Don't get a Chihuahua, they're asshole dogs for women. If you're unable to fully train them, then well I hope you like things like it attacking kids and other dogs, and piss and shit in hard to reach places like behind your sofa or between walls.
If you have to get a small dog, get a Corgi or a Jack Russell, or any number of the mid-size breeds people have specified in the thread.
Don't get a big dog unless you have the space for it - getting a 100+ lbs. Dog while living in a 1300 square foot apartment downtown is doing the dog a massive disservice.
I had mostly Labradors my whole life. Beautiful dogs that the bishes love, but take my advice and instead of rescuing or getting one from a pet shop, go to a reputable and award winning breeder and drop $1500-2000 for a purebred; a lot of the inbreeding has caught up, and at least with a purebred you're likely to avoid the extreme stupidity and hip and ear problems the breed is known for.
The best poonhound I ever had was a
Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
But these aren't your daddy's Labradors.
They're good around kids and families, but can be wary of strangers.
They're headstrong and will always be pushing your authority.
They need to swim at least twice a week.
But aside from that yeah, they're familiar but exotic (more than one girl: that's a beautiful dog, what kind is it?).