Its name comes from a field. According to the FCI standard, the first breeder, Ilse Schleifenbaum, lived near Siegen, close to land called “krom Fohr”, meaning “crooked furrow” in standard German. That field gave its name to one of Germany’s youngest dog breeds, the Kromfohrländer.
| FCI | Group 9 (Companion and Toy Dogs), Section 10 Kromfohrländer, Standard No. 192, without working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Size (height at the withers) | 38 to 46 cm |
| Weight | Males 11 to 16 kg, females 9 to 14 kg |
| Life expectancy | no reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | two varieties: rough-haired, dense and harsh with beard; smooth-haired, dense and soft without beard; both up to 7 cm on back, with short, soft undercoat |
| Colours in the standard | white base with light brown, reddish brown to dark brown patches or saddle; brown head markings with a white blaze |
Fox Terrier meets Griffon
According to the standard, its ancestors are the wire-haired Fox Terrier and the Grand Griffon Vendéen, from which it inherits its nature, temperament and character. It has been internationally recognised since 1955, with its own section in Group 9. An analysis of 5.527 pedigrees shows how narrow its beginnings were: establishment in 1945 was followed by two bottlenecks, one caused by strict selection in a very small population, the other by rigorous action against diseases (Wellmann and Pfeiffer 2009).
A companion with a terrier spark
The standard describes it as adaptable, willing to learn and spirited, reserved with strangers and with little hunting instinct. Aggression and timidity are undesirable. It is attached to its people and wants to participate rather than just tag along. The standard describes its movement as springy, making agility, tricks and scent games a good fit. One to two hours of daily exercise plus some mental work keep it content.
Rough or smooth: coat care
In the rough-haired variety, the hair on the back is harsher than on the sides, with a beard on the face. The smooth coat lies softly, with longer hair on ears, chest and tail. Both varieties do well with brushing once or twice weekly. A quick wipe of the beard after meals prevents smells.
A small gene pool, known problems
We found no lifespan figure; the breed was absent from the large British analysis by McMillan et al. 2024. Two inherited diseases, however, are well studied. Type 1 von Willebrand disease reduces blood clotting. Among 87 tested Kromfohrländers, 80,5 % carried the associated gene variant, 21 % showed bleeding signs, and among homozygous carriers this was 45,5 % (Segert et al. 2019). A clotting test before surgery is therefore worthwhile. Hereditary footpad hyperkeratosis causes heavily thickened paw pads. It is recessively inherited, caused by a FAM83G variant that matched the disease precisely in every dog studied (Drögemüller et al. 2014). Ask the breeder for both parents’ results for both tests.
Who the Kromfohrländer suits
First-time owners, families and couples seeking a medium-sized dog keen to learn, eager to join them everywhere and rarely inclined to chase wildlife on walks.
When to keep looking
If the dog would often have to stay alone, you want a sharp guard dog or lack patience to wait for a suitable litter. The breed is rare; puppies are not available on demand.
The breed quiz checks whether an affectionate all-rounder like this suits you; the book explores further: “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For the first days with a puppy, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. Find artwork of your Kromfohrländer among our dog portraits, also available as a magazine cover on canvas.
Further reading
- Jack Russell Terrier: a working dog that happens to be small
- Puppy checklist: essentials and the first 3 days
- Leaving your dog alone: learning without drama (step by step)
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 192 Kromfohrländer (fci.be, German original dated 12.10.1998); FCI breed page (fci.be); McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024; Wellmann R, Pfeiffer I, Pedigree analysis for conservation of genetic diversity and purging, Genetics Research 2009; Segert JH et al., vWDI is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner with incomplete penetrance, in the Kromfohrländer breed, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2019; Drögemüller M et al., A mutation in the FAM83G gene in dogs with hereditary footpad hyperkeratosis (HFH), PLoS Genetics 2014.
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