My first dog was aloof to everyone who wasn't me. That was gratifying at the time, but now I'd prefer to have a friendly dog. Though I love my girls, of course, and they haven't been super social with other people.
For people who think they'd rather deal with timid or suspicious than an "OMG HAI" dog, you need to have a dog like my friend's oldest Standard Poodle. He goes right up to everyone, and if you touch him, he bites you. Deal with that, and you'll appreciate the friendly ones a little more. :lol-sign:
Pirate really does have the ideal temperament from my standpoint. He loves people, but he generally does not fling himself at strangers. That may partly be training, he's just learned that he doesn't go up to everyone. At dog shows, he tends to be uberfriendly because he assumes everyone is there to meet him. And as I recently discovered, he'll throw himself at any mail carrier, because ours carries dog biscuits. Otherwise, he can walk right by people without much notice, it's when they act like they want to meet him that he plasters himself to them.