Thanks; actually I've had better luck with cross breeds than purebred; pound puppies are just forever grateful.That's the best advice ever! Also, all puppies within a breed and more so their breeders are not created equal. Check with your local kennel club regarding a breeders file for the breed you finally decide on that best fits your family and lifestyle. Please don't buy a dog just because you like how it looks.
For us it started out with a Golden, then a Collie, and finishing out with four Sable & White Shetland Sheepdogs over a 47 year time span.
I've had Doberman's, German Shepherds, Danish Shepherds (there's a big difference) Black Lab/Shepherd mix, A Ridgeback/and something mix, and a few others; had cats constantly since 1977. Right now we have the 4 cats and no dog; just couldn't handle an animal that needs that much attention. And that's the one thing most people miss; dogs take a lot of your attention, especially if you want it trained. My dogs never needed leashes; I would just have them to make other people feel better, that went double when I had my Dobies. Doberman are actually big lap dogs, but they sure scare a lot of people.