Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Norfolk Terrier Breed Overview
- History of the Norfolk Terrier Breed. Where Norfolk Terriers came from
- What the Norfolk Terrier Looks Like
- How Much is the Norfolk Terrier Puppy?
- Best Norfolk Terrier Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Norfolk Terrier
- What Colors do Norfolk Terriers Have?
- Norfolk Terrier Litter Size
- How Fast Norfolk Terriers Can Run
- Good Names for Norfolk Terriers
- How Intelligent are Norfolk Terriers?
- How Popular are Norfolk Terriers with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Norfolk Terriers and How to Prevent Them
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Norfolk Terriers
- Other Things to Know About Norfolk Terriers
Norfolk Terrier Breed Overview
The Norfolk Terrier is a tiny-sized dog.
The adult Norfolk Terrier stands 9 to 10 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Norfolk Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the Norfolk Terrier, were originally bred to go underground to hunt rodents and other small wild animals (vermin).
Terriers come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, but all terriers are energetic, highly intelligent, and territorial. Terries also have the tendency to escape. They require a securely fenced yard.
The fact that Norfolk Terriers belong to the Terrier Dogs group is one of the reasons why Norfolk Terriers have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Norfolk Terrier is generally described as:
- Companionable
- Fearless
- Happy
- Lovable
- Self-confidence
- Spirited
History of the Norfolk Terrier Breed. Where Norfolk Terriers came from
Many Terrier breeds were developed specifically for a specific area or population, which explains why there are so many.
The Norwich Terrier originated in East Anglia, England, and was crossed with other Terriers (including the Yorkshire and Irish Terriers) to produce small red or black and tan dogs.
These dogs were known as Trumpington Terriers and came in a variety of sizes, colors, and ear shapes.
Both the prick-eared and drop-eared types were included in the breed standard once it was written.
Breeders stopped interbreeding dogs with different ear types in the 1930s to try to stabilize the ear carriage of the offspring.
By World War II, there were more dogs with prick ears.
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What the Norfolk Terrier Looks Like
Norfolk Terriers are slightly longer than they are tall, with short legs and a docked tail.
This active dog`s muzzle resembles that of a fox, and dogs of the breed have well-defined whiskers and brows, as well as dropped, close-hanging ears.
The Norfolk Terrier`s coat is hard and wiry, and it comes in a variety of colors, including red, wheaten, black and tan, and grizzle (a mix of black or red hairs along with white hairs; the grizzle coat can look bluish gray or iron gray).
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How Much is the Norfolk Terrier Puppy?
The average price of a Norfolk Terrier puppy is $2500. The price of a Norfolk Terrier puppy ranges from $2500 to $2500.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Norfolk Terrier. These factors include what health records the Norfolk Terrier puppy has, the lineage of the Norfolk Terrier puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Norfolk Terrier based on the many factors that determine the price of the Norfolk Terrier puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Norfolk Terrier puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Norfolk Terrier breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Norfolk Terrier Breeders
We have researched reputable Norfolk Terrier breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Norfolk Terrier breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Betty Ford
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Orchard Hill
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Treehouse
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Nutmeg Norfolks
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Valhala Flat Coated Retrievers/Norfolk Terriers
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Norfolk Terrier
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Norfolk Terriers included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Norfolk Terrier named Rosco that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Norfolk Terriers like Rosco on pefinder.com.
Kid Rock is the name of another Norfolk Terrier (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Norfolk Terriers that are available for adoption on petfinder.
What Colors do Norfolk Terriers Have?
Norfolk Terriers come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- White / Cream
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
- Brown / Chocolate
- Apricot / Beige
- Bicolor
Norfolk Terrier Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 25 different Norfolk Terrier birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Norfolk Terriers can have is 2 puppies. Also, the Norfolk Terrier can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 5 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Norfolk Terrier will have depends on factors such as the age of the Norfolk Terrier, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Norfolk Terrier will have and how the litter size of the Norfolk Terrier compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Norfolk Terriers Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 30 different Norfolk Terriers, the average speed of the Norfolk Terrier is 17.0 mph (27.3 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Norfolk Terrier ran in a race is 21.08 mph (33.9 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Norfolk Terrier is 11.33 mph (18.2 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Norfolk Terrier compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Norfolk Terriers
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Norfolk Terrier ranked by popularity:
- Rosco
- Snoop
- Buttons
- Radar
- Little
- Houston
- Jimmy
- Gandolf
- Monty
- Wilson
How Intelligent are Norfolk Terriers?
| Norfolk Terrier | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 56 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Norfolk Terrier has an obedience intelligence rank of 56 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Norfolk Terriers in the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Norfolk Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Golden Retriever | 4 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 5 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 6 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| Belgian Sheepdog | 15 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 17 |
| English Cocker Spaniel | 18 |
| Manchester Terrier | 32 |
| Scottish Deerhound | 47 |
| Boxer | 48 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Pug | 57 |
| Italian Greyhound | 60 |
| Great Pyrenees | 64 |
| Chihuahua | 67 |
| Lhasa Apso | 68 |
| Shih Tzu | 70 |
| Pekingese | 73 |
| Borzoi | 75 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Norfolk Terriers with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Norfolk Terrier.
The popularity of the Norfolk Terrier averaged over the years is Number 130 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Norfolk Terriers and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Norfolk Terrier is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Norfolk Terrier puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Norfolk Terrier breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Norfolk Terriers for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Norfolk Terriers here.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Norfolk Terriers
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Norfolk Terrier.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Norfolk Terrier:
- Boston Terrier (77 percent match with Norfolk Terrier). Learn more about the Boston Terrier here.
- Cockapoo (75 percent match with Norfolk Terrier). Learn more about the Cockapoo here.
Other Things to Know About Norfolk Terriers
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Norfolk Terrier that you need to know about the Norfolk Terrier breed: