Breed suggestions for co-worker

[Ginger's Mom]

One of my co-workers is thinking of adding a dog to his family, and he wants to do it right from the beginning. So I am looking for breed suggestions. He has a fairly large house, and a large enclosed backyard. He would prefer a medium to large size breed. He and his wife do not seem to be worried about how much the dog sheds, but they have just finished repairing their yard from the many holes/trenches that the former homeowners dog dug, and do not really want a dog that is going to tear up their yard (a few small holes, yellow grass, bald spots from running and playing are fine, but not major digging). So I have told him huskies are off his list. They do like Border Collies, but the dog will be alone for 10 hours a day, I told him if they get a Border Collie they will have to involve it in some sort of activity (running, agility, fly ball, running on a bike springer, something like that). They also like Labs, and I suggested that Bernese Mountain Dogs can be rather mellow. He is looking into rescueing a dog rather than finding a breeder. Any other suggestions?


ETA: Toller people...what about a Toller? Or would it be similar to a border collie, in that it would need to be given a "job" to do. I guess I was thinking that Tollers may be somewhat less driven than BCs. And maybe this would be my chance to get a Toller without actually getting a Toller.