I had my American Water Spaniel for over 14 years, and still miss him. I have a relationship with the American Water Spaniel Club, and attend their national hunting events - hunt tests - here in Wisconsin, the ancestral home of the AWS.
After losing Chief, I got a Boykin. And then another Boykin. And I'll have Boykins for the rest of my life. I'll grant you that breeding and your skills at raising a puppy have a big influence on what you get for an outcome, but I've had a much better time with my Boykins as far as training goes. And, they are far better gun dogs than Chief ever was, or could have been. When you get calls from strangers who've heard about your dogs' abilities to hunt from other people you don't know, it's pretty flattering. But also says a lot about how impressive two little brown hunting machines can be.