Norfolk Terrier

Characteristics

Health & Longevity

Average Life Span: 12-15 years
The Norfolk Terrier is considered to be a very healthy dog, especially if bred from a reputable and responsible breeder. There are some medical concerns that you need to know about which include mitral valve disease, hip dysplasia, glaucoma, and cataracts.

Your Norfolk Terrier may inherit mitral valve disease from his or her parents. This condition occurs when the mitral valve that connects the left ventricle and left atrium fails. This causes problems with blood flow in the heart and can lead to heart failure.

Hip dysplasia is a painful genetic condition that your Norfolk Terrier may have. This condition occurs when there is a problem with the way the hip joint functions. This condition can ultimately lead to intense pain in the joint and lameness in your pup’s leg.

Glaucoma is one eye condition to keep a look out for with your Norfolk Terrier. This condition occurs when there is pressure placed on the eye, and it can lead to inadequate drainage of fluid. This condition can lead to blindness if it is not treated in time.

Lastly, you need to watch out for cataracts as well. Often passed down genetically, cataracts can lead to blindness.

The Norfolk Terrier has a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years.

Temperament & Train-ability

The Norfolk Terrier is regarded as a breed that is fearless, alert, and energetic. For a small pup, you will find that your new dog has a lot of energy, but is not too wild. While your pup likes to calm down indoors, he or she can become quite active when outside.

Since this breed is not considered lazy or low energy, you will need to provide him or her with some mental and physical stimulation to expel this built up energy. You also need to take your pup for a walk at least once a day for 15 to 20 minutes.

One thing to keep in mind about this breed is that while it is in the Terrier family, it does not have any aggression problems and does not nip like some of the other Terrier breeds. You should still want to make sure that you socialize and train your pup, but you will not have to fear nearly as much about any accidents or incidents.

This breed is a good watch dog and will alert you when someone approaches your home or when someone is not supposed to be near your house.

Your new pup will get along with children, but you need to make sure your children treat the pup correctly and with respect, as a small breed such as the Norfolk Terrier can become injured easily.

Training is considered to be relatively easy, but this breed does like to be quite independent, and this can mean that he or she displays a stubborn side now and again. When it comes time to train your pup, make sure that you are calm and consistent. Positive reinforcement works well with this breed.

Grooming

The Norfolk Terrier does have some grooming needs, but they are not considered to be too difficult. Your pup will have slightly longer hair that may appear to be shaggy in nature. Because of this, you need to make sure you brush your pup at least once a day to keep their coat free from any tangles and mats. Brushing will also help remove any loose hairs that may be trapped in your pup’s coat.

You will need to pay attention to the length of your Norfolk Terrier’s coat as you will need to have it clipped by the groomer every so often.

A bath is not necessary unless your pup is dirty or smells bad. When you do bathe your pup, make sure you choose a shampoo that is mild, so that it does not strip the oils from your Terrier’s skin.

While bathing is not needed all of the time, you do need to clean your pup’s ears at least once per week to remove any buildup of wax and dirt. Buildup can lead to an ear infection.
Lastly, you need to keep your pup’s nails trimmed and at a healthy length to ensure that they do not break, split, or snag. Typically, trimming should occur about once a month, but you can do it on an as-needed basis, which means you may need to do it more or less depending on your pup’s actual growth.

Diet

You can expect your Norfolk Terrier to consume a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food per day. You should not feed him or her this amount in one sitting. Instead, split it up over two meals.

You should choose a dry dog food that is high in nutrients. The kibble you choose should not contain by-products, chemicals, or fillers.

You can feed your Norfolk Terrier wet food, but it is not recommended as an everyday food because it can lead to obesity, since it does not have much nutrional value. Use this as an occasional reward or a treat.
 

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Cost

A Norfolk Terrier puppy can cost you anywhere between $1,800 and $2,100. In addition to this cost, you need to factor in costs for vet checkups, preventative medicines, food supplies, food, and any other medical or care costs you can think of.

Paws ‘N’ Pups Ranking

Paws ‘N’ Pups ranks every breed out of 4 with 1 being easiest to integrate into your life and 4 being the toughest – The lower the ranking the better.

Ranking takes into account a few basic factors including cost, skill level needed, high vs low maintenance and how critical regular training is to success. The Norfolk Terrier makes for an excellent family dog. You will find that your pup gets along great with children and responds well to them even though they may play a little rough at times. One of the best qualities of this breed is that they do not have the aggression side of the Terrier even though they belong in the same family. This breed is full of energy but will stay calm while inside of your home. This breed ranks a 1.5.

 

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