[elkhunter11]

Come out to one or two of our NAVHDA field days this spring/summer, and watch the various breeds in action. You can also talk to many owners and ask whatever questuins you might have. I am sure that we can even arrange to get you hunting over a dog or two next fall to get a better idea of what hunting over a dog is all about. As was previously mentioned you have the dog 12 months each year, so you need to choose a breed that suits your lifestyle. Once you have narrowed down the breed, research breeders, and get on a list for a pup for a future litter, as the most desired breeders usually have a waiting list for pups. I was over a year from retirement when I started the process, and I had a breeder selected, and a deposit down for a pup about nine months before the planned litter. I had already hunted extensively over multiple breeds, so I had a good idea of breed, but my final choice was based on the breeder, after talking to several references, talking to the breeder, and doing research online about breeders.
A good online reference is the versatile hunting dog forum, it is based in the USA, but many Canadians are members, and many members have pups from Canadian breeders. The Canadian Upland hunting forum on Facebook is another good reference to check out. In the end, choose whether you want a pointer or a flusher, a bigger dog, or a smaller dog, and then the bloodline is probably more important that the specific breed. The bloodline is more of a factor in the personality of the dog than the specific breed. Some dogs are calm and non destructive, while another dog from the same breed , but a different bloodline, may be hyper and very destructive in the home. Some bloodlines will produce better hunters , and while you can train obedience, you can't train the hunting drive into a dog that doesn't have it.
In the end, choose a breed you like, from a breeder that has a reputation for good bloodlines, join a club to meet other owners, and that can provide a training field and birds for training, and spend the time required to train your pup and keep it exercised. If all goes well, you will have a pup that will be able to hunt well before it is a year old, and that is very capable by the second hunting season.