meet the...Norwich Terrier
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 6: Terrier Breeds
Sub-group 6-C: Small Terriers
Origin Country England
Weight Males: 11-12 pounds. Females: 10-11 pounds.
Height Males: 9-11 inches. Females: 8-11 inches.
Breed Type Pure
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Origins
Small, hardy terriers were a staple in England for centuries, and the mid-1800s were no different. During this time, the town of Norwich was well-populated with these little dogs. A prominent dog breeder by the name of Frank Jones decided to breed his small terriers of Irish descent and his small Cairn-type terrier to a gamey farm terrier from Norwich named “Rags.” It was also believed that ancestors of today’s Dandie Dinmont Terriers were used as well. The puppies born from these breedings became the foundation for the Norwich terriers, which, at the time, included both erect and button-eared types.
However, in 1964, the breed was separated according to ear type alone. The erect-eared dogs were called Norwich Terriers, while the button-eared variety became known as Norfolk Terriers and was so named after the county Norfolk, in which the town of Norwich was situated.Breed Characteristics
Head: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is slightly arced and broad, being as wide (measured from one side to the other directly in front of the ears) as it is long (measured from occiput to stop). The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles. The head exhibits good substance formed from strong bone and muscle.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and medium to dark brown in color. They should never appear large and round. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Rather small to medium in size, set fairly well apart on the skull. They are triangular in shape, with pointed tips, and firmly erect when alerted. They may be folded back in repose when relaxed. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. It tapers just slightly from the broad base toward the nose, giving the head a wedge-shaped appearance. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, never snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck is fairly thick and tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed but not overly prominent. The chest and brisket are fairly long.
Body: The body is deep, compact, solid, and of good substance. It is never light, racy, or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set high on the croup. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually jauntily erect and never tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked to a medium length. Natural tails are of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. Natural tails may be straight or gently curved. Docked tails are cut to 1/4 to 1/3 of their original length.
Movement: Energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: True to their name and group, the Norwich Terrier is all terrier; however, unlike other terrier brethren, they are known for being tolerant, sociable, and accepting of other dogs. They are energetic, lively, intelligent, merry, fearless, and loyal companions who are able to get along with other dogs and, if socialized early on, other house pets. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 6: Terrier Breeds
Proportions: The Norwich Terrier is neither square nor rectangular, and any dog appearing as such is considered incorrect. Instead, they are somewhere in between, with the lines and angles of the front slant of the chest and forelegs, along with the back slant of the hindlimbs and croup, running parallel to one another and forming diagonals, giving the dog a somewhat rhomboid shape and appearance. The body length-to-height ratio is measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than the height at the withers. The length-to-height ratio is between 5:4 and 10:9. Distance from the withers to the ground is approximately equal to the distance from the withers to the base of the tail. The body is well-put-together, with sturdy substance and moderate yet strong bone. They appear somewhat low but never so low-slung that there is not sufficient clearance between the ground and brisket. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is slightly arced and broad, being as wide (measured from one side to the other directly in front of the ears) as it is long (measured from occiput to stop). The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles. The head exhibits good substance formed from strong bone and muscle.
Expression: Slightly foxy expression, alert, keen, and intelligent.
Stop: The stop is definite.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 3:2, with the topskull being just longer than the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is just slightly convergent.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. It tapers just slightly from the broad base toward the nose, giving the head a wedge-shaped appearance. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, never snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are well-developed and well-muscled under the coat, giving the face breadth and substance. They should not appear chiseled or flat.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work is not to be penalized.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and medium to dark brown in color. They should never appear large and round. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Rather small to medium in size, set fairly well apart on the skull. They are triangular in shape, with pointed tips, and firmly erect when alerted. They may be folded back in repose when relaxed. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Body and Tail
General Description: The body is deep, compact, solid, and of good substance. It is never light, racy, or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck is fairly thick and tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed but not overly prominent. The chest and brisket are fairly long.
Topline: Level from withers to croup. The back is somewhat short, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, taut, flat, and level. The back is never long, swayed, or roached.
Croup: Flat and level with the back, or just gently (almost imperceptibly) sloped.
Underline: A slight to moderate tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set high on the croup. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually jauntily erect and never tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked to a medium length. Natural tails are of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. Natural tails may be straight or gently curved. Docked tails are cut to 1/4 to 1/3 of their original length.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are long and sloping, being somewhat longer than the upper arm bone and especially longer than the forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The distance from the withers to the point of the elbows is approximately twice the distance from the ground to the elbows.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Fairly short, straight, of good muscle, moderate (yet sturdy) bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, of moderate (yet sturdy) bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: Consists of a protective, weather-resistant double coat. The undercoat is short, soft, and dense. The outer coat is somewhat longer, about 1.5-2 inches in length. It is harsh, hard, wiry, straight, and lying fairly close to the body. The coat on the neck, chest, and shoulders is somewhat longer, forming a ruff from the shoulders to the head and a mane that frames the face starting at the base of the ears and jawline. The coat on the face, forehead, and ears is short, soft, and smooth, with the exception of a slight beard, mustache, and light eyebrows. There are moderate furnishings on the legs and underline, which are harsh and wiry. This breed is shown in as natural of a coat as possible, with minimal tidying permitted; however, excessive clipping or scissoring is prohibited.
Coat Color or Pattern: All shades of wheaten, red, black and tan, or grizzle. Dark points in the form of a mask and darkened ears are equally permissible. Minimal white hairs on the chest and toes are permissible.
Movement
Energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
True to their name and group, the Norwich Terrier is all terrier; however, unlike other terrier brethren, they are known for being tolerant, sociable, and accepting of other dogs. They are energetic, lively, intelligent, merry, fearless, and loyal companions who are able to get along with other dogs and, if socialized early on, other house pets. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
