About Norwich Terriers
The Norwich Terrier is one of the smallest of all the terriers, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in personality and drive. This active terrier is a wonderful companion for an active individual or family. His name gives you a clue to his appearance and helps you tell him apart from his sibling, the NorfolkTerrier remember that the Norwich has prick ears that stand up like a witch hat.
Norwich Terriers were used for hunting both vermin and foxes, and today he can still be seen hunting in a variety of places. Norwich Terriers are a working breed and are happiest when they have a job to do.
Norwich Terriers were used for hunting both vermin and foxes, and today he can still be seen hunting in a variety of places. Norwich Terriers are a working breed and are happiest when they have a job to do.
Is the Norwich right for your family?
If you can cope with his high prey drive and tendencies to bark and dig, the Norwich Terrier is a wonderful companion and friend who may surprise you with his versatility and athleticism.
History of the Norwich Terrier
Present day Norwich ( and Norfolk ) Terriers began life as a Show breed in 1932 when, as the drop and prick-eared Norwich Terrier , the breed was accepted on The Kennel Club Breed Register, (this is the English Register, the country of the dogs origin,) but it is interesting to look at the breed's possible evolution.
Historically, small terrier-type dogs were popular amongst the farming and sporting community in East Anglia to use on rats and other vermin which infested the marshy region and its barns and crop stores. It is possible that some of these were the forerunners of the early Norwich Terrier.
Historically, small terrier-type dogs were popular amongst the farming and sporting community in East Anglia to use on rats and other vermin which infested the marshy region and its barns and crop stores. It is possible that some of these were the forerunners of the early Norwich Terrier.
During the 19th. Century it is known that some of the Undergraduates at Cambridge University bought small terriers from a local dog dealer namedCharles (Doggy) Lawrence. Cambridge, too, had plenty of vermin around, situated as it was on the banks of a river, just on the edge of the Fens, and these small terriers, which were often a tan or black and tan colour, were used mainly for catching rats around the Cambridge Colleges which were concentrated between the River Cam and the main street of the town.
In 1979, the AKC followed the lead already set by England's Kennel Club in 1964 and split the varieties into two different breeds: the drop-eared dog became the Norfolk Terrier and the prick-eared dog remained the Norwich Terrier.
In 1979, the AKC followed the lead already set by England's Kennel Club in 1964 and split the varieties into two different breeds: the drop-eared dog became the Norfolk Terrier and the prick-eared dog remained the Norwich Terrier.