Norfolk Terrier Breed Standard..in English is down on the site.......

Heart

Norfolken er som enhver anden racehund startet som en "sammenkogt ret". Ingen kender de nøjagtige ingredienser, for indtil midten eller slutningen af sidste århundrede var der stort set ingen, der interesserede sig for racehunde. Man fremavlede brugshunde med talenter, der på den ene eller anden måde kom mennesker til gavn. De hunde, der var særligt gode til jagt under jorden på mus, rotter, kaniner, ræve mm., fik samlebetegnelsen "terriere" efter det latinske ord terra, der betyder jord.

Udseendet havde de ikke tilfælles, disse tidlige terriere, men den særlige form for jagt under jorden har stillet ganske bestemte krav til terrierens karakter. I "Bogen om terriers" skriver Esther Kofoed meget rigtigt: "At gå under jorden og tage kampen op med ræv eller grævling kræver hurtighed, rådsnarhed, selvstændighed, styrke, udholdenhed og dødsforagt."

Læg særligt mærke til ordet selvstændighed og lad være med - som så mange gør det - at forveksle selvstændighed med dumhed eller ulydighed. En terrier kan lære ufatteligt meget på ufattelig kort tid. Den er bare ikke fremavlet til at arbejde efter kommando som f.eks. en hyrdehund, men tværtimod til at stole på sig selv og handle på egen hånd i kritiske øjeblikke, hvor ejeren jo typisk står over jorden og ikke kan følge med i situationen nede i graven.

En terrier - også en norfolk terrier - ER selvstændig, for det har den været nødt til at være for at overleve. Den er umådelig intelligent og kan sagtens lære, men den skal så at sige indse fornuften i det. Prøv med godbidsstrategien: i norfolks øjne er der intet så fornuftigt som mad!

Men tilbage til de "små rødes" historie: I 1880'erne blev det moderne for de studerende ved Cambridge universitetet i England at have sig en lille rottehund, der kunne være i studenterhyblerne og overleve på ringe mad. Disse hunde var efter sigende kortbenede, røde og fremragende til netop rottejagt. Hvor meget af deres blod, der flyder i moderne norfolks, er uvist, men det er sandsynligt, at de har præget avlen.

Det samme gælder Frank "Roughrider" Jones’ hunde. Han opdrættede terriere, der var kortbenede, vejede 4-5 kilo og havde en ru, rød pels, mørke øjne, robust kropsbygning og frem for alt var modige og frygtløse. Efter hans egen beskrivelse skulle hans hunde være: "ikke meget større end en yorkshireterrier, modige nok til at give sig i kast med en ræv, ingen hvide hår i pelsen samt så udholdende, at de kan følge en hest over stok og sten en hel dag."

Disse små røde, østengelske terriere gik under forskellige navne indtil 1932, hvor de i England blev anerkendt som norwich terriere. De tidlige norwicher omfattede både de hænge- og stritørede indtil 1964, hvor de hængeørede blev en selvstændig race ved navn Norfolk Terrier.

 

 

E

Pasning & Pleje

Før man anskaffer sig en norfolk er det vigtigt at vide, at den er en ruhårsterrier, og sådan nogen skal trimmes. Allermindst en gang om året, og helst 3-4 gange. Det må man enten betale sig fra hos en professionel trimmer eller selv lære det. Men heldigvis skal en norfolk ikke have en eller anden salon-frisure. Der står ligefrem i racestandarden, at "overdreven trimning er uønsket".

 

Hvad helbred angår er norfolken en sund og robust hund, der har en god chance for at nå en høj alder. Norfolks på 14 år er ikke et særsyn, og enkelte bliver endda endnu ældre. Både i England, USA og Sverige har man nøje fulgt norfolk terrierens udvikling med hensyn til dens fysiske sundhed og er kommet til det resultat, at den som andre blandt de lavbenede racer har ringe fertilitet, dvs at tæver ofte går tomme efter en parring eller føder små kuld på 2-3 stykker. Desuden har racen en lille tendens til overbid. Men dette er småskavanker. Det glædelige resultat af undersøgelserne er , at norfolk terrieren ikke har nogen alvorlige arvelige lidelser som f.eks. hofteledsdysplasi eller anden sygdomstilbøjelighed.

Det skyldes bl.a. at norfolken til al held har fået lov at bevare et naturligt udseende. Endnu i dag fremstår den som en velskabt hund med en harmonisk, fint proportioneret kropsbygning, der ikke er avlet "ud af facon" med et stort hoved på en lille krop, en lang ryg på korte ben eller anden form for ubalance. Racestandarden beskriver den som en "lille, lavtbygget, energisk hund, kompakt og stærk, med kort ryg, god masse og knoglekraft". Med andre ord: en bryggerhest i miniformat.

Og det er den. Da min første hvalp af slagsen var 4 måneder, gik vi en tur på 17 km. Med pauser, naturligvis, men alligevel. Da vi kom hjem, tog den eet spring fra hoveddøren og hen til nærmeste stykke legetøj, for nu var det vel endelig på tide, der skete noget!

En norfolk kan man ikke gå træt. Den elsker motion og udendørs liv, og det ville være synd og skam at holde den fra det. Så hvis man ikke selv er til mere end en tur til nærmeste lygtepæl og tilbage igen, er det nok - for alle parters skyld - en anden race man skal anskaffe. For godt nok er norfolken lille, men den ved det ikke selv!

 

Temperament

Hermed nærmer vi os det spørgsmål, hvalpekøberne stiller sig, når de skal anskaffe en hund: hvordan er dens temperament?

Spørgsmålet er vigtigt, men vanskeligt at besvare. Ifølge racestandarden er norfolkens karakteristiske træk, at den er "en af de mindste terriers, men en ‘rigtig lille djævel’ af sin størrelse. Den har et elskeligt væsen, er ikke stridbar og har en hårdfør konstitution". Af temperament skal den være "årvågen og frygtløs".

Esther Kofod har meget rammende udtrykt det, jeg selv genfinder og holder af i mine norfolks: "En velskabt, stærk, muskuløs krop, en forbløffende intelligens og opfindsomhed, et glad og livligt temperament, en overvældende masse kærlighed - og et lillebitte stænk af cayenne. Det er opskriften på en god terrier, sådan som terriervenner ønsker den - og elsker den!".

Selv kunne jeg måske bedst beskrive norfolk terrieren som en hund, der er stor som en and, så stærk som en bjørn, så sulten som en ulv, så snu som en rotte, så uforgængelig som skvalderkål og så kælen som jeg ved ikke hvad.

Og så kunne jeg fortsætte i dage og uger med at fortælle om denne den bedste race i verden. Men jeg slutter med at give ordet til andre norfolk-ejere. Hvis du herefter fatter interesse for racen, er du velkommen til at kontakte mig for en uddybende snak.

kopieret fra en anden Norfolk opdrætters hjemmeside

 

 

HeartL

 

 

Norfolk Terriers are originally from England.

Bred in Cambridge, Market Harborough and Norwich in the early twentieth century they were mainly used as a hunter of vermin.

The present day Norfolk Terrier began life as a show breed in 1932 when, as the drop-eared Norwich Terrier, it was accepted on the Kennel Club breed register, but it is interesting to look at its possible evolution.

In south-east England in the northern Norfolk and Cambridgeshire parts of this area, were large marshes known as "The Fens". These fens were largely drained in the sixteenth century by Dutch engineers. As a result, the area is covered by a network of canals, known locally as 'drains'. The land is fertile and is now an important farming region, producing most of the country's crops. Historically, small terrier-type dogs were popular amongst the farming and sporting community to use on rats and other vermin. It is possible that some of these terriers were the forerunners of the early Norwich Terrier.

During the nineteenth century some of the students at Cambridge University bought small terrier dogs from a dog dealer named Charles 'Doggy' Lawrence. These small terriers, which were often red or a black and tan color, were used mainly for catching rats around the colleges. They became known as Trumpington Terriers, taking the name from the street in Cambridge where many students lived. Their origin is not really known but there is a suggestion that a small Irish Terrier and a bigger type of Yorkshire Terrier had been used in their breeding.

At that time Mr. Jodrell Hopkins, of  Trumpington Street, Cambridge, bought a small, Aberdeen-type, terrier bitch, and mated her to a game little red dog, which had a long silky coat, belonging to Doggy Lawrence. A puppy from that union, Rags, was given to a Mr. Jack Cooke, Master of the Norwich Staghounds. Rags was a small red terrier with a shaggy, harsh, red coat and prick ears (although in those days many terriers had their ears cropped). He was a wonderful worker and an excellent sire.

Mr. Lewis (Podge) Low, the son of a local veterinary surgeon, loved a good terrier, and owned a smooth-haired, white, prick-eared bitch called Ninety. He had several litters from her sired by Rags.

All the puppies were red, and some were bought by Mr. Frank Jones, First Whip to the Norwich Staghounds. He found them to be in great demand amongst the local sporting folks, and so he began to breed them himself. Later, when he went to work as a roughrider to a Mr. Stokes of Market Harborough, he became known as "Roughrider Jones". He sold his terrier pups far and wide, some being exported to America, where they became known as "Jones Terriers".

One of Jones' sources of supply was the stud groom to Mr. Jack Cooke, Mr. Horace Cole by name, who had bred several litters out of a small, wirehaired terrier bitch, and sired by one of Cooke's Trumpington Terriers. Interestingly, Mr. Cole's daughter, Mrs. Rosie Panks, started to breed Norwich Terriers herself in 1935.

In trying to establish the type he wanted, Jones crossed his stock with other terriers he fancied. Mr. R.J. Read (later to become the Breed Club's first President) bought a puppy in 1909 from a litter by Rags out of Ninety, and he also went on to experiment in breeding to get the sort of terrier he wanted.  From this he crossed to a small Irish Terrier and then bred back to Mr. Jack Cooke's strain, eventually producing, in 1929, "Horsted Mick". At about the same time Mr. W.E. West began his "Farndon" line with a bitch from Roughrider Jones and, in 1912, Mrs. Fagan also began with a bitch called Brownie whose dam, Flossie, red with a black back, was very game.  Many famous names can be traced back to Brownie.

 The first actual champion in the breed, Ch. Biffin of Beaufin, was owned by Mrs. E. Mainwaring, who liked her terriers to have their ears dropped, and, as Biffin wanted to prick his ears it is said she weighted them to keep them down.  Biffin has had an influence on the breed as a whole, both ear types being able to trace back lines to him. Another early drop-ear breeder was Mrs. Guy Blewitt of the "Boxed" prefix. She owned a famous dog called Tobit, a wonderful ratter. She also had the distinction of breeding the second drop-eared champion, Tinker Bell, whelped in 1933.

With the advent of shows following G.B. Kennel Club recognition, ears became all important, many breeders preferring the prick-ears and, indeed, some members of the Breed Club Committee did try to insist that only prick-ears should be recognized. Interbreeding between the two types of ear carriage did continue for a time but, eventually, breeders kept to one or other of the ear types. Even in the thirties the breed had begun to divide, and by the end of the 1940s there were very few Norwich with mixed ear-carriage breeding in the first two or three generations.

Miss Marion Sheila Scott Macfie, breeder of the "Colonsay" Dalmatians, joined the Norwich Terrier Club in 1935. She preferred the drop-ears and founded her Colonsay Norwich on Mrs. Mainwaring's Tiny Tim of Biffin, and the Hon. Mrs. Brooke's Kinmount Pip.  Miss Macfie bred and showed extensively and successfully, and it is largely due to her efforts that the drop-ears were kept going in such strength during the years of World War II.

Miss Macfie had already begun a campaign to give each type a separate register within the one breed, but it took seven years before the two types actually achieved separate recognition in 1964.

Although the Club had wanted separate registers within the one breed, the Kennel Club had insisted on two separate breeds being formed, with different names. The more dominant prick-ears kept the name "Norwich Terrier", and, after some debate, it was agreed that the drop-ears should become the "Norfolk Terrier".

 N.B.: Information taken from:

Eileen Needham's Short History of the Norfolk

 

 

Norfolk Terrier Breed Standard

10-May-06

© The Kennel Club - Unauthorised Reproduction of Text and Images Prohibited.

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function. Absolute soundness is essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations which would be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed. From time to time certain conditions or exaggerations may be considered to have the potential to affect dogs in some breeds adversely, and judges and breeders are requested to refer to the Kennel Club website for details of any such current issues. If a feature or quality is desirable it should only be present in the right measure.

docked Norfolk Terrier   Docked

 

undocked Norfolk Terrier Undocked

The Kennel Club Picture Library

 

INTERIM (Breed Standard under review until June 2009)

General Appearance
Small, low, keen dog, compact and strong, short back, good substance and bone. Honourable scars from fair wear and tear permissible.

Characteristics
One of the smallest of terriers, a ‘demon’ for its size. Lovable disposition, not quarrelsome, hardy constitution.

Temperament
Alert and fearless.

Head and Skull
Skull broad, only slightly rounded with good width between ears. Muzzle wedge-shaped and strong; length of muzzle about one-third less than measurement from occiput to bottom of well defined stop.

Eyes
Oval-shaped, dark brown or black. Expression alert, keen and intelligent.

Ears
Medium size, V-shaped, slightly rounded at tip, dropping forward close to cheek.

Mouth
Tight-lipped, strong jaw, teeth strong and rather large; perfect scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Strong and of medium length.

Forequarters
Clean, well laid back shoulder blade, approximating in length to upper arm. Front legs short, powerful and straight.

Body
Compact, short back, level topline, well sprung ribs.

Hindquarters
Well muscled, good turn of stifle, hocks well let down and straight when viewed from rear; great propulsion.

Feet
Round with thick pads.

Tail
Docking of tail previously optional.
(a) Medium docked, set level with topline and carried erect.
(b) Tail of moderate length to give a general balance to the dog, thick at the root and tapering towards the tip, as straight as possible, carried jauntily, but not excessively gay.

Gait/Movement
True, low and driving. Moving straight forward from shoulder. Good rear angulation showing great powers of propulsion. Hindlegs follow track of forelegs, moving smoothly from hips. Flexing well at stifle and hock. Topline remaining level.

Coat
Hard, wiry, straight, lying close to body. Longer and rougher on neck and shoulders. Hair on head and ears short and smooth, except for slight whiskers and eyebrows. Excessive trimming undesirable.

Colour
All shades of red, wheaten, black and tan or grizzle. White marks or patches undesirable but permissible.

Size
Ideal height at withers 25 cms (10 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Last Updated - January 2009