Brian, I’m gonna add just a couple more cents here.
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I like the Bay retriever idea. You may be able to find a cross too. Often the best dogs are not pure breeds.
Never cared for standard poodles myslef, but that is just me.
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I fully understand the attraction of a pure bred dog. I have one myself. (the other one is a mixed rescue from the mean streets of Rosarito.)Seriously consider a mutt, mixed or cross breed. For a whole lot of reasons. It probably won’t be the most handsome dog, but it is likely to be healthier. My experience is that they also tend to be easier to train, not sure why but it seems the bad instincts tend to disappear. Never had an experience where a dog had all the bad traits of multiple breeds. Please consider a shelter dog. Usually lots to choose from.
You might also consider getting a new dog before the old one is through. They’re all different, but a lot of old dogs get new life when another dog comes into the household. If it’s a consideration, test drive it. Make sure the old one doesn’t hate the idea. Specially if it’s a puppy. Some old dogs really take to training the new kid. Others seem to hate it. If he hates it, let him live out his life with just the two of you.
Also, never ever ever get a puppy that’s been weaned before 8 weeks. I can give you a long list of probable behavior problems with puppies weaned too young.
And the poodle thing was just a joke. Poodle people will hate me, but I don’t really even consider them dogs.
