The Kromfohrländer, recognized internationally since 1955, owes its lovable temperament and character to its ancestors, the wire-haired Fox Terrier and the Grand Griffon Vendeen. It has two varieties distinguished by coat type: The rough/wirehaired called “Rauhaar,” and the smooth. The wire’s hair can be either very long or very short, but it’s the beard that is the primary difference between wire and smooth.

Photo of a wire and a smooth shared by Ulla Frederiksen

When the Kromi was featured as a Purebred of Interest on our Facebook page a few years ago, Mary Dixon kindly provided us the collage below along with the caption to help us understand the varieties:

Collage and caption kindly provided by Mary Dixon

Mary wrote: “From left to right: Smooth/short (very rare), smooth usual (“glatthaar”), wirehaired/long (very rare), wirehaired usual (ungroomed), wirehaired/usual (groomed). Sometimes a wirehaired dog has a short coat that needs no grooming (very rare). Wirehaired means the presence of a beard, that’s it. It is the much longer scruffy coat most closely associated with inherited footpad hyperkeratosis (“corny feet”) which is now uncommon and easily tested with a DNA test run on all breeding dogs that indicate “Clear/carrier/affected.” Affected is uncommon in breeding dogs as it is typically visible.

The Kromi’s color and markings are also attributed to it forebears: The basic color is white with light brown, or tan to very dark brown, with markings of variously large patches or saddle. A blaze on a Kromfohrländer’s face is preferred to be as symmetrical as possible, and that blaze can reach up to the forehead or to the nape of neck without any interruption.

Photo of “Attila” from Denmark

We suspect this symmetry is really about ensuring that owners and admirers don’t miss one second of the wide range of emotive behaviors unseen in any other dog breed, and the top image shared by Sandra Beckers gives us a glimpse of that repertoire of expressions.  Indeed, this highly intelligent breed is even known to sneeze when happy.