Norwich Terrier - history of the breed

History of the Norwich Terrier breed: from the 19th century to the present day.

  • Norwich Terrier - history of the breed

History of the Norwich Terrier breed: from the 19th century to the present day.


The Norwich Terrier breed originated in East Anglia. The breed is descended from small red and black and tan terriers, whose ancestors were Yorkshire and Irish terriers. These small terriers were excellent rat catchers. Already initially, dogs of this breed were wire-haired. They were sandy in color, short-legged, squat, with cropped ears.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, breeding of Norwich Terriers was concentrated in the vicinity of the city of Norwich, Norfolk County. The Norwich Terrier is the result of crossing many terrier breeds in Great Britain.

Fun fact:

В In the 80s of the 19th century, Cambridge students considered it especially chic to have this small, athletic terrier. Moreover, students at Cambridge University chose the Norwich Terrier as their mascot. But these dogs had a purely practical use - they caught rats, of which there were many on the university grounds at that time.

In 1932 the Norwich Terriers gained recognition, a club was formed and the first Norwich Terriers were shown at an exhibition. Initially, the standard clearly described the position of the ears - erect and the color - only red. A little later a change was made stating that the Norwich may have small white spots on the chest and throat. In 1935, the black and tan color was also recognized as the standard.

Subsequently, the main disagreements were about the placement of the ears. Some of the dogs had erect ears, and some had hanging ears. Moreover, each option had its supporters. In the 30s, breeders almost stopped crossing dogs with different types of ear placement.

During the Second World War, Norwich Terriers, like many other dog breeds, virtually disappeared. In the post-war years, enthusiastic breeders revived the breed. The breed has returned, and disagreements about ear placement have also returned. In 1964, both types received separate recognition. At first there was a proposal to write two standards for the same breed - with erect ears and with hanging ears. However, the English Kennel Club registered these dogs as two different breeds. It was decided that dogs with erect ears would be called Norwich Terriers, and those with drooping ears would be called Norfolk Terriers. Based on the name of the area where the breeding of these wonderful breeds began.

These breeds are recognized in IKU, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC.

Best regards, dog kennel, Pinanoir (30-05-2010).