thank you all, and trust me i surf the internet all day researching breeds. my favorite site is http://www.dogbreedinfo.com (i hope that is ok to post). i think it is the most thorough site of all the breeds, as opposed to only AKC breeds on certain sites. and, like Angela said, they give several breeds i wouldn't consider a match from what i asked.

the next sunny day we have i am going to try and get a pic of me and my dogs and post it on here. i don't really have any that i like right now.

sheila, i think its mostly the energy level of the dogs, maybe if i lived on a lot of land it would be different because i am not an extremely active person. i will admit i didn't consider that before getting my dog, and i try to remember they are both technically still puppies.

i love the mastiffs, but their life span makes me sad. it seems to short of a time for a friend.
i like the shepherds german dutch and belgian. who wouldn't want a dog called a "maligator"?
i wish staffys didn't have such a bad name, and i like bull terriers too. they seem a more manageable size.

and i know that every dog is different, there is a sliding scale with every breed in temperament, energy level, and other traits. i just hope i make a more informed decision next time, which won't be for a while, i've already got my hands full!

Well, the only dog I have that has Lab in her, is my calmest and easiest to manage dog. However, Labs remain puppies until they are like 3, so until then they are quite energetic. Apparently they make great house dogs though because they can settle well. And they are very easy to train (specially compared to my hound type dogs).

Boxers I can't speak to because I've never had one.

Having two dogs helps because if you have a fenced yard they can play with each other for exercise, which helps somewhat! Also you can get things like the Chuckit for launching balls very far (and I know Labs love to fetch).

Once you go GSD, you'll never go back.

I loved my Boxers dearly... but I mean it when I say, "If it ain't a German Shepherd, its just a dog."