The Norwich Terrier Breed

Have you asked yourself why it's so hard to find a Norwich Terrier puppy, and why they are so pricey? The Norwich Terrier is one of the hardest breeds to breed. They are prone to more complications, and are harder to get pregnant. I've had a terrible time settling Calli, our AKC champion. It breaks my heart because she's so adorable! I want puppies from her so badly! We'll keep trying and see how it goes. I feel terrible for the families waiting for a puppy, but thankfully they understand that we're only working with nature.

We are moving to a new home this fall, so we'll be making do until we have a new play yard built for the Norwich. We hope to have a litter by Morgan this fall, but if things are too hectic with moving and/or building a new home, we may have to postpone litters until next summer. The updates will be here or on the puppies page.

When reading about the statistics of the puppies born in the US, it's amazing that anyone can find a puppy. Compared to 60,000 Golden Retrievers registered in the US per year, only 800 Norwich Terriers are registered. This is amazing! As I watch for more lines to add to my breeding program in the future, I'm amazed at all the faux Norwich advertised that are brindle in color, or have black points. I pointed it out to one breeder in a friendly way, and she said she had the papers as Norwich. But people! That doesn't mean they aren't forgeries, fraudulent, and you're propetuating the problem!!! Does anyone else care that they aren't even a breed they're advertised to be!? Some may be ignorant, but I've educated myself in my short time as a breeder and I think some choose to turn 1 cheek and they don't want to try to better the breed. It's very lonely and difficult to find consciencous breeders that aren't more interested in their own motives.

Does anyone just really love the TRUE Norwich Terrier breed and want to breed healthy puppies with good temperment and conformation for the purpose of loving them, and not just for the sake of titles? Please contact me if you do! I want to meet some loving Norwich Terrier friends who live by the golden rule!

Norwich Terrier Colors

It's disappointing to see so many Norwich mixes and faux Norwich Terriers advertised online. Many are APRI registered rather than AKC. I'm amazed at how many don't even resemble Norwich, and it doesn't take a professional to figure out why. The acceptable colors in the Norwich Terrier are all shades of red, wheaten, black & tan, blue & tan, and grizzle. Red is simple, ranging from a light puppy born without pigment called a Pink, to deeper reds. Wheaten is a lighter tan color. Black & Tan are born with the markings as seen in the doberman, but the head and legs turn red as they mature, leaving the saddle back pattern seen in adulthood. Blue & Tan are more gray in color with the same markings. Grizzle is the most misunderstood color and is what many "breeders" are either taking advantage of buyers that don't know the difference, or they are misinformed themselves. I'm seeing many "Norwich" advertised online as grizzle that have the brindle gene. Norwich Terriers do not come in brindle, the Cairn Terrier does. The brindle gene causes a striping pattern in the undercoat seen at birth, as in this photo of brindle Cairn Terrier puppies. Brindle adult Cairn Terriers can vary from lighter brindle to very dark almost black brindles. The striping pattern can be seen in the undercoat and the top coat is more evenly mixed. The Norwich Terrier grizzle will be born with a lighter variation of the black & tan markings like a doberman. As adults they will have a light saddle back with a mixture of red & black hairs. It can become confusing when looking at adult Norwich because some of the black & tan's saddle fades enough that they look like a grizzle saddle back. But there is one thing that is not confusing, and anyone can tell the difference, the Norwich should NOT look like a brindle Cairn! To see many examples of Norwich Terrier color, visit this link http://www.norwich.ch/Colors/Summary.html It's an excellent example of colors from birth to adulthood. Please don't be fooled by sellers who either fraudulently sell Cairns as Norwich for inflated prices, or who are so misinformed that they believe their brindle is a Norwich. Simply having papers does not mean that they are accurate or even reputable registries.

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.