I don't think there are bad dogs, really. There are bad owners, badly trained dogs, and dogs who aren't well-suited to their owners. But all dogs are born with the capacity for goodness.
You know. If you're looking at puppies, you try to choose a dog that matches your energy and your lifestyle as best you can. But after that, whatever type of dog your dog turns out to be, that's on you. It's a commitment, like with anything. You have to be prepared to put the time in to get to know your dog, and what your dog needs. And to train them, and teach them to be a good citizen and a kind mammal who cares for others.
So you do your best, you know? You make mistakes, because everyone makes mistakes. Nobody's perfect. We're all just, fumbling around out here in the dark without a handbook trying our best. Trying to care for someone whose experiences are wildly different from our own in many ways. Experiences we may never fully understand, no matter how much we may want to. No matter how much we may try.
And sure, there are days when you wonder, am I doing everything I can for this dog? What if he'd died that time he tried to lick an electrical socket eight years ago because I didn't yet know about those little outlet covers? Is it totally unconscionable that we take dogs away from their families when they're 8-10 weeks old? Was I the right person to care for this dog? Does this dog deserve better than me? In my efforts to do right by this dog, have I scarred this dog so irreparably that, no matter how hard he tries or how much therapy I get him, he may never heal?
And you never really have answers for those questions. You can't live your life two ways, look at the outcome of each decision, and think, yes, I did the right thing, or no, I did the wrong thing. You just have to live, every day, with that crushing uncertainty, and hope that you're doing the right thing. And pray that there's a merciful god, in case you aren't.
So anyway, I think a Great Dane or a Cavalier King Charles is a pretty good option if you're a relatively low-energy household.