Origin
The Norwich Terrier is the smallest of all working terriers, and were named after the county where they were first bred during the early part of the twentieth century. They look very much like their Norfolk Terrier cousins with the difference being that they have pricked ears whereas Norfolks boast having drop ears. Although once a very popular choice as both a working dog and family pet, these charming, affectionate and lively dogs have fallen out of favour over recent times. As such, they have been placed on The Kennel Club's list of vulnerable native breeds.
Norwich Terriers were bred to keep vermin under control and they proved to be excellent ratters. These charming little terriers have been around for over a hundred years and it is thought their ancestors could well be the Border Terrier, the Cairn Terrier and Ireland's Red Terrier. The Norfolk and Norwich Terriers were developed by Frank Jones by crossing various working terriers with an end goal being to produce smaller dogs. His endeavours produced terriers very capable of digging into small burrows and soon these little terriers were to find favour with many people throughout the land.
It was not until 1932 that Norwich Terriers were recognised as a breed in their own right by The Kennel Club. However, it was only after the end of World War II that breeders crossed the Norwich and the Norfolk Terriers in order to produce two distinct breeds with the drop ears of the Norfolk Terrier becoming their own unique hallmark and hence they were renamed "Norfolk" terriers to distinguish them from Norwich Terriers with their "pricked" ears.
Today, these little terriers remain a popular choice with breed enthusiasts, but over recent times their numbers have dropped and as such Norwich Terriers have been placed on The Kennel Club's vulnerable native breeds list.
