I haven't read everything up to this point, but I saw boxers and smooth collies mentioned...and I have one of each
My boxer is dog-reactive, wary of strangers, and has a very high prey drive. He's generally an asshole to every other dog, but he LOVES Logan (my smoothie), and can be around other dogs, so long as he's monitored and not matched up with another dog that's an asshole. I was dogsitting 11 dogs last year, and he got to the point where he could be let loose to play with them all, even all of them at the same time. Despite his prey drive, he ADORES small dogs - but he can't be around cats. He's been in with the chickens before and chased them a bit, but didn't hurt them. He was quite a hyper dog when he was younger (I got him at around a year, he was a stray, so his background is unknown). Now at age 5 he's incredibly mellowed out, but he does get active when he's outside or when we go somewhere. He's got some anxiety, but it's mostly a result of his hypothyroidism (which is incredibly common in boxers) than anything else. He's overall a fantastic dog, and he is my heart dog. He was *my* first dog, but I was not a dog novice when I got him - I was raised with dogs, mostly GSDs but also some others. I has dog training and handling experience, had worked in a vet clinic for a couple years( which is how I ended up with him), and I knew what I was doing. Now, boxers have SO many health and possible temperament problems, that if I were to get another one it would have to be from a breeder I really trust, a breeder who breeds for longevity, health, and temperament and does Early Neurological Stimulation and make sure it's socialized very well. The reason I don't have another boxer is because I could not find a breeder that met my criteria. He doesn't bark much, in fat he hardly ever barked until I got my collie. He will alert bark if there is a legitimate reason, but that's about it. He's content to just chill the vast majority of the time, he's extremely cuddly, and he's freaking adorable
My smooth collie is very outgoing, he loves EVERYTHING - dogs, cats, chickens, people, you name it. He's never met any living thing he didn't like. He sheds more than my boxer, but still not as much as the GSDs. He's got the most stable temperament of any dog I've ever been around - when he took his ATTS temperament test, he got scores mostly around the middle, which is where I want them for his job as a service dog. He an be a giant goof ball, but when he's working he gets very focused. He's not as agile or drivey as Gavroche - or at least, he has better self-control than Gavroche (my boxer). He has no problem being around strange dogs, cats, small animals, new people, etc. He was EXTREMELY active as a young dog (I got him around a year old from a fantastic breeder), and he needed to do something every single day (MINIMUM of a fairly long walk, ideally much more than that - biking, playing, loads of training etc) or he'd go nuts and bark his head off. As he matured, he needed less and less activity. Now as long as he gets to go out and play for a bit or watch the chickens for a while ,he's perfectly content to chill the rest of the time. His barking has backed off a lot lately, but there was a time when I used a spray collar on him to stop the barking. It worked wonders for the barking, though, and he no longer needs it (I may put it on again if I ever move into an apartment). He's a soft dog compared to my boxer, and spray is definitely enough of a correction for him (unscented spray, even - the citronella scented stuff gives me a headache). Anyway, he's just a really fun dog, though he did take a lot of work as a youngster. He's my ideal dog in pretty much every sense. However, keep in mind I got him from a good breeder who breeds for temperament and working ability, did Early Neurological Stimulation, socialized the crap out of him, and started training him in SAR work before I ever got him. I can't really say how much of a difference between my dogs is from breed differences and how much is from how they were bred and raised.
If you want to discuss the differences between boxers and collies more, feel free to PM me any time!