You just said the most important magic words to successful dog training.

Do you have any retriever clubs near by?

They will never take the place of a pro's one on one but there is usually a couple of guys that know what is what......

as long as you keep the thought that 'it is your dog and you will be the judge of what training it needs' and that it is a family dog 9 months out of the year

You can always 'cool' a hot to trot dog--- but I've never seen anyone successfully put the fire back into one

Sounds like you recognize that bad habits are worse than taking a training breather

good luck