Norwich Terrier Dog Breed

The topmost of Norwich Terrier facts is that these dogs were hunters. Granted, they are terriers and they were ratters, too, but this particular breed was singled out and specifically developed for fox-hunting. As they did this successfully for a couple centuries or more, this little dog has a huge idea of herself. Still, they are playful with their humans yet must have a purpose in their work. They are not for people seeking the first dog, and they are certainly not for people with limited means or small apartments and little chance to be outside.

Here are some of the many details, good and bad, regarding the Norwich Terrier:

Norwich Terrier dogs 101 is about the intelligence, loyalty, and stamina of this small breed. Their best traits are only now being widely recognized. Because these dogs were specifically bred to endure the cold, windy, and somewhat wet environs of northeast England, there is a great amount of information available.

They are among the higher end of the list of intelligent dogs. They can quickly assess a threat, but they can get excited at animals bigger than them. They are best kept restrained at all times. Squirrels don't stand a chance, but as they dogs are highly trainable, they can live with cats so long as you are very careful. Keep in mind that one of their tasks was to hunt foxes.

The loyalty and desire to work for you may seem at odds when they give chase to that which they have been trained to hunt down for the past few centuries. This means that if you want to have one of these dogs, you should understand that the chase is meant to please you. If not, this may not be the type of working dog you want.

This breed is small, but it makes up for it in non-stop energy and ferocity. They go to ground, they fight until they win, and they won't back down. There is a lot of responsibility in making sure they don't bite off more than they can chew, however.

Early Norwich Terrier history started out simply. Centuries before they were formally recognized, they were used alongside other terriers for the simple purpose of ratting. The bogs, marshes, and swamps of East Anglica, which juts into the cold, harsh, and unforgiving North Sea, were home to all manner of vermin. The small, ferocious, and all-terrain dogs that were used were the forebears to today's Norwich (and Norfolk) Terriers.

The dogs became a bit more pointedly recognized when, during the 19th century, students at University of Cambridge took to keeping them for the same reasons farmers and others had used them. As many of the students lived along Trumpington Street in Cambridge, the terriers became known as Trumpington Terriers. Supplied by a breeder named Charles (Doggy) Lawrence, they were believed to have come from mating large Yorkshire Terriers and small Irish Terriers.

One of Lawrence's dogs, a red terrier named Jack, became the inadvertent cornerstone of what is the modern-day Norwich Terrier. Jack's mate, a terrier of the Aberdeen type, was provided by a Cambridge student residing on Trumpington. From that pairing came Nell and Rags. The latter-named pup was given to Jack Cooke, the master of the legendary hunting club the Norwich Staghounds. Rags went on to be mated with Ninety. These two had many litters. Some of the puppies went to the first whip of the Staghounds, Frank Jones, with which he went on to carefully breed to meet the increased demands for them. One of the customers took some of Jones' puppies to America.

Around 1909, a man named Jack Read took one of the pups from a Rags and Ninety litter. (Read became the Norwich Terrier Club's first president.) He experimented by mating a number of the breeds as well as some doing some back-breeding. In 1929, Read produced Horsted Mick, a prick-eared terrier that came to define the Norwich.

There are no longer any recognized variations of the Norwich Terrier, but that was not always the case. Also, there remains a great amount of study, debate, and show-floor scuttlebutt about former variety in this terrier.

At the heart of the matter is "ear carriage," that is, how the dog's ears are displayed. Until 1964, when the Norwich and the former "variation," the Norfolk Terrier, were first considered separate breeds. The dogs were considered variations by way of the aforementioned ear carriage aspect. Norfolk Terriers, formerly called Norwich Terrier D.E. (drop ears) were previously said to be the same breed as the Norwich Terrier P.E. (prick ears). By 1979, the American Kennel Club recognized the two "variations" as separate breeds. It took 30 more years before the two officially recognized breeds had their own separate breed clubs, however. In 2009, there was a vote by members of the then-parent club to split into the Norfolk Terrier Club and the Norwich Terrier Club of America.

That seemingly small difference, the way the ears were carried, remain the way to distinguish the Norwich from the Norfolk. The Norwich has the "prick ears," meaning their ears stand straight up like little triangular radars. (The Norfolk's ears "drop down" and forward near the base.)

As for any size variations, such as the teacup Norwich Terrier, there are no such dogs. There are breeders who may sell hybrid terriers that look like tiny Norwich Terriers and which they label "micro," "teacup," etc., but these are frowned upon and may be far from healthy dogs.

The Norwich Terrier temperament is typical of a dog brought up as a ratter and vermin-catcher: she will be duty-bound to chase rodents and small animals that you didn't even know were present until she's gone after them! Still, these are loyal dogs that give chase because they want to please you. They are hardy, but they are small, and their fearless personality will at times seem comical. The characteristics of these dogs may seem difficult if you are not active, however. The traits they've been bred to possess are not for casual dog owners. They are wary of people they don't know, they are extremely curious, and they live to protect you and your property. Still, they are much less nervous than most terrier breeds. They don't bark at everything that moves, they do warm up a bit quicker to people, and they tend to not have the separation anxiety.

The Norwich Terrier is very well known in certain regional circles. Like puppies available for this breed, that information, however, can be difficult to acquire. The few reputable breed clubs are perhaps the best sources for this dog's health profile.

The below list of health concerns is not comprehensive, but it is significant:

• Norwich Cramp
• Hip dysplasia
• Canine epilepsy
• Chronic allergies
• Patellar Luxation
• Periodontal disease
• Respiratory ailments
• Neurologic disorders
• Mitral Valve disease
• Reproductive problems
• Bacterial skin infections
• Degenerative Myelopathy
• Primary lens luxation (PLL)
• Upper Airway Syndrome (UAS)

The average life span, depending on whether the dog is brought up in its native or foreign regions, can be 12 to 15 years or 10 to 14 years.