hour of real activity daily, such as a good walk, run, or working session. Like any hard working dog, the Norwich Terrier loves to be rewarded with a hearty play session. Norwich Terriers show remarkable skills in fetching sticks, running long distances and even the occasional swim if supervised. Norwich Terriers are devoted to their owners and love companion sports. Grooming The Norwich Terrier has two coats - a harsh, wiry topcoat and a soft warm undercoat. Ideally, the coat is combed with a steel comb daily to once a week to remove the loose, dead hairs and prevent matting. Proper maintenance of the Norwich coat, like other hard wiry coats, requires "stripping," or pulling the oldest hairs from the coat (using fingers and/or a "stripping knife," a special grooming comb). Stripping results both in the coat retaining its proper appearance, and in the health of the dog's skin and coat. Ideally, owners hand-strip the coat on a regular basis to achieve what is called a "rolling" coat, where hairs of all lengths are growing in. Maintaining a rolling coat is easier on the dog's skin and requires shorter grooming sessions. At minimum, the coat should be stripped once in the autumn and once in the spring. Clipping or cutting negatively affects the appearance of the coat's natural colours and texture. Tail docking Only the American Kennel Club calls for a medium docked tail (long enough for a man's hand to grasp), though a natural tail is not a disqualification. In Canada and most of Australia, tail docking is optional, but in New South Wales, it is illegal. In the United Kingdom, tail docking is only permitted for working dogs and is banned for dogs bred as pets or showing. Other countries that have banned tail docking include: Norway in 1987, and Sweden in 1988. In the last four years Cyprus, Greece, Luxembourg and Switzerland have also decided to introduce a ban on tail docking. Historically, tails were docked in the UK to avoid taxation of sporting dogs. Today, proponents of tail docking argue working Norwich Terriers should have a docked tail because there is less risk of damaging the tail or spine if it is used to extract the dog from a hole. Some proponents suggest the docked tail makes for a prettier breed silhouette. Opponents of tail docking contend that docking severely damages the important canine tail-signalling system,