How Performance Affects Conformation

Performance competitions are fun. Norwich do great. What else? Their success in performance (or lack of it) gives us important information about our breeding programs.  Do you wonder if you’re breeding Norwich that can do what your dog was bred for, as well as other tasks and activities that all dogs should be able to do?  Do you want to know if you should breed the dog you’re considering?
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Doing Something About Questionable Breeding

To be [Norwich] or not to be, that seems to be the question. Although we, thanks to the diligent work of club member Carol Suggs, have made huge strides toward cleaning up our AKC registry through identifying Norwich with questionable heritage (suspected to include purebred Cairn Terriers or Norwich-Cairn crosses), we still have a monster of a job to do with other smaller registries, which I understand are many. All one needs to do is go to the computer and look up Norwich Terrier puppies, and a new world of canines of various colors and shapes will appear. Those “oddball registries” are full of nondescript little creatures labeled as Norwich Terriers. Many of my friends, peers, and enemies are upset with my preoccupation with these, as the dogs are not AKC registered, but my fear is that they might be interbred with purebred Norwich and the progeny identified as such.
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Moving Forward

There is a familiar saying: “If you are not part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.” When I accepted the offer to serve as president of the new Norwich Terrier Club of America, my only thoughts were of trying to educate and show by example that it is possible to breed good, healthy, and attractive dogs. So much damage has been done to the American and foreign Norwich because many breeders simply will not accept the fact that Upper Airway Syndrome (UAS) and epilepsy are alive and well in many bloodlines. Ignorance and lethargy cannot be tolerated any longer, otherwise we will wind up like our English colleagues and have our beloved dogs classified as “vulnerable.” I recently read an article about a breeder who did not like to dwell on the negative since our problems hadn’t changed in 50 years. Well, we have to dwell on the negative to get to the positive. As long as we continue to stick our heads in the sand, this attitude will continue.We must think of the dogs’ health and welfare before our own wants and desires. Read more »

Unwanted White — Part 2

This is the second part of a look at white in our breed. February’s column, Part 1, dealt with breed origins as a possible source. Fast forward to today: The Canine Genome Project and DNA studies have opened another exciting chapter in solving genotype and phenotype puzzles. While the Norwich Terrier’s diverse genetic heritage makes it more of a challenge to fix type, it contributes to the overall health of our breed. At the same time, it makes understanding the roots of a phenotype issue like the unwanted incidence of white markings more difficult.
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Unwanted White — Part 1

There it is, right out of the womb, that big streak of white blazing a trail down the chest. “Oh, no! Where did that come from?” Despite the passage in our breed standard that reads “white marks or patches are undesirable,” it does crop up. Sometimes white appears as a stripe on the head. More commonly it shows up as the thoracic “angel’s kiss” or “necktie.”
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Thinking of Agility?

This month I have asked Sassy Joiris to write about agility. Sassie trains animal actors for television and film and teaches agility as well. Her Norfolk Terrier, CH MACH Stamp RN JE, is the first CH/MACH in his breed. Sassie teaches private students, classes, and seminars. She can be reached at joiris@ix.netcom.com.
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