Norwich Terrier Grooming

About the Norwich Terrier

Until 1964 the Norwich and the Norfolk were a single breed, registered together and differing only in ear carriage. The Kennel Club separated them, the American Kennel Club followed in 1979, and they have been distinct ever since.

The Norwich is the one with prick ears: small, pointed and standing fully erect. Everything else about the two, the size, the harsh red or wheaten jacket, the sturdy low body, the temperament, is close to identical, and so is the grooming.

This is a very small dog carrying a proper terrier coat, and that is the whole story. A harsh wiry jacket that sheds almost nothing and rarely mats, over soft furnishings on the legs and a modest beard.

The decision is the same one every wire coat faces, and on a dog this size it is genuinely doable at home.

Norwich or Norfolk, and why it matters here

The single difference between the two breeds is the ear. A Norwich has small pointed ears standing fully erect. A Norfolk has ears that fold neatly forward, dropping over the skull with the tips pointing toward the eye.

That is genuinely the whole distinction. They were one breed for decades, both come in red, wheaten, black and tan and grizzle, both stand about ten inches and weigh eleven or twelve pounds, and both carry the same coat.

The grooming is identical with one practical exception, which is the ear itself.

An erect Norwich ear is well ventilated and rarely gives trouble. A folded Norfolk ear covers the canal and needs the weekly lift, look and smell that any drop eared breed does.

Beyond that, treat any advice for one as advice for the other.

Both are on the smaller side of the terrier group and both are, unusually for terriers, comparatively sociable with other dogs, which matters at a salon.

Stripping a jacket this small

Hand stripping pulls the dead jacket hairs out at the root using finger and thumb or a stripping knife used as a grip. Done at the right point in the cycle it does not hurt, because a dead hair sits loose and comes away easily. If it fights, the coat is not ready, and that is the entire test.

On a dog this size, rolling is the usual approach: strip a little every few weeks so the jacket stays somewhere in the middle of its growth cycle and the dog always looks presentable.

It is also one of the easiest breeds on which to learn. The dog is small enough to sit on your lap, the tools cost very little, and the risk of doing harm is close to zero, since anything that resists should be left.

A stripped Norwich keeps a hard, close, weatherproof jacket in a rich color.

Between sessions, brush the jacket weekly with a slicker, which is more a check over the dog than a need.

The full strip out, taking the whole jacket down two or three times a year, is the alternative and leaves the dog looking bare for a few weeks before it comes back harsh.

Clipping, and what it costs

Most pet Norwich Terriers are clipped, because fewer salons hand strip than used to.

The trade is the familiar one and it accumulates. Clipping cuts the dead hair off and leaves the root, so the soft undercoat comes to dominate and the coat returns softer, thicker and duller with each clip. A rich red fades toward a dusty tan.

The practical cost is that a soft jacket starts to mat where a harsh one never did, and it holds dirt and water instead of shedding them, which on a dog bred to work in hedges and go to ground is a real loss of function.

It is also close to one way in the medium term. A coat clipped for a year or two may not strip back to harsh texture for a long time.

For a companion dog whose owner does not care about coat texture, a clipped Norwich is comfortable and perfectly reasonable. Decide it knowingly rather than by drift.

What is not a good outcome is neither: an unstripped, unclipped jacket holds its dead coat, the furnishings felt, and the dog ends up shaved.

The furnishings, the teeth and a busy little dog

The furnishings are the soft longer hair on the legs, the chest and around the muzzle, and unlike the jacket they do mat. Comb them through with a metal comb every few days, and check the armpits, the chest and the beard.

The beard goes into the water bowl at every drink. Wipe and dry it after meals, and keep the hair right around the mouth trimmed shorter.

Teeth matter on any small dog. Norwich Terriers are long lived, often twelve to sixteen years, and dental disease over that span is what limits comfort. Brush daily.

The breed has a well known condition affecting the upper airway, sometimes called upper airway syndrome, which causes noisy breathing and reduced exercise tolerance. A Norwich that is snorting, wheezing or tiring quickly needs a veterinary assessment rather than being assumed to be unfit, and it is a reason to keep grooming sessions cool and unhurried.

Keep the hair between the pads cleared. Nails every three to four weeks.

They are diggers and hunters, so check for burrs, ticks and grass seeds after walks.

What to tell your groomer

Ask whether they hand strip before booking, since it decides what the coat becomes.

Say whether you want the jacket rolled, stripped out or clipped, and understand that clipping softens and fades it permanently.

Say the furnishings and beard are what actually mat, not the jacket.

Ask for the beard washed and dried and the hair around the mouth kept short.

Mention any noisy breathing, since the breed has a known airway condition and sessions should stay cool and unhurried.

Ask them to check between the toes for grass seeds after a working walk.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Norwich Terrier