I am having trouble finding the "right" dog breed for my family, and was hoping someone more knowledgeable might be able to chime in.

We are looking for a medium to large (Akita, German shepherd, lab) sized, medium-long haired (good run running your fingers through their silkyish fur), non-protective, very trainable dog.

Our situation is with two elderly, one that required no care other than the dog to be trained not to run him over and the other the dog needs to be trainable to stay clear of their medical equipment.

We have a large house with a large yard, and are willing to groom/exercise as much as needed within reason (romps through the yard, walks around the block). We work full-time and the dog will be alone with the elderly for 4-6 hours at a time.

Husky was the first thought and we both love it, but we have heard they are overly protective (we need a docile dog -- not a guard dog) and have a tendency to run away. German Shepard was next on the list, but again overly protective and the wrong coat type :(

If you have any thoughts or suggestions I would highly appreciate your input on what you think would make a good dog for these conditions.