help me pick the right breed

Try this breed selector

http://www.k9country.com/perl/dogBreed.pl?state=1&submit=Continue

oh and my initial thought was boston terrier. Not sure why

what about an aussie? Sure they can be "hairy" dogs, but I find mine don't really "shed", they do require grooming tho. My GSD's shed a 100% more than my aussies. Aussies can be "high maintenance" tho.

Hyper isn't the word I use for my aussies, more like HIGH energy, altho some middle of the road, laid back ones can be found. There are also a ton in rescue, look here if your interested http://aussierescue.leepfrog.com/

I thought Aussie as well and if you keep up on the brushing, the hair is manageable.

But start with the link Saje provided and then go check out Petfinder.com and the other assorted rescue sites.