Genesis of the Breed

A stray young dog, which American soldiers had more or less lost in the Siegerland, was taken in by Mrs. Ilse Schleifenbaum. After a thorough cleaning, one would like to assume that it was a French Griffon Vendéen. However, it was not possible to determine his race belonging reliably due to the circumstances at that time. One can therefore rather assume that he was more of a hybrid that resembled the Griffon.

Whatever race Peter - as he was then called - belonged to, he made history anyway. From his love affair with neighbor Fox terrier bitch Fiffi, puppies were so pretty and above all even and lovable that Ilse Schleifenbaum consciously repeated this pairing. Over the next few years, the "Kromfohrländer", which were officially recognized as a breed in 1955, emerged from the descendants.

Ilse Schleifenbaum lived near Siegen in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia near the district "Krom Fohr" (High German for "crooked furrow"). This is how the name Kromfohrländer came about.

From the original parents of the breed, the Kromfohrländer got characteristics that shape him and make him an unmistakable personality.

Appearance

With a shoulder height of 38-46 cm and a weight of 9-16 kg, the Kromfohrländer is one of the medium-sized dogs. It comes in two types of hair: smooth-haired and rough-haired. Smooth-haired is called the dog without a beard with soft fur, rough-haired the dog with beard and wiry fur. Both types of hair are available in different lengths, in the inheritance a distinction is made between short and long hair.

The fur is said to be extremely easy to care for, odorless and also "self-cleaning". I can absolutely confirm that for our three, who are known to have smooth hair. Even after a bad weather walk, they are dirty for a maximum of 15 minutes, and also really soft, especially Doola and Devi as long-haired bitches. We never have to brush or trim the three. The disadvantage of this is that they shed their hair twice a year quite extensively. Unlike a poodle, they are not for allergy sufferers.

Being
Ms. Schleifenbaum described the Kromfohrländer as follows: "He is a mixture of cheerfulness and thoughtfulness. The Kromfohrländer is affectionate, without being submissive, faithful and reliable, idiosyncratic, without that fatal tendency to unruly own will, as is the case with some other breeds the case is."

The Kromfohrländer belongs to the class of domestic and service dogs. He is very affectionate and very attached to his family, and besides many other good qualities he has almost no hunting instinct. These traits, combined with the intelligence attested to him, his small size and a weight that even children can have a grip on, make families particularly interested in this breed. It is literally suggested that the Kromfohrländer - as a decorative accessory - would run alongside in family life and educate himself, so to speak. These glossy descriptions are extremely unfair: first of all, towards the dog, because no breed in the world, not even the Kromfohrländer, can meet this high standard. Secondly, towards the buyers, because they have completely wrong ideas about buying this dog and may be disappointed.

As with every breed, there are a wide variety of behavioral patterns in the Kromfohrländer - in both a positive and a negative direction. There are wonderfully well-behaved dogs that obey their owner with a wink; there are also dogs that are a nightmare for their desperate owners and those around them. Depending on which representative of this breed you know or own, the breed seems to be labeled as heavenly perfect or as difficult to train and incompatible. Neither is correct, realistic handling of this wonderful breed with all its advantages and also its quirks is appropriate.

Our own bitches are of course great ;-) They confirm the image of the very affectionate dog. When walking, they always stay close to their person, looking for him every 10 seconds. Since we have practiced it extensively and have also obtained the necessary dog driving license, you can walk without a leash in traffic. They are very keen to run and have fun with each other, but less with other dogs since they were fully grown. They can be bitchy when it comes to stubborn dogs. Nevertheless, it is no problem to be in a pack with them, e.g. to run on Kromfohrländer walks.

Doola and Liesi are quite Kromi-atypical in their openness to other people. Rather, they are not at all cautious, as the Kromfohrländer is said to be, but they respond very nicely to speech. Devi seems to develop a little more cautiously here. Kromfohrländer are not necessarily suitable for accommodation in a dog boarding house, if you have to travel without a dog, they would be very unfortunate here. But since our three have a second home, this is not necessary. You should know that you get your dog used to such a second home at an early stage, which makes it much easier for him to separate.

When someone comes to us, it is reported by loud barking. It is quite right for us, it certainly scares off one or the other burglar. But it is important to us that they stop at the behest, and that requires a certain amount of training. All three are spirited dogs, but at home and at work they lie quietly and relaxed in their baskets and wait until they start again.

>> Continue to "Breeding-Planning at ProKromfohrländer e.V."