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When to get a new pup
We have a 10+yr old lab who is doing awesome, but def. slowing down. He runs w/my DH & it is his fave thing in the world (it's by a lake, so he gets to swim too) but over the next couple of years that's going to decline for sure. Of course you can't run a new pup right away either, so part of me wants to get a new one in the next year or so & ramp him up while the old guy starts to slow down.
Of course it's not all about the exercise- our old guy is about as close to perfect as you can get in his behavior, so we've been told by many people we should get a new one & he will help "teach" by modeling such good behavior. Experience or truth in that? We also have kids & I think that it would help to have another one when ours passes because it will help w/the empty hole in our family.
My DH isn't sure he wants to get a new one while ours is still around- he thinks it will seem like we're trying to take his place & that ours will hate it. He isn't a dog who really loves other dogs- he's kind of indifferent. He thinks he's a people 
Anyway, just really mulling this over & seeing if anyone has some sage advice. We always said we'd get a new pup when he was 10- that time went way too fast & now we're not sure!
Re: When to get a new pup
We have an older retriever mix that sounds like yours--just about perfect. He had been an only dog for years though, and so we thought we wouldn't get another one until he passed.
That didn't happen--we got a 7mo dog from the shelter a year ago out of the blue when I found a photo of the pup and had to save him. Older dog was excited at first, and then about a day later was like, "Okay, you can take him back now..." There was some assertion of dominance for a while--nothing major, just growling--and now, our dogs are pretty tolerant of each other. Older dog doesn't get too bothered by younger dog, and younger dog would be lost without older dog.
As far as teaching the young dog--our young dog definitely picked up some behaviors by example, both good (being chill) and bad (jumping on furniture). I wouldn't say old dog "taught" him anything, but he definitely was an example that our younger one has followed.
With you having kids, I would do this very cautiously, mainly because of the dominance thing. I would hate for a child to get involved in that.
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There are a lot of outdated theories about dominance. Dominance is always fluctuating. And for some reason, people still cling to the notion that dogs are trying to dominate humans.
I haven't found that our older dog taught our younger dog anything.
Do you know how your lab does with other dogs? Can you bring him to a shelter and have him meet potential new family members? Or find an adoptable dog that is being fostered in a home with children and other dogs?
Depends on the dogs. I think in general, most senior dogs just get annoyed with puppies bouncing all over them.
If he's not into other dogs, I'd let him enjoy his senior years in peace, and adopt a 2 year old dog later.
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