Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Norwich Terrier Breed Overview
- History of the Norwich Terrier Breed. Where Norwich Terriers came from
- What the Norwich Terrier Looks Like
- How Much is the Norwich Terrier Puppy?
- Best Norwich Terrier Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Norwich Terrier
- What Colors do Norwich Terriers Have?
- Norwich Terrier Litter Size
- How Fast Norwich Terriers Can Run
- Good Names for Norwich Terriers
- How Intelligent are Norwich Terriers?
- How Popular are Norwich Terriers with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Norwich Terriers and How to Prevent Them
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Norwich Terriers
- Other Things to Know About Norwich Terriers
Norwich Terrier Breed Overview
The Norwich Terrier is a tiny-sized dog.
The adult Norwich Terrier stands Up to 10 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Norwich Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the Norwich 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 Norwich Terriers belong to the Terrier Dogs group is one of the reasons why Norwich Terriers have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Norwich Terrier is generally described as:
- Affectionate
- Energetic
- Hardy
- Intelligent
- Sensitive
History of the Norwich Terrier Breed. Where Norwich Terriers came from
The early Norwich Terriers were a cross between several Terriers and were known as the Jones, Trumpington, and Cantab Terriers.
In the 1880s, sporting undergraduates at Cambridge University made these dogs famous by using them as ratters and to flush foxes.
Rags, the first Norwich Terrier, was born in the town of Norwich, which is located in Norfolk County in East Anglia, England.
In England, the Norwich Terrier and Norfolk Terrier were regarded as the same breed until 1964, when it was determined that dogs with prick ears were Norwich Terriers and those with dropped ears were Norfolk Terriers.
Previously, they were known as Norwich Terrier D.
E.
(drop ears) and Norwich Terrier P.
E.
(prick ears).
It took a while.
.
What the Norwich Terrier Looks Like
This small Terrier is a stocky, well-muscled ball of energy and fur.
This dog, with a fox-like expression and perky, erect ears, is ready to get busy doing something, whether it is playing or working.
They are designed for hunting, play, or simply sitting in your lap.
The Norwich Terrier`s head is broad, with medium-sized, perky ears, dark oval eyes, a strong muzzle, and a black nose.
The lips are black and the bite is scissor-like.
They have a medium-length neck, short legs, a strong back, a wide chest, and ribs that are well-sprung.
The tail should be docked and medium-length.
Because they enjoy digging, this breed has powerful, straight legs and small, round ears.
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How Much is the Norwich Terrier Puppy?
The average price of a Norwich Terrier puppy is $2530. The price of a Norwich Terrier puppy ranges from $2000 to $2650.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Norwich Terrier. These factors include what health records the Norwich Terrier puppy has, the lineage of the Norwich Terrier puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Norwich Terrier based on the many factors that determine the price of the Norwich Terrier puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Norwich 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 Norwich 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 Norwich Terrier Breeders
We have researched reputable Norwich Terrier breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Norwich 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.
Thistledown Norwich
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Tuffy`s Brown Dogs
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Coventry Norwich
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Elfin Norwich
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
MA-YA
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Norwich Terrier
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Norwich 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 Norwich Terrier named O'Neal that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Norwich Terriers like O'Neal on pefinder.com.
Bentley is the name of another Norwich Terrier (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Norwich Terriers that are available for adoption on petfinder.
What Colors do Norwich Terriers Have?
Norwich Terriers come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- White / Cream
- Apricot / Beige
- Tricolor (Brown, Black, & White)
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
Norwich Terrier Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 5 different Norwich Terrier birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Norwich Terriers can have is 2 puppies. Also, the Norwich Terrier can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 4 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Norwich Terrier will have depends on factors such as the age of the Norwich Terrier, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Norwich Terrier will have and how the litter size of the Norwich Terrier compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Norwich 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 Norwich Terriers, the average speed of the Norwich Terrier is 15.4 mph (24.8 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Norwich Terrier ran in a race is 24.28 mph (39.1 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Norwich Terrier is 5.13 mph (8.3 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Norwich Terrier compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Norwich Terriers
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Norwich Terrier ranked by popularity:
- Bitbit
- Lil
- Jeffrey
- Oliver
- Oakley
- Sidney
- Kenny
- Bentley
- Cannoli
- Jean
How Intelligent are Norwich Terriers?
| Norwich Terrier | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 38 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 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 Norwich Terrier has an obedience intelligence rank of 38 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Norwich Terriers in the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Norwich Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 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 |
|---|---|
| Border Collie | 1 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 5 |
| Labrador Retriever | 7 |
| Rottweiler | 9 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| English Cocker Spaniel | 18 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Belgian Malinois | 22 |
| Cardigan Welsh Corgi | 26 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| Manchester Terrier | 32 |
| American Staffordshire Terrier | 34 |
| Curly-Coated Retriever | 41 |
| Kuvasz | 42 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 52 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Great Pyrenees | 64 |
| Basset Hound | 71 |
| Bloodhound | 74 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Norwich 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 Norwich Terrier.
The popularity of the Norwich Terrier averaged over the years is Number 103 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 Norwich 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 Norwich 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 Norwich Terrier puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Norwich 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 Norwich Terriers for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Norwich Terriers here.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Norwich 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 Norwich Terrier.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Norwich Terrier:
- Cavachon (78 percent match with Norwich Terrier). Learn more about the Cavachon here.
- English Cocker Spaniel (81 percent match with Norwich Terrier). Learn more about the English Cocker Spaniel here.
- Lowchen (78 percent match with Norwich Terrier). Learn more about the Lowchen here.
Other Things to Know About Norwich Terriers
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Norwich Terrier that you need to know about the Norwich Terrier breed: