I don't particularly like the toy breeds or the retrievers as dogs. The toys are too small for my comfort - I'm tall, and I always feel awkward around them. Most dogs get underfoot, but the tiny ones seem to absolutely vanish and then reappear directly under your foot, screaming in agony. Plus they just look unhealthy to me. Those little tiny legs and eyes and heads - they may have all the heart of a larger dog, but to me, it seems like a sin to imprison that in a miniaturized body.
As for retrievers, I dislike their big-bodied, bumptious, domineering approach to life. I have collies, and being herded from place to place can get wearing, but I can live with it. Having a dog deliberately slam into my legs and body as a mark of affection/playful invitation/challenge/ode to joy/etc. makes me want to wring it's neck.
I'd also never want a Great Danes or a Dalmations, both of which seem oddly unbalanced. They bark at shadows, go from genially unconcerned to hyperfocused alert and hostile in a blink, and otherwise behave randomly in my experience.
I should never really say never, though, since my last dog-buying trip was entered into with the phrase "anything but a border collie" (I didn't want the activity level) and I walked out of the shelter with a border/beardie mix. Who was and is, thank you very much, as active as a rat on crack.