Temperment matters. I wanted a big dog so I got a male Spoo who sits 24 inches at the shoulder at 8 months. Personally I wish he would hit 27 inches as I love taller dogs but he will probably stay at 24 which to me(I'm 5'5 )feels like a medium size dog. It's nice not having to trip over the dog in the home and not having to worry about a cayote attacking him on our walks. That said..we also have two cats and he definitely doesn't know his size so there is alot of work around that. Some Standards will completely ignore smaller pets and some Standards have much more body awareness than my exuberant pup. Gender probably plays a role as well..and temperment. But if you have your eyes set on a Standard..then YOLO..and find a female with a calmer temperment. Or go with a mini :) Smaller dogs are more portable but bigger dogs have more presence.