meet the... Kromfohrlander

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull (from stop to occiput) is of medium length and moderate width, being almost as wide as the topskull is long. From the front and in profile, the topskull appears slightly arched. The skull tapers to a moderately broad muzzle formed by strong jaws. There is a slight median furrow. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Docile, alert, and watchful of their people.
• Stop: The stop is well-defined.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis may be parallel or may be convergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is moderately full and broad. The upper and lower jaws have good bone substance, appearing strong and well-developed, never appearing snipey or weak. The upper and lower jaw are equal in length.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored in liver-based varieties. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are well developed with good muscle but not overly prominent.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, oval in shape, set slightly oblique, and medium to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
• Ears: Medium in size, set high on the skull, and fairly far apart. They may be small to medium in size, V-shaped, and semi-drop, with some lift at the base, the fold never rising above the plane of the skull, and the rounded tips carried close to the head. The ears are mobile and expressive. They are never long, hound-like, fully erect, or overly large.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Well-muscled and good of substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage and range of motion. Strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep but not too broad and never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is slightly prominent.
• Topline: Level from prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Gently sloped, with good muscle.
• Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. Thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never tucked. It is usually carried high in a sickle over the back when alerted or moving or down in a neutral, relaxed position when at ease. It should never appear tucked. The tail should be left natural and never docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. Natural tails may be straight or gently curved.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm, or the forearm may be slightly longer than the upper arm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated, with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: The Kromfohrlander comes in two coat varieties: the smooth and the rough. All coat types, regardless of variety, should have a strong, weather-proof outercoat, as well as a dense protective undercoat. All coats must be left in their natural state and free from excess trimming or clipping.
  
  Smooth-coat variety: The coat ranges from short to flat. Short, smooth coats are short and close to the body throughout, with a thick undercoat. Slightly longer on the neck, forming a light ruff, and on the tail. A slight fringe or feather is observed. The flat smooth coat has a dense undercoat and a medium-length coat throughout the body, with longer fringing on the neck, shoulders, chest, back of legs, and underside of tail. The coat on the face is shorter and smooth.
  
  Rough-coat variety: The coat is harsh, dense, and wiry. It is never soft or silky.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Extreme white or color-headed white with minimal colored markings ranging from tan to dark brown.

Movement

The Kromfohrlander breed’s movement is energetic, tireless, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The Kromfohrlander breed is well-known for its affection, loyalty, watchfulness, and doting temperament. They are also known to get along with other dogs and people, especially children. Another attribute of the breed is its lack of desire to roam, preferring instead to stay by the side of its person or family. They do well in anything they can participate in with their family, whether hiking, camping, playing in the yard, or even competitive sports, such as obedience or agility. The breed serves as an excellent watchdog, alerting their family to anything that they have deemed suspicious. Unlike their terrier ancestors, they do not make a great hunting dog, instead preferring to hang out with their people. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper healthy condition and free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.