Prunty's
https://grizzlycreekdd.weebly.com/; her C-litter pups were a HUGE success and they all tested out with very high scores. I currently have a pup out of one of those vom Grizzly Creek C-litter females. There is a breeder in Bismarck (
https://www.vonmakoshika.com/) that has had some good pups that isn't too far from you. East of you in Sioux Falls there is a super experienced breeder (
http://www.vomikekennel.com/) that really knows his stuff. Blaine is a walking encyclopedia of DD lines, and he would be a great contact for you to learn more about the different DD lines.
And I'm sure there are other good choices out there. Like I said at the start, the German system almost guarantees that any DD pup will be at least adequate for most hunters. The lousy breeders get weeded out fast in the DD world.
Have fun with your new DD pup!
