I did a lot of research into this subject when I knew I was going to lose my Chessie Emma. I took a long hard look at all of the breeds mentioned in the thread before settling on the FBECS. I was looking for a smallish, hard-hunting dog that was great in the uplands but would also be passable on South Dakota waterfowl.
Now I'll preface this with the admission that I'll paint with a pretty broad-brush when speaking about the breeds, and I fully acknowledge in the end its about the individual dog and not the breed. That being said, at the end of the day we make breed decisions and then look for the individual dogs.
Initially I thought the Boykin was the most logical choice as it was first a waterfowl dog. I did a lot of research talking with breeders and professional trainers from all over the country. The more I talked with breed aficionados the more I was actually turned off. I think the folks in the Boykin breed are doing all of the right things, but at the end of the day the are working with a very, very small gene pool and have had some genetic disasters crop up in even their best lines. Having traveled the genetic disaster road with my Chessie I wasn't ready to roll those dice again. On the working front, almost universally they were described as warm-weather retrievers and just-above-average upland hunters. Again, I'm speaking in broad terms here and from the impression given to me by the individuals most familiar with the breed.
Years ago I looked into the AWS, and also thought it might be a good fit. I'll fully admit to only dealing with a small handful of these dogs in practice, but to a dog they were all sharp in one way or another. Meaning they either had to be muzzled for us to look at them, had aggression problems with other dogs or territorial aggression. Here recently I met one that was one of the happiest, friendliest dogs you could hope to meet only to have my bubble burst when the family asked about suggestions for dealing with aggression at home. It may just be my small sample experience but it was enough to turn me off the breed for my own needs.
The more I dug the more the FBECS seemed to rise to the top of the list as filling my needs. I talked with several breeders and owners and was convincingly sold. I now know of several veterinarians, all from different parts of the country, who also hunt behind them as they were impressed with the dogs and the lack of health issues typically associated with the spaniels (ears and skin). I spent some time with a couple of the top breeders in the country and went to a field trial. I have been to a number of different field trials of all dog types and this was the first time that I could say without hesitation that I would have taken each dog home if offered to me. When I went to pick my pup up I spent a few days running dogs with them and was impressed as the dogs regularly did 100 yard marks and blinds. Certainly not with the skill of a retriever but they would get the job done. In the uplands I have NEVER seen a more animated hunter, to the point of being comical as to how hard these dogs work.
Of course there are downsides with this breed as well. They certainly are not late-season or big water dogs for chasing waterfowl. Mine happens to be white which should make hiding her a challenge come duck hunting next year. If you look at the breed long enough you will here comments like "cockers are characters" "devilish imps" a "pint of stout" etc. Basically this is code for the dog is occasionally possessed by the devil. I have never owned a more intelligent dog and one who thrives on mischievousness. Over the course of minutes I'll go from wanting to kill her to loving her. I was not prepared for the depth of their personality which certainly isn't for everyone.
Mine is only four months old so we are very early in the game. Thus far training is going well. I'm going to try to use some of the British methods and attempt to make it through without a collar (I've always used a collar) and to have a broke dog prior to even introducing her to birds. We'll see how it goes but those are my goals.
I would also throw a good, field-bred springer on to your radar. I have dealt with a number of field-bred springers and was turned off by skin/ear issues and aggression. During my cocker search though I ran into some amazing springers. I hate to admit this but on the weekend I went to pick Lily up I was extremely, extremely close to bringing back a started springer that I absolutely fell in love with. Most trainers that deal with both will tell you that as far as working dogs they are similar, it is in the personality department that they differ. Springers are more willing to please and laid back. They often mention that you train a springer and you have to ask a cocker. Looking back I'm not sure I'd change my decision, but I would have probably looked harder at the springers as well.
If you've made it this far in my windy post I suppose you deserve some pictures:
Chewing an expensive camera strap:
Hupping is going well:
She's a charger:
And, I can't wait for this to be a real bird for the first time:
