Scars are not considered blemishes here. The FCI standard expressly says honourable scars from honest work should not be unduly penalised. This is a low, compact terrier with prick ears, ideally 25 centimetres tall, whose temperament the standard calls lovable and not at all quarrelsome.
| FCI | Group 3 (Terriers), Section 2 Small-sized Terriers, Standard No. 72, without working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Great Britain |
| Size (height at the withers) | ideally 25 cm |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | median 14.0 years among 190 Norwich Terriers in a UK analysis (McMillan et al. 2024) |
| Coat | harsh, wiry, straight and close-fitting, with dense undercoat; longer and rougher at the neck, forming a ruff around the face; short and smooth on head and ears |
| Colours in the standard | all shades of red, wheaten, black and tan or grizzle; white markings tolerated |
From East Anglian farm dog to a breed of their own
Around the mid-19th century, says the standard, this was simply a Norfolk county farm dog used against rats, foxes and badgers. The ancestors include Glen of Imaal Terriers, red Cairns and Dandie Dinmonts. The Kennel Club accepted the breed in 1932, then with both prick ears and drop ears. Since the 1964 split, the drop-eared dogs have been called Norfolk Terriers.
Cheerful, fearless and not quarrelsome
Extremely active, hardy, cheerful and fearless: that is the standard’s portrait. They rarely start a quarrel, but are reluctant to give up either. In daily life, they are affectionate and playful. Mice and rats remain a concern, and reliable recall needs training.
Small body, a full day
A Norwich wants to join you outdoors, in rain as well as sunshine. Long walks, sniffing tasks and little tricks provide satisfying activity.
A wire coat and prick ears
The harsh coat is hand-stripped two or three times a year, with brushing enough in between. Clipping removes its weather resistance. The ears stand upright but may be laid back at rest. The tail was once optionally docked; in Germany it now remains long.
What the airways reveal
With a median lifespan of 14.0 years, Norwich Terriers lived longer than crossbreeds at 12.0 in McMillan and colleagues’ analysis, although only 190 dogs were included. Nevertheless, the breed has a problem of its own: upper airway syndrome. Among 401 Norwich Terriers whose larynx was examined endoscopically, two thirds (65.8 percent) had mild to severe abnormalities, most often everted laryngeal saccules and an elongated soft palate. A variant in ADAMTS3, thought to promote tissue swelling, was present in two copies in 32.9 percent (Marchant et al. 2019). The same research shows the benefit of examination: among Swiss dogs, the proportion severely affected fell from 44.0 percent (born 1988 to 1997) to 8.6 percent (2006 to 2014). Ask about the parents’ airway findings. In addition, 26 of 198 dogs in a UK survey (13 percent) had episodes of muscle cramping without loss of consciousness, first appearing at an average age of three years (De Risio et al. 2016).
A Norwich suits you if
you want a manageable-sized, cheerful outdoor companion who plays with children and joins you everywhere. This can also work as a first dog if you take the hunting instinct seriously.
Less so if
you consider snoring or quickly becoming breathless normal in a dog, small animals roam freely in the garden or you prefer to leave grooming to chance.
Find close relatives in the entries on the Cairn Terrier and the Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier. The breed quiz helps you assess whether a Norwich fits your life; our book “Which Dog REALLY Suits You?” (book in German) provides background for your choice. For your puppy’s arrival, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. That alert expression and those prick ears look good on a poster in a wooden frame or among our dog portraits from your own photo.
Further reading
- French Bulldog: the everyday cost of breathing difficulties
- Jack Russell Terrier: a working dog who happens to be small
- Is my dog overweight? How to assess body condition and ideal weight
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI Standard No. 72 Norwich Terrier (fci.be, English version dated 06.10.2026; no German version published); McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024; Marchant TW et al., An ADAMTS3 missense variant is associated with Norwich Terrier upper airway syndrome, PLoS Genetics 2019; De Risio L et al., Paroxysmal Dyskinesia in Norwich Terrier Dogs, Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 2016.
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