Doggie short list

Okay, I've done my research and then I did some more. I think I read the entirety of wikipedia and a couple of books I've borrowed from the library. Please see the book list on the side for the breed books that I've used. After much reading, and much compiling, and at least a little bit of confusion, here is the short list of breeds that I want to look at closer. Please note that none of these (except the rough collie) has been allergy tested against Nick.

I'm looking for a dog who has an upbeat personality, is affectionate, is attentive, and won't cost me a fortune at the groomers.

And the list is:

1. Collie (rough or smooth)

The collie still seems to be the perfect dog for me for this task. They are gentle, attentive, shed very little except when they blow their coat.

Downside: The are talky.

2. There are some ties here

Pudelpointer

Pretty much a poodle x Pointer that breeds true. He sheds very little and is willing and intelligent. But he was hard to find information on so I know very little about him. Makes me wonder if he is really rare.

Soft-coated wheaten terrier.

The only terrier to make it through. He is gentler and calmer than most of the rest. He's very affectionate.

Downside: There is a fair amount of upkeep on their coats. They need trimming at least every other month.

Curly coated retriever

He's got winning marks all over. His only one short fall is that I'm reading that they are not as long lived as dogs of the same size.

Flat coated retriever

My worry with this one is that he would be a shedding monster like a golden retriever is.

3. Some more ties

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

I may be falling for a pretty face. They are higher energy than the other retrievers.

Spinone Italiano

He's cute, isn't he. His hair isn't as soft as I would really like and I'm mildly worried about drool with that moustache of his.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Another retriever. Except this one has a naturally oily coat to help protect him from the freezing waters of Chesapeake Bay, where he was originally bred. With that, you don't want to be washing it too much because you'll wreck the coat. We want to be washing my dog often because of Nick's allergies

Samoyed

Another good one. I may rank him as a 2 actually. Nick thinks that there is a rumor that these dogs have a tendency to snap. I didn't read anything about it in my research. Maybe he's thinking of a toy breed that looks similar. I didn't research any toy breeds.

Keeshond

The smallest dog on my list. Another one that seems like he would be overall great.

Australian Shepard

Interesting tidbit: He isn't from Australia at all. I couldn't take him off my list even though I question his fit. He's a little bit higher energy than the other dogs I'm looking at.

And my runners up. They are good dogs and would be perfect except for the fact that they may run me into the ground with groomer bills. Really, if I had the extra $100 a month, I would rather get a car.

The Standard poodle

And the Portuguese Water Dog.

(All of these pictures are borrowed from other websites)