RE: AZ hunting dogs
Bearcat, in my many years (~29) of working with pointing breeds (I've worked with all the usual ones and some you may not have heard of) I would recommend only 1 breed. Now, before I do, that is not to say the other breeds cannot hunt quail in Arizona!
Never-the-less, I'd only want apointer - as in English. I love my setters but in that arid climate & for those birds, a pointer is the ONLY dog I'd use. Further-more, you need to train and aclimitize your dog. Buying a started/finished pointer from the north on Monday and hunting it that week jn Arizona will not reflect the dog's potential. The dog will need some time hunting/working in that grueling environment. In time, a good pointer will do the optimumjob, bar none!