Breeds / Toy
Norfolk Terrier puppies
Hardy, cheerful and fearless for its size, a small drop eared working terrier that is sociable with people and other dogs but keeps a serious prey drive.
The facts
- Size class Toy
- Country of origin Great Britain
- Adult weight 5 to 5.4 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 11 to 12 lb
- Adult height 23 to 25 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Short double and wiry
- Typical lifespan 12 to 16 years
- Good with children Reliably good
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Norfolk Terrier
The Norfolk Terrier came from East Anglia, worked in packs to bolt fox and kill vermin, and was separated from the Norwich Terrier on the shape of its ears, which drop rather than stand. It is one of the smallest working terriers, 23 to 25 cm at the shoulder and around 5 to 5.4 kg, with a hard wiry outer coat over a soft insulating undercoat. Temperament is game and cheerful: confident with people, sociable with its own kind, and considerably braver than the size suggests.
Coat care is the deciding factor for most buyers. A wire jacket needs hand stripping to keep its texture and colour, so either learn the technique or find a groomer who offers it, since clipping softens and fades it. Exercise is long walks, fetch and company, with the lead on and a fenced garden, because the prey drive is intense. It rates highly with children, given supervision and sensible socialisation. New owners usually underestimate the digging and the readiness to chase anything small.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Norfolk Terrier puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A toy breed puppy at eight weeks is small enough to be genuinely fragile. It can be hurt by a jump off a sofa and by being stepped on, and toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, so it needs frequent small meals rather than two big ones. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Upper airway syndrome, assessed by laryngoscopic examination under a breed screening scheme
- Heart disease including mitral valve disease, found on cardiac examination
- Inherited eye disease, screened by an ophthalmologist examination
- Patellar luxation, graded on veterinary orthopaedic examination
- Periodontal disease, kept down by regular tooth brushing and veterinary dental checks
From Norfolk Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/norfolk-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Norfolk Terrier puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Toy for a Norfolk Terrier.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 5 to 5.4 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other toy breeds
Previous: Newfoundland · Next: Norrbottenspets
Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.