I'm VERY interested in how this dog works for you. Send pictures.
I'm buying from a guy in Oregon who used to be a German Shorthair breeder for 20 years. He got out several years ago because his life got too busy but said he got back in a couple years ago to help with his kid's college tuition. He said the BdB is basically a GSH on Valium.
He hunts a lot of geese and said his GSH would sit in the blind an shake and whine the whole time. His current BdB dogs just relax. They don't have quite the same drive and focus that other pointers have, but they're much milder mannered than them, too. Of the three he has, one pointed from 8 weeks, one within a year and the third not until about 18 months. All do well pointing and swimming for retrieves, but they're not labs. He said 2 of his dogs are indifferent to water and one you can't keep out of the pool. One of the three he had to send to a buddy to force retrieve. The other two were naturals. He said the dogs naturally work pretty close to you rather than getting further ahead.
There were several breeders nearer than this guy but none had a litter planned with available spots in the time frame I wanted. I wanted the dog at the beginning of summer for the kids and I to play with all summer. I expect the dog in late May.
One of the major downsides of the breed is price. Because of the rarity, they're pricier. They supposedly make much better family pets than most pointers because of their milder nature. For example, he lives on a ranch and the dogs don't take off hunting the moment he lets them out of the kennel. He said they'll hang around the house as long as he's at the house, but as soon as they see a gun, they get very excited. Most pointers I've been around will bolt if they're let out of the kennel and need to run about a mile before they calm down. He said his are good to go from the first moment they hit the field.
I'll post here when I get the pup, and I'm hoping for a male. He does ask 2 things: don't fix the dog and you can't breed until he has proof the dog will hunt. I think all his dogs came from Sioux Ridge or Voyagers Point kennels.