In two or three years I would like a dog. I would like it to be small to medium sized. It would have a short, smooth coat, be very trainable, reasonably calm, not bark excessively and be safe with cats and children. A basenji would be perfect in many ways, but we have concerns about trainability. Would a crossbreed be the answer? Any suggestions?

A cross-breed can be an unknown quantity:  it could take on the traits of either parent - good or bad, with no known guidelines. 

Far better for you to research a breed that does fill your criteria - go to Discover Dogs at Earls Court maybe - and then, research good reputable breeders, who will only breed from health-tested dogs.    Look for breeders who breed only when they themselves are wanting to continue their lines - you will find that you will probably have to go on a waiting list, and so you are setting yourself a good timescale by starting to look and research now.

> Would a crossbreed be the answer? Any suggestions?

An excellent idea Kevin, the rescue centres are full of such dogs as you describe.
Just be careful that you dont fall for the 'designer crossbreed' - often suffixed by 'doodle'... a total con and many a naive soul has parted with considerable sums for one.

Perhaps slightly bigger than you want but a labrador sounds like the perfect dog for you - they are popular for a reason ;-)

Other than that, a vizsla sounds like it might fit the bill?

loki's mum is right about crosses and the fact that they are a total gamble, but tooolz is also right about the great dogs a rescue can make. the way to avoid the problems of an unknown quantity in a cross is to pick an older rescue who you can get some history on.
in which case you will know exactly what you are getting which is impossible with any pup (though far far easier with a breed)

if you decide against a rescue, and there are various reasons to especially when you have cats and kids, there are loads and loads of breeds that fit your description. now medium sized is a fairly loose guide lol, a toy breed person might feel anything bigger than calf height is medium- i'm a big dog person so i think around the knee of a man?

in which case there are LOADS depending on what you like- the basset hound for example is small/medium height but big built,

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/14

the australian cattle dog is an interesting choice,

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/122

a smooth collie maybe?

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133

or if you like the look maybe a bulldog?

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133

though actually re-reading your requirements one breed jumps out- a staffie. medium sized, very eager to please and thus trainable (alas not so often seen), i believe not big barkers and love love love kids (provided the kids are well trained as with any dog)- one of only two breeds where the standard says good with kids

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/87

Kevin, you have a great asset in that Time is on your side! In your situation I would definitely visit Discover Dogs, either in London or at Crufts, to meet all the available breeds. Seeing breeds in the flesh is a million times more useful than looking at pictures of them or just asking people. There are many breeds that I thought were lovely ....... until I met them! If nothing strikes you as being perfect, keep touring the rescue kennels for any of the crossbreeds or mongrels there. It's a sad fact of life that there's no shortage of dogs needing homes, so the choice is all yours.

Our first family dog [when I was 4] was a basset x black labrador she was a fabulous girl with short legs but a  large body! She lived til she was she was 12 yrs. My Dads second was a doberman x black lab- My Dad had a thing for black bitches so that was the only criteria he was easily pleased as many out there- Kelly the dobe x sadly only lasted til she was 9 but again a brilliant family dog who loved everyone. Obviously she did look like a black doberman but was far more energetic than Beauty our first girl her being a basset she was better with us kids when we were young whereas when Kelly came along I was 17 so I could and did walk her all the time which was a must. Both dog were raised with cats in our home and especially Kelly cuddled up with them.

Getting to know the main traits of different breed types will help you gage what personality traits they will have and what will suit your home & family- I think Labradors make great family dogs. Only thing is they can be chewers!

A perfect opportunity this week end.  Discover Dogs at Earls Court have a good look round and talk to all the breeders/owners.
I know several people who have used this event as the final research ground to decide on their "perfect" dog.

How about a traditional british breed under threat of extinction? There are quite few and they are nice dogs. Among their number are Sussex spaniels which are medium sized dogs and have lovely temperaments.

Going with the smooth, smallish Basenji theme - a rare British breed of about the same size is the Manchester Terrier - lovely temperament, very affectionate, smooth coated and a lot more trainable but with that 'spark' of intelligence that keeps you on your toes :-D

Discover Dogs is a wonderful place - meeting, handling (and smelling ;) ) the breeds and talking to their owners is a huge help in finding your perfect dog :-D   Photos don't even come close ;)

Smooth Fox terrier numbers are very low too, and I find them very pleasant characters with nicer temperaments than the average so called Jack Russells I met.

I think a Manchester Terrier or Smooth Fox Terrier would be the perfect size, have lovely proportions to the body and have the right sort of coat. The Labrador is a lovely dog and we thought the Viszla was super, but both a little large for us. Perhaps we want a miniature gundog! Is there a breeder that produces very slim Staffies with long legs?! Or a Border Terrier (which seems to have our favourite terrier temperament) with a smooth coat? Thanks to everyone for their helpful ideas. We will go to Discover Dogs on Sunday.

Must admit Borders are definitely my favourite Terrier breed.

Border terriers are lovely dogs-and one with a handstripped coat is (virtually)smooth coated anyway.

Borders are definately a great breed, and so easy to live with, having 3 I can vouch for that!!

If you like the Vizsla do have a look at them at Discover Dogs and talk to a few breeders about the size.  They are quite a slender dog and as such seem much smaller than a Labrador for instance.  You may be surprised, particularly by the bitches: 53-60 cms.

Good luck tomorrow - take a camera and a notepad!!

Border terriers are definitely my favourite terrier breed. I meet several out walking and they're all lovely characters. Although they can look quite woolly if nothing is done with their coats the stripped ones are very smart :-)

Just wanted to second the comment about crossbreeds being an unknown quantity - so an older rescue with history could be a good bet.

Two of mine are crossbreeds - Opi is a rott X who-knows-what :-P most likely collie or maybe lab, and she is a great dog - obedient for the most part (apart from loving other dogs too much to listen...), very biddable.  But River is a labXcollie, a 50/50 cross - I reckon a lot of people would expect a trainable, biddable dog that's fun and bouncy, or something like that - I know I did.  What I got was an extremely obsessive dog who, although biddable, can be so focused on something that it's hard to get her away from it (this is usually either trying to retrieve her toy-of-the-moment from whoever's nicked it, or responding to a challenge from another dog - she is rather reactive that way, all a hint of an intense collie parent I believe.  She is bouncy tho - to a fault, and teaching her not to launch herself at visitors is proving a challenge!

My point is, it can be very hard to predict how a crossbreed will turn out - which is why I think an adult is a better bet than a pup.  Far from being a 50/50 split, River has pretty much turned out to be a black-and-tan collie with a lab tail :-P

In two or three years I would like a dog. I would like it to be small to medium sized. It would have a short, smooth coat, be very trainable, reasonably calm, not bark excessively and be safe with cats and children

These things you mention dont come free with any breed, you have to work at them and spend lots of love attention with the puppy and train it every day ;)

Not saying your not gonna do that :)
But you have some very high expectations of the puppy/dog lol :-D

Nice to see your planning ahead tho :-D