INTRODUCTION

The Norfolk Terrier is what is considered a “big dog in a small package”. Alert, gregarious and agile, they are a loyal companion with the heart of a working terrier, although they are purebred dogs, you can still find them in shelters and rescues. Remember to adopt. Don’t buy if this is the breed for you.As a cute and cuddly breed with lots of love to give, these puppies get along with almost anyone in almost any type of living situation. New parents, flat dwellers or lifelong dog lovers in big houses may fall for this dog’s charms. But that doesn’t mean he can relax and curl up all day. This breed has a lot of energy and needs plenty of exercise to stay happy and healthy. Meet his needs and you’ll have a little best friend for life.AniMall24 recommends a carrier for travelling with your little Norfolk Terrier. You should also buy a dog toy to help you burn off your puppy’s high energy.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Norfolk Terrier can be stubborn and difficult to train. The Norfolk is an energetic dog that loves activity, so make sure it participates in domestic activity as much as possible. The Norfolk is a keen digger, so fences should be sunk to a depth of 30 cm and should be checked regularly for escape holes. Don’t expect to call a Norfolk breeder on Tuesday and buy a puppy on Thursday. You may have to wait up to a year for one.

HISTORY

The Norfolk was originally bred to hunt and kill vermin in barns. Both the Norfolk and Norwich Terrier were formerly called Norwich Terriers, and were distinguished only by their ears, the Norwich’s ears pricked and the Norfolk’s drooping.The breed that later became the Norfolk developed near the towns of Norfolk and Norwich in England in the early 19th century as a general farm and hunting dog. Many believe it was developed by crossing Border Terriers, Cairn Terriers and Irish Terriers, and by the end of the 19th century, the reputation of the small terriers as ratters grew. Cambridge University students brought some in to help them with their rat problems and the little dogs became known first as Cantab Terriers, and later as Trumpington Terriers.One of the first breeders of Norfolk/Norwich terriers was Jodrell Hopkins, a Cambridge student who had a stable in Trumpington Street after graduating. Together with “Doggy” Lawrence, a Cambridge dog dealer, he bred and sold the lively little dogs to Cambridge students. At that time, most of the small terriers were red.Several breeders began to perfect the breed: Frank Jones, who was responsible for giving the breed the name Norwich, and R.J. Read, an early exporter of the breed and the first president of the Norwich Terrier Club of England.One of the dogs they used in their breeding programme was a red dog called Rags, who belonged to Frank Jones’ boss, Jack Cooke. Rags had been given to Cooke by Jodrell Hopkins, and proved to be a very dominant sire, sireing red puppies like himself.Around the same time, the son of a Norwich vet, Lewis Low (nicknamed “Podge”) acquired a white, smooth-haired, pointy-eared bitch who was apparently a hunt terrier cross with Dandie Dinmont. Her owners took her to Low’s father to be destroyed, but Low liked her coat, long legs, erect ears and what he thought was an “old-fashioned” expression, so he kept her and named her Ninety.Ninety was bred with Rags, and several of the puppies were bought by Frank Jones. When Jones left his employment with Cooke, he took his terriers with him and continued to breed and sell the little red dogs, he also sent some of them to America, calling them Jones Terriers until in 1904 he was asked the name of the breed and impulsively replied: “Norwich Terriers”. Jones and his then employer supplied many of the early breeders of Norwich Terriers with their basic stock, both in England and America, and over the next few years many breeders worked to perfect the breed, sometimes trying crosses with different breeds. One such breeder was R.J. Read, who became interested in the breed around 1908. He bought a daughter of Rags from Podge Low in 1909 and experimented with crosses with other breeds, such as the Bedlington Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the Irish Terrier, and by 1929 he had finally bred the dog he was trying to produce. It was a small red terrier, weighing no more than 3 kilos at maturity, with a harsh red coat, dark eyes, short legs and a very playful personality. The dog was called Horstead Mick, and his name appears in many of today’s pedigrees. Mick was used extensively as a stud dog and was the grandsire of one of the first Norwich Terrier champions, a floppy-eared bitch named Tinker Bell, and another influential breeder is Phyllis Fagan, who acquired a red bitch named Brownie. Many of today’s Norwich and Norfolk Terriers are descended from her dogs. The breed was officially recognised in the 1930s in both the United States and Great Britain. Within the breed there were dogs with pointed ears and lop ears. Up to that time, both hook-eared and lop-eared dogs were crossbred because they were considered the same breed. When the breed was recognised by the English Kennel Club, however, the ears became an issue. Read liked the pointed ear and wanted the breed standard to insist that all dogs of this breed should have this type of ear. Proponents of the lop-eared dog insisted that the standard include both. In the end, the lop-eared advocates won and the standard was drafted to include both.For a few years, breeders continued to cross prick-eared dogs with lop-eared dogs, but then the ear carriage became erratic in both types and breeders decided on their own that this was not a good idea.After World War II, breeders stopped crossing the two different types of dogs.