My suggestion would be to look for an adult dog to fit your lifestyle as you will be able to see personality and barkiness better with a grown dog than with a puppy. You will also be better able to determine if you are allergic or not with an adult dog as a pup may not be as big a problem as the adult dogs are.
Small dogs are usually pretty active and will enjoy walks or can be exercised in the house with some games of fetch etc.
Usually people with allergies do better with low to no shed breeds and that means they need to be groomed. Poodles come in three sizes and a mini or toy might work for you. A Shih Tzu is a happy little breed that is typically quite friendly and not as barky as some of the toy dogs can be.
You might like a Chihuahua type too.
The barkier small breeds tend to be terriers, miniature pinschers and pomeranians.
The least barky the spaniel types like maltese, shih tzu, cavalier spaniels etc.
You can see some of the toy breeds here
http://www.akc.org/breeds/toy_group.cfm
And you may find you like the exotic chinese crested's looks or the elegant Italian greyhound which could also be good fits.
I'd also suggest checking out www.petfinder.com where you can put in your preferences such as dog, small, and your zipcode to see what dogs are up for adoption near you that might work out. Sometimes they have as 'small' giant breed baby pups so you have to look through but there might be a small dog of mixed ancestry there that would be of interest or even a purebred.
The thing to know about shorthaired dogs is that they can shed a lot. In general I look at the trade offs of the coats as being you either groom or vacuum or both.
If you want a long walks companion check out the papillon but avoid a pug as their short noses makes them cute but not as good at exercise in warm weather.
Hope this helps you!
Dog Expert:Rescue, Train,Breed,Care
30+ yrs dog home vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior&training, responsible show breeding, genetics