As you will notice some dog breeds fall into both categories. So if you are looking for the dog that is both friendly and calm you will probably fall in love with a Pug or Golden Retriever. Both of these dogs are wonderful pets, but very distinctively different.
Life with a Pug and Golden Retriever will be quite different. While both dogs are sure to bring you joy and happiness with the Golden Retriever you might find yourself at the park chasing a ball a little more often. This bigger dog does need more exercise and stimulation than the little Pug.
There can be some difference that is quite notable from puppyhood to adulthood.
A calm-natured breed of dog will still produce puppies that have the natural traits of a puppy. You can expect a puppy to be engaging, curious and excitable. That is an adorable stage that doesn’t last long so you should enjoy it while it lasts. You will see a change as your puppy gets older. As the months pass by your puppy will mature and the hyped up activity will be replaced with a more relaxed dog.
Also training plays a big part in the calmness of a dog. If a dog isn’t trained well it will tend to jump up on people, get excited when strangers approach and search out things it shouldn’t be into like exploring the neighbors garden and getting into trash. But if you invest time into training your dog properly as any dog owner must do, then you will have a calm dog to deal with.