When you're ready to bring a new dog into your home, consider adopting an older or senior one. Puppies are cute but still developing, so you never know exactly what you're getting temperamentally (or how large one might grow). With a mature dog, you know right away. And that's just one reason why older dogs make the best pets...
Puppies are puppies. But by the time a dog reaches maturity, his personality is established -- and you will know right away if he is friendly and well-behaved or not.