Joe I have 3 dogs. Well Anna mostlydoes. I've been wanting to take them to the field for years. I'll be perfectly honest. Some dogs are more suited to it than others. Mine are not good in the type of environment we have at the field or contests. Their little brats. Now before anyone jumps on me I want to state this. My wife is heavily involved with a large no kill dog rescue organization. Wehave all the resourses in the world available to us and we are both lifetime owners of dogs. We use all the modern and conventional psycology methods. (ala Cesar Mellan)All that said not all dogs are the same. They have unique personality's. We totally love our 3 dogs but as I said before the field and them are not made for each other.
If I didn't have a wife who stays home I'd be stuck with the dogs and it would require me having to find a sitter for the contests.
Consider that carefully. Dogs are a lot of work. They require your full attention. I think the breed selection is huge. If you can research the types of personallity's the breeds have and look for the semi comatose ones.
Mine are a mix of Rat Terrier, Pug Pom, and Jack Russell. All are hyper breeds.Nuff said. All rescue's.
Dogs are a huge part of my wife's and my life. We adore them and treasure them.
I wish you all the luck in the world, Mike