Mary Allen
The medium-sized Kromfohrlander is one of the youngest German dog breeds, having only emerged in post-war Germany. There is now a relatively solid breeding basis and around 200 puppies are born every year. The breed has been internationally recognized since 1955 and is listed by the FCI under No. 192 in Group 9: Society and Companion Dogs, Section 10: Kromfohrlander, without a working test.
Kromfohrlander Dog Breed Information
Size: 38-46cm
Weight: 9-16kg
FCI Group: 9: Companion and Companion Dogs
Section: 10: Kromfohrlander
Country of origin: Germany
Colors: brown-white, white-light brown, white-brown spotted
Life expectancy: 12 years
Suitable as: family and companion dog
Sports: agility
Temperament: Adaptable, docile, temperamental, comradely, good-natured, trainable
Outlet Needs: Medium
Drooling Potential: –
The thickness of hair: –
Maintenance effort: rather low
Coat structure: rough hair: dense and rough texture with a beard, smooth hair: dense and soft texture without a beard
Child friendly: yes
Family dog: rather yes
Social: medium
Origin and Breed History
The history of the genesis of the Kromfohrländer breed almost sounds like a romantic children’s book: In the turmoil of the post-war period, the lawyer’s wife Ilse Schleifenbaum, who lives near Siegen in southern North Rhine-Westphalia, found “Krom Fohr” (which translates into high German as much like “crooked furrow” means) a very shabby, emaciated dog. Probably brought from France by American soldiers, it was lost or abandoned. Through the loving care of Mrs. Schleifenbaum, “Peter”, as she called the male, recovered to become a cheerful and very affectionate companion. From a liaison with the neighboring bitch “Fifi”, a fox terrier lady without a pedigree, a litter of particularly pretty and very uniform puppies finally arose. The dogs quickly found enthusiastic buyers. This is how Mrs. Schleifenbaum decided to repeat this mating between Peter and Fifi a few more times and to “invent” a new breed of dog.
With the support of the then chairman of the VDH (=Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen) in Dortmund, the new breed was recognized as early as 1955 under the name “Kromfohrländer”, although all existing representatives of the breed went back to this one parent pair and their direct descendants. The inbreeding factor was understandably extremely high, leading to significant health issues within the breed population. Today, the two breeding associations, the breed club of the Kromfohrländer e.V. and the breed club ProKromfohrländer e.V., try to minimize this problem. The latter through the targeted crossing of other, similar-looking breeds. like the Dansk-Svensk Gårdshund. to increase and stabilize the breeding base.
Nature and Temperament of the Kromfohrländer
The Kromfohrländer is a wonderful family dog, but also fits very well into a single or senior household. He is adaptable, exceptionally smart and willing to learn, and therefore relatively easy to train. He is spirited, but not hyperactive and therefore content in almost every life situation, as long as he can live closely with his / her people. At first, he remains reserved towards strangers.
In fact, the Kromfohrländer usually develops a particularly close bond with a specific person in his “pack”, whom he then prefers to follow at every turn.
Of course, this also means a special responsibility for this chosen reference person. With the appropriate training, the dog also learns to stay alone if this is not otherwise possible. Despite the proportion of terrier blood that flows in him, the Kromfohrländer does not tend to hunt. His only desire is to please his people.
His happy, refreshing nature always ensures a lot of fun and joy with this lively housemate.
The Appearance of the Kromfohrländer
The breed standard provides for two variants of the Kromfohrländer:
- Wire-haired type with a thick, rough top coat that should be no more than 7 cm long, soft undercoat, and a wiry beard on the muzzle;
- Type smooth hair with dense, soft top coat of maximum 7 cm length, soft undercoat, without a beard, but with a dense flag of hair on the tail.
The basic color is always white with light, reddish, or dark brown markings as spots or dorsal saddles and a clear facial mask. With a height at the withers of between 38 and 46 cm, the Kromfohrländer belongs to the medium-sized breeds. Females weigh about 9-12 kg, males up to 16 kg.
The alert, slightly slanted eyes are medium to dark brown, the high set, triangular ears tilt forward merrily. The medium-length tail is usually carried in a sickle shape over the back.
Upbringing and Keeping of the Kromfohrländer – This is Important to Note
Like all dogs, the Kromfohrländer also needs clear instructions and loving consistency in training, which shows them the right way and also sets limits. Basically, the intelligent dog is very willing to learn and also easy to handle and therefore suitable as a beginner’s dog. Good puppy socialization will help the growing dog become confident and friendly around people and other animals. Regular visits to a dog school with puppy playgroups, in which the first commands can be practiced and learned in a playful way, help here.
If the “Kromi”, as the breed is affectionately called, has enough opportunity every day to let off steam with his favorite person on walks or maybe even in dog sports, then he is a pleasantly calm and adjusted fellow at home. It doesn’t really matter to him whether it’s in a house with its own garden or in an apartment. The main thing is that he is with his people. A quiet place within the apartment helps the dog to withdraw stress-free when there is too much hustle and bustle from guests or visiting children.
A well-behaved Kromfohrländer can, also due to its moderate size, be taken anywhere without any problems, be it to a restaurant or to a hotel on vacation, but also to the office if the employer allows it. Being alone for hours or even a “holiday” in the kennel is dreadful for this very affectionate dog who is fixated on his family.
How Much Does a Kromfohrlander Cost?
A puppy from a responsible breeder will cost around $1000 or more.
Diet of the Kromfohrländer
The Kromfohrländer does not make any special demands on its diet. Like all dogs, he is a carnivore and should therefore be fed high-quality food, the main components of which are of animal origin. Those who are familiar with this can also use biologically appropriate raw feeding (= BARF) for their Kromi. Here, however, precise ingredients and feeding plans should be followed in order to avoid malnutrition or malnutrition.
The amount of food always depends on the individual needs of the respective dog, which depends on age, activity, health, and nutritional status. At best, the daily feed ration is divided into two meals to avoid stomach overload. After eating, there should always be a rest phase, so feeding is best after a walk or after dog sports.
Access to fresh drinking water must of course always be possible.
When is a Kromfohrländer Fully Grown?
Dogs the size of a Kromfohrländer are physically fully grown at around 12 months.
Healthy – Life Expectancy & Common Diseases
The high inbreeding factor, caused by the extremely small breeding basis for this breed at the time of its origin, has had a negative effect on the health of the Kromfohrlander for a long time. Numerous hereditary diseases appeared more frequently in the dogs. These include autoimmune diseases, epilepsy, elbow dysplasia, and patellar luxation, digital hyperkeratosis (a pathological thickening of the horny layer on the paw pads with painful cracking), or cystinuria, which can lead to urinary stone formation, kidney problems, and, in the worst case, death from kidney failure.
Both breeding associations have worked very hard in recent years to minimize these hereditary diseases through an extremely strict breeding selection of the parent animals. In contrast to the VDH-affiliated Kromfohrlander breed club, the PorKromfohrländer e.V. association has also opened its studbook to other breeds that are visually very similar to the Kromfohrländer, such as the Dansk-Svensk Gårdshund. In this way, the gene pool of the breed was expanded and the risk of inheriting diseases was reduced. State-of-the-art research methods, such as DNA analysis and genetic testing, support these efforts.
A Kromfohrländer from responsible breeding can definitely reach an old age of 13-15 years with good physical activity and species-appropriate nutrition.
How Old Does a Kromfohrländer Get?
A Kromi whose parent animals have been thoroughly tested to ensure that there are no hereditary diseases can live quite old at 13-15 years if they are in good health and fed a species-appropriate diet.
Care of the Kromfohrländer
The coat of the Kromis is quite easy to care for with both coat variants. Regular trimming is recommended for the wire-haired representatives to remove dead hair from the dense undercoat. Otherwise, it is sufficient to groom the dog from time to time with a comb and brush.
The often typical dog smell is hardly present even with a wet Kromfohrländer, so after a long walk in nature, a dry, clean towel is enough to make the dog fit for the house again.
Kromfohrlander – Activities, and Training
Although the Kromfohrländer is a spirited and active dog, it is not a competitive athlete who has to run and romp for hours every day. With his pleasantly friendly and sensitive nature, he adapts perfectly to the life situation of his people and is also happy with quiet walks.
However, if you like to be active in sports yourself, you will find an equally active and enthusiastic companion in this dog breed. Whether walking, jogging, or cycling – the Kromi likes to be part of it. You can also get your Kromfohrlander excited about fun dog sports such as agility, dog dancing, or trick dogging. Due to his intelligence, he likes to learn quickly and he can also use his amazing jumping ability here.
Good to Know: Special Features of the Kromfohrlander
The recognition of the new Kromfohrlander dog breed barely 10 years after the very first breeding attempts and on the basis of a single pair of dogs and their offspring is a unique process in dog breeding, which almost meant its quick end due to the resulting health problems within the breed. Nevertheless, the Kromfohrlander has now managed to establish itself as a stable breed and an absolutely family-friendly dog. It is thanks to the hard work of the breeding clubs that he is now in good health.
Even if the origin of the progenitor “Peter” could never really be clarified, some experts suspect that he is a French Griffon Vendéen, which was brought to Siegerland by American occupying soldiers and thus ended up in the care of Ilse Schleifenbaum.
What Does a Kromfohrlander Need?
The Kromfohrländer makes no special demands on its husbandry. The main thing is that he lives closely with his favorite people and can be there whenever and wherever possible. High-quality food, sufficient exercise every day, and regular routine check-ups at the vet with vaccinations and deworming help ensure that the Kromi can lead a long and happy dog life.
Cons of the Kromfohrlander
One of the biggest disadvantages of this breed is still the high inbreeding factor and the various hereditary diseases it causes. Individual dogs can still be affected today. Through the conscientious efforts of the breeding clubs, however, these have been pushed back significantly in recent years. It is therefore very important to find out very precisely before buying a puppy how reputable the breeding and breeder are and whether the parent animals have been tested accordingly.
Since the Kromfohrlander also has terrier blood in its veins, some representatives of the breed tend to be highly alert, which can quickly lead to excited barking. Early clear rules in education can help to avoid later trouble with the neighbors. Kromi doesn’t like being alone for hours, he prefers to be there anytime, anywhere.
Is the Kromfohrlander Right for Me?
Before you decide to get a dog, no matter what breed, you should always ask yourself a few basic questions:
- Do I have enough time to look after my Kromfohrlander, to walk him several times a day, and to keep him busy?
- Do all family members agree to a dog moving in?
- Do you have any health problems that make dog ownership difficult (allergies)?
- Who takes care of the dog if I am ill or unable to attend?
- Am I willing to plan my holiday with the dog as well?
- Do I have sufficient financial resources to cover not only the purchase price for the puppy of around $1000 or more and the initial equipment with a leash, collar, dog bowl, and dog bed but also the running costs for good food, visits to the vet, vaccinations, and medication, dog school, dog tax and liability insurance to pay? After all, a dog costs about the same as a small car over the course of its lifetime!
If you have finally thought everything through and decided to bring a Kromfohrländer into your family as a new member, you should first look for a reputable breeder. An important criterion for the fact that the breeder is really serious about breeding the Kromfohrländer should be complete proof of the breeding suitability of the parent animals for this breed. Bitch and puppies should be housed within the family and with close contact to reference persons. A good breeder will ask you many questions in the first meeting, want to know how and where their puppies should be kept and, if necessary, will also refuse to sell a dog if your answers are not satisfactory. Recommendations for feeding, information on veterinary treatments such as initial vaccinations and deworming, and the offer to contact you after the purchase should be a matter of course for a good breeder. It is best to visit the breeder before you finally buy the puppy and take a look around.
You should never buy a puppy from a pet market or from the trunk of a shady dog dealer! Although these dogs are usually cheaper than a reputable breeder, there is almost always unscrupulous and cruel animal cruelty behind them! The mother animals are kept under terrible conditions as pure “litter machines”, the puppies are neither vaccinated nor otherwise veterinary treated, often suffer from acute, in the worst case fatal illnesses soon after purchase or remain a lifelong case for the vet – and that is under much more expensive than the puppy from a reputable and responsible breeder!
In addition to purchasing from a breeder, it may also be worth going to an animal shelter. Purebred dogs like Kromfohrländer are always waiting here to find a new and beautiful home. Various animal protection organizations have also dedicated themselves specifically to helping pedigree dogs in need and are looking for suitable, loving owners for such dogs. Just ask.
Once the decision has been made for the Kromfohrländer, you can look forward to a long and happy time with this unproblematic, friendly four-legged friend who will always be loyal to you. Let yourself be enchanted by his brown eyes, his joie de vivre, and his charming jokes!