Plate 171 · British Isles
Norwich Terrier
诺里奇㹴
“The Cambridge students' terrier.”
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Norwich, East Anglia
- Town or city of origin
- Bred in East Anglia (Cambridge and Norwich); the marker is the city of Norwich.
- The point marks the town the breed is linked to.
- Era
- 1880s; recognized in the UK in the 1930s
- Today
- Companion · Earthdog
Under editorial review — sources listed below.
History
01 · Origin
Norwich, East Anglia
A tiny, prick-eared terrier from East Anglia, one of the smallest working terriers.
02 · Historical role
What it was bred for
Ratting in stables and student rooms, and bolting foxes.
03 · Breed development
How it changed
Cambridge undergraduates of the 1880s kept 'Cantab' terriers bred by a dealer; E. Jodrell Hopkins bred 'Trumpington' terriers, and his dog Rags, sent to Norwich, founded the line. Frank Jones's dogs were exported to the United States, where they were called Jones Terriers. The drop-eared dogs became the Norfolk Terrier.
04 · Today
Companion · Earthdog
A cheerful companion.
Personality
- Alert
- Curious
- Affectionate
- Gregarious
General breed tendencies, not guarantees — individual dogs vary with genetics, training and environment. Ratings: the AKC’s trait scores as its breed page gives them (the AKC’s 1–5 guidance for owners, not a measurement). Other profiles here use editorial ratings, a different source, so compare across them with care.
- Exercise
- Ample exercise; on lead because of its hunting instincts.
- Grooming
- Hand-stripping keeps the coat right.
- Training
- Spirited but eager to please; socialize early.
Living with one
- Size
- Small
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
- Coat
- Hard, wiry double coat; red, wheaten, black and tan or grizzle
Field note
In the 1880s it was a fad among Cambridge undergraduates as a dorm-room ratter.
Recognition & today
- AKC
- Terrier Group
- Also recognized by
- FCI (Group 3, standard 72), The Kennel Club (UK)
- Popular in
- No reliable data
AKC: Terrier Group, recognized 1936.
AKC registrations: ranked 109 among breeds in 2025.
Sources3 references
- Norwich Terrier — breed information — American Kennel Club
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/norwich-terrier/
Registry · accessed 2026-10-14 · Registry status, group, size, life expectancy and registration rank; history as the AKC tells it. Ratings: the AKC's own 1–5 owner-guidance trait scores as the page gives them (energy level, trainability, barking level, openness to strangers, good with other dogs), not measurements.
- Norwich Terrier — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwich_Terrier
Encyclopedia · accessed 2026-10-14 · Cantab terriers and Charles Lawrence, Trumpington terriers and E. Jodrell Hopkins, Rags, Frank Jones.
- Norwich Terrier — FCI breed nomenclature — Fédération Cynologique Internationale
https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/NORWICH-TERRIER-72.html
Kennel club · accessed 2026-10-14 · Country of origin Great Britain; Group 3, section "Small sized Terriers"; accepted 1954.
Text is written by World Breeds from the references above; it does not reproduce registry descriptions. Location note: Bred in East Anglia (Cambridge and Norwich); the marker is the city of Norwich.