Purchase from Ethical Reputable Breeders

So you've decided the Norwich Terrier breed fits what you are looking for, and you're committed to a new addition despite the hard work, sleepless nights, chewed up furniture, potty training, etc. You've begun reading up on obedience training, crate training, and are ready to look for a new addition. Consider if a puppy or adult would work best for your family. By skipping the puppy stages, sometimes an adult is easier to house train and accept as a new addition. The Norwich breed adapts well so rescue or retired breeding adults make wonderful companions. Breeders often have healthy adults ready for retirement at 4-6 yrs of age, which makes a mature companion with many good years left to offer. Expect to pay $1000-1500 for an adult adoption fee. This fee assists adoption agencies and ensures that someone can't profit from the adoption of adults. It isn't as much about the money as it is intended to ensure that a responsible buyer is serious about the commitment. Free or "cheap" dogs are subject to scammers who pretend to be a good home and then sell the animal for lab experimentation or profit. If a puppy is what you are looking for, ensure that you purchase a puppy from an ethical reputable breeder. Ethics involve the code of ethics for breeders. There is purpose and intent in their breeding program, to increase quality and health of the breed. They health test their dogs and breed the healthiest individuals they can. They are very familiar with their lines, where they came from, and where they are going. Health disorders are tracked from the dogs they are breeding, the lines they come from, and the offspring they produce. They provide quality care to the adults and puppies, ensure that the puppies go to quality forever homes, and are responsible to the lives of the puppies and dogs they produce. Reputable breeders mean that they have a history of providing good quality care, and good customer service. They will have happy customers and quality references including a veterinarian that they work very closely with. A reputable breeder doesn't have to have a 20yr history, everyone has to start sometime. But a reputable breeder is knowledgable, educates, is a good communicator, and their top priority is the quality placement of their animals. They should be well aware of the health disorders within the breed. They should educate the buyer about the breed, and assist families in making good decisions about purchasing a Norwich Terrier. The breed is not meant for everyone and the key to a successful match is to understand the expectations of the buyer. Reputable breeders often have waiting lists and you should expect to pay $2000-4000 depending on the puppy.When inquiring with a breeder, be prepared with your list of questions and first offer information about yourself, what you are looking for, and what your expectations are in adopting a new family member. Do you have children or what is your life stage? Do you work outside the home and if you do, are you able to drop in at home to let the puppy out mid-day? What is your experience with dogs? What breeds have you had previously and was it successful? Are you prepared to attend obedience classes and offer quality time to your new addition? Take time to talk with the breeder and expect a reputable breeder to be involved in this process. If they only push the sale of a puppy without educating or understanding the home you will provide, they are not the right breeder for you.

Much of the information you will read states that reputable breeders show to championship and that you should only purchase puppies from show breeders. However, I know several good breeders who may show from one time to another, or maybe not at all, and they are excellent breeders. They are breeding not to win titles, but for the love of the breed and the love of placing puppies in forever homes. They are honest and have beautiful dogs from reputable lines. I personally believe these breeders are ideal for a long term relationship and someone that you can connect with and feel comfortable working with. I've been made to feel inadequate and like the breeder didn't have time for me, and I certainly don't want anyone else to go through that. So if they show great! If they don't, ask more questions such as how do they judge their dogs against the AKC standard? You might find that they are an excellent breeder with strong goals and attributes to back up the reason they don't show. Simply winning titles doesn't equate honesty, integrity, or top quality lines. There are good and bad breeders in all realms.

How do you find a reputable ethical breeder? The Norwich & Norfolk club is a start, but keep in mind that this is a list of club members only. They are part of a group of people who are members because of who they know and not what they are. There are many reputable breeders who do not live close enough, or who do not want to particpate in "Club" activities. These breeders may have a circle of reputable breeders who are still great breeders but just happen to not be club members. Many of the classifieds are full of back yard breeders (breeders who only breed 1 male and 1 female pet and aren't knowledgable or have a breeding program). Scammers also steal photos from breeders and pose as a seller on those sites. The Norwich Terrier is ridden with many "fakes". Scammers crop the tails of Cairn Terriers and sell them as Norwich. You can find multiple brindle "Norwich" available and yet brindle is not even an accepted color in the breed! There is a difference in brindle vs the accepted color of grizzle! These are not AKC registered puppies and they are simply not Norwich Terriers. Bargain puppies are no bargain! Research sites that have standing breeder ads and not just single puppy ads. Puppy Dog Web.com is paid advertising for breeders. Breeders.net is a site that allows you to search for puppies by breed and zip code, to find a breeder nearest you. The American Kennel Club AKC.org has breeder classifieds, but the ads are taken out upon a litter being born, and I never use their ads because most of my puppies are already sold at that point in time (expect breeders to have a waiting list). Once you find a breeder that you like, investigate the timeline for puppy availability. Sometimes there will be a puppy available, other times you may have to wait several months. Even planned litters are sometimes changed by nature, so be flexible and understanding of what breeders can't control. If they don't have puppies available, ask if they have friends who may have puppies available. Ethical reputable breeders often know other breeders or have friends that they would recommend. Although they will not tell you the horror stories about a particular kennel or talk about other breeders, if someone were to approach me and say they were looking at a particular kennel, and ask if that would be a good one, I may discretely tell them to keep looking.

Breeder Check List

Here is a checklist to keep in mind when shopping for a good breeder.

• Puppies are born on premises
• Breeder does not sell to brokers or retail shops
• Facilities are clean and well kept
• Puppies have been handled, and introduced to children and other dogs
• Breeder interviews you and offers information on the breed to ensure a good match
• Puppy comes with limited registration as a pet, and is to be spayed/neutered
• Breeder promises to take the dog back (not return your money) if you can't keep it
• Breeder provides a 3 day money back guarantee, and a 1-2yr health guarantee by contract
• Breeder raises no more than 2-3 breeds, it's difficult to be competent in more breeds
• Breeder's primary concern is finding a good home for the puppy or dog rather than making a sale
• Breeder was happy to answer questions and makes you feel comfortable asking for advice
• Breeder is familiar with and abides by breeder's Code of Ethics
  

Risk for Contagious Disease

Norwich Terrier puppies receive passive immunity from their mother's milk. The antibodies present in the mother's milk help protect puppies from disease and infections for the first few weeks of life. We administer their first vaccination at 5 1/2 wks, so that we may give a 2nd at 8 1/2 wks, before going home. Since the first vaccination is not as effective in contributing to the puppy's primary immunity due to maternal antibodies, the 2nd vaccination is much more effective in building the puppy's primary immune response. The primary immunity is the puppy's own "real" immunity. It is imperative upon taking puppies home after 8-9 wks, that you avoid exposure to strange dogs or areas where dogs frequent such as rest areas, gas stations, dog parks, etc. Puppies should be vaccinated every 3-4 wks until 15-16 weeks of age, and then should receive the rabies vaccine after 12 weeks of age. We recommend waiting until after the 3rd vaccination at 11-12 wks to start puppy obedience classes. Our policy has come about due to sending a puppy home at 8wks with only 1 vaccination, the puppy contracted Parvo after going home, and died within a week. Puppies are much better protected after 2 vaccinations and this is why we now ship puppies after they are 9wks of age, to allow for an immune response from their 2nd vaccine. We use Fort Dodge vaccines against parvo, distemper, adenovirus type II, and parainfluenza. All vets do things differently, but this is my policy formed along with my veterinarian for my dogs and geographic location. Ask your veterinarian about their recommendations based on your geographic location. Some diseases are more prevalent in areas of the country, and your puppy may require additional protection. For example our adults are vaccinated against leptospirosis since it is prevalent in our area.

The Norwich Terrier is prone to vaccine reactions, so it's imperative to ensure your veterinarian is aware of Rabies Vaccine Induced Ischemic Dermatopathy (RVI-ID). Some Norwich have a reaction to the adjuvant ingredient which triggers an auto-immune response. Symptoms may be sores or lesions in the ear, darkening of the ear pigmentation, sores on the tail or feet, dark lumps on the skin, or a lump at the injection site. Symptoms may appear immediately after the rabies vaccination, or may take days or months to be noticable. Allergic reactions to vaccine adjuvants may appear as itching, swelling, difficulty breathing, and need to be treated immediately. It may be helpful to administer Benadryl before vaccinating your Norwich Terrier. Here's an excellent article: http://www.norwichtales.com/coda/rvi_id.html