Kromfohrlander - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
This is one of the youngest of all German dog breeds and it has been developed from a military mascot dog named Peter, who was found in France by American soldiers after the second World War. Peter was bred with several other breeds, most likely with terrier and griffon type breeds and his descendants has been internationally recognized as Kromfohrlanders in 1955 by the FCI. The person who developed this breed is Ilse Schleifenbaum.
2) Name
According to the FCI breed standard, the breed is named after a district, where it was developed, which is near Siegen and the district is named „krom Fohr“, which means crooked furrow. And lander means country or land. So the breeds name is very descriptive and it is describing the breeds home region.
3) Companions
Even though some Kromis have little hunting instinct and prey drive, they are not usually working as hunters. Most of them are living the life of spoiled family companions and they are excellent companions. This is a high spirited, lively, good natured, sensitive and smart breed who loves its family. This is a very people oriented breed who wants to be with its owners all the time. They are also good playful partners for kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. Overall, this is an amazing, fun to be around, companion dog.
4) Alertness
Most likely because of the terrier heritage, the Kromi is known to be alert and reserved towards strangers and sometimes, it might not like some other dogs. Of course, this is vastly influenced by early training and socialization, but it is quite normal for this breed to be hesitant towards strangers at first, but once they get to know them and once you show them they are your friends, the Kromi will typically accept the stranger without problems.
5) Rarity
The Kromfohrlander is very rare dog breed and it is extremely hard to find them even in their home country, Germany. It is estimated, that only few hundreads of pure Kromis are born each year. Today, this breed spread to other countries as well, notably to Scandinavia, Western Europe and in 1997 to North America as well. But again, this is extremely rare breed.
6) Size
This is a small to medium sized dog breed with pretty athletic and long body and average height between 38-46 cm, which is 15-18 inch and weight is usually between 10-14 kg, which is 22-31 lbs. The females are naturally slightly smaller than males.
7) Coat
The Kromi comes in two different coat types, one is smooth and the second is wirehaired with beard. The beard is one of the main differences between the coats and wirehaired version always must have the beard. The rough haired type looks little bit more like a terrier, while smooth coated type resembles a spaniel type dog a little bit more. The color of the Kromi is white with tan to dark brown markings on the body and symmetrical markings on head.
8) Doggy odor
The Kromis coat is remarkably wash and wear and it will stay relatively clean even if the dog is playing in a dirt. And not only that, this dog is also known to have no or only very little of the typical doggy odor, which is perfect for a dog that lives indoor with its family.
9) Maintenance
The grooming and maintenance depends on the coat type your dog has, but it is always relatively easy. Overall Kromis are low maintenance dogs who only need regular brushing. You should care about the feathering on the ears, legs, chest, beard and tail to prevent matting and tangling. Just like with all dogs, you should check your dogs eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.
10) Health
The Kromfohrlander is a breed with very limited genetics, which is sometimes causing unnecessary health problems, but there is genetics expansion project, supervised and sanctioned by FCI, which is trying to help with this problem. The health issues associated with this breed include epilepsy, cystinuria, keratosis and patellar luxation. The average lifespan is around 13 or 14 years.