Living with Norfolk Terrier

This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, April 2014 issue.

Living with Norfolk Terrier

When people ask me why I chose a Norfolk Terrier I tell them I wanted a small dog with a large personality. That is what you get when you own a Norfolk. This is a breed that has a huge heart, they love life, and they love their owners. Because of these traits, when you own a Norfolk the possibilities of what you can do are endless. If you are buying one for a pet, the Norfolk is a good choice, they like to walk, play with toys, and of course relax with their owners. If you are thinking of trying some performance events with this breed you will not be disappointed. Norfolks have a lot of courage and although they enjoy being with their owners, they like to be independent as well. For these reasons, they make great performance dogs. Of course, the breed originated in England and were one of the breeds kept as a farm dog. They liked to hunt and chase mice as well as larger quarry. So two performance events they do well in are Earthdog and the new sport of Barn Hunt.

To start a dog in either sport it is important to find a place for some basic training. To start a young dog in Earthdog it is best to find a trainer who has both tunnels in the ground and above the ground. I like to try and start my dogs around 6 months of age and work with them over the period of a few months. It is never too late to start your dog’s training. Older dogs will like this as much as the young puppies. It is best to begin with tunnels above the ground, getting the puppy used to crawling through the tunnel and then adding a corner and eventually the end piece which has the dog behind the bars barking at the rat. This way when you move on to training in the ground they have some idea of what they are supposed to do and they have been inside a tunnel. Barn Hunt is a sport that is for all breeds, but like Earthdog is a favorite for our Norfolks. Once again finding a trainer or a class is the best way to start your dog. This sport involves hay bales. I think of it as a find and seek for the dog. In the first level, there are 3 tubes hidden among hay bales, one is empty, one has dirty bedding (from the rat) and one has a live rat in the tube. The dog’s job is to roam around the fenced-in area and find the tube with the rat. Tracking is a fun sport to try with your Norfolk. Mine for one love to walk.

In this sport their independence works to help them follow the track and find the glove. This is the only sport that the dog is in control. A track layer has walked a track of about 450 yards in the first level of this test. The idea behind this sport is the dog is able to follow the scent of the track layer, who has walked the track and at the end of the track they have left a glove. The dog who is harnessed and walking at least 20 feet ahead of his owner has his nose to the ground and is following the scent for 450 yards or so till he finds the glove. Only the track layer and the judges know where the map of the track, the handler has no idea where the track goes, he is following his dog. Although a small breed, the Norfolk has endurance and walks right along happily wagging his tail the whole way. Agility is a popular sport to do with a Norfolk.

They are agile and can be quite fast which are two things needed for a good agility dog. This time owner and handler must work together to run the course correctly in the amount of time given. Obedience can be challenging with a Norfolk but one thing that helps with training in obedience is a Norfolk will work for food! There are several types of obedience, regular obedience and then Rally. Whichever one you are going to try, like with all the other sports you need to find a place to train and train weekly for several months or longer to get you and your dog ready to compete if that is what you would like to do. A sport for all breeds that opened a few years ago is lure coursing. For my dogs, this is their favorite sport by far. A Norfolk has a great prey drive, they love to chase and they are fast. This is the perfect performance event to try if you are new to the world of trialing your dog. Not much practice is needed, my dogs will chase anything and a plastic bag is what they are chasing. Lots of fun to watch them run. When you are not training your Norfolk you are living with him or her and that can be a challenge as well. I live with three Norfolks, all are related and get along well.

I have a 6-year-old female, her 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter from her second litter. I live in the suburbs in a small house with a small yard. I take lots of walks—mine will walk in any weather, at any time of the day! If someone comes to the house or even near it they let me know. One of the things I like best about my dogs is they love being near me, in the same room, sitting on the couch but they do not want to be on me. Everyone greets me when I come home from work but then they move on to a toy or go out and check on the yard. The coats on the Norfolks are nice, I keep mine tidy. I have them groomed several times a year, 3 or 4. If you talk to your breeder they can give you pointers on keeping the coats tidy in between grooming or even how to groom the dog yourself. Although this takes patience, time and a strong wrist it is not as hard as you would think. If you groom your dog regularly he will learn to tolerate this. Nails are important to keep up as well, too many times you see a dog with toe nails curling under and that is not good for his feet. Like the grooming if you trim your dogs nails every few weeks they will get better and better at sitting still for this.

One of the things highest on a Norfolks list of favorite things to do is eat. This is a small dog with a big appetite and when you own a Norfolk you need to keep this in mind. They love to eat, but you do not want to let them get over weight. Exercise can help keep them trim, but more importantly you can not over feed them or allow them too many snacks. When training your Norfolk either for performance or just teaching them manners make sure you are cutting back their meals since they are getting treats in class or at home. If my dogs attend a class like agility, obedience or tracking where I know they will be getting treats or a big jackpot. They do not get one of their meals, I cut out breakfast or lunch. Norfolks are a great dog, lots of personality, loyal and loving. With training and structure they make great pets and/or performance dogs.

His outer coat should not be soft or wavy. The harsh double coat serves as protection from the weather and is one of the breed characteristics. Coat colors are shades of red, wheaten, black and tan, and grizzle. No preference should be given to color. When it comes time to move the dogs individually remember that he is a working terrier. A mincing, short gait is not correct. As you watch him going away from you, his legs should follow in the tracks of the front legs. When he comes back to you, his front legs should move straight down from the shoulder. He should have a smooth side gait with good reach and drive on the go-around. Judges should never ask that the dogs be spared. This isn’t an aggressive breed. Also, these dogs are low to the ground. PLEASE never bend down over the dog. If you must feel the dog’s shoulders once again as you walk down the line, ask the exhibitor to put the dog back on the table. Many a good Norfolk has lost his desire to show because of a bad experience. I hope that this helps you understand and enjoy judging the Norfolk Terrier as much as I do.