Grooming your Norfolk Terrier

The Norfolk Terrier is a small, lovely dog with many great features. It is one of the smallest in the working dogs family. They interact well with the family members and also children. They have a life expectancy of about 12 to 15 years of age. One of the main characteristics which set them apart from the other dogs is that these dogs can be prone to jealousy easily.

The Norfolk terrier´s skin is double coated, with a wiry hair on the top coat and soft undercoat. They need a full grooming once in every 8 weeks.

Some important grooming methods for the Norfolk terrier:

• Brushing with a slicker brush, natural bristle brush and metal combs “must” be done daily. The coat is easy to maintain as it is water-resistant. However, regular grooming of your Norfolk terrier, including combing and brushing, is essential for a neat appearance.
• Thin shears must be used to clean their coat where it has become extremely thick. The coat should be thick only from the base of the head to the shoulders, and regular everywhere else on the dog’s body.
• Only show dogs “must” be hand-stripped. This requires highly specialized skill and is therefore quite costly.
• A paper towel can be used to clean the debris in the eyes to prevent bacteria. It is preferred if you clean your Norfolk´s eyes daily or at least as often as possible.
• Ears can be checked once every week. Try to pluck your dog´s ear hair every second week, and tweezers are used to do this.
• Cleaning the teeth “must” be done daily. It challenges the patience of the owner at the start but is needed for the safety of your dog.
• Your terrier´s nails should be cut once in every two weeks. Dremel or file, styptic must be used to clip the nails.
• Paws “must” be checked daily and trimmed for every two weeks. Small blunt scissors and a slicker brush are required for this purpose.
• Trimming near the ears, around the tail and private parts of your Norfolk (or all dog´s for that matter) makes it feel at ease and comfortable.
• Bathing and shampooing is necessary, but bathing your dog too often easily dries the skin out so make sure that you don’t overdo it. Your Norfolk terrier should not be bathed in running water. The dog should be just wet and then massaged to the deeper coat of the skin during the bath. Try to prevent water from entering into your dogs eyes, nose and ears. A cotton plug can be used to serve this purpose.
• Hair stripping is recommended to be done twice a year. Long hair grown on your dog´s face and body must be trimmed on the other hand. Hair near the ears must be kept short, and the hair on the rest of the body should be completely stripped.