Sussex Spaniel

Calm and easy-going, and more vocal than most spaniels.
A Sussex Spaniel
Photo: Pleple2000
Adult weight
16–23 kg
35–51 lb
Lifespan
13.5 yrs
Class · Companion
also Field

What it's like

In temperament the Sussex is even-tempered, friendly and calm, deliberate rather than quick, and more vocal than most spaniels. At home it is generally affectionate and easy-going, though its instinct to follow a scent stays strong.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Easy-going, simple routines
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a coat with feathering. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on brushing a few times a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Sussex Spaniel is a medium dog, heavier than a Border Collie and lighter than a Golden Retriever.

It is long and low, with a massive, rectangular body, short legs and a broad head whose heavy brow gives a frowning look. It moves with a distinctive rolling gait. The abundant, flat coat is a rich golden liver, with feathering on the ears, chest and legs.

Two types

The two types differ in height only, so there is one growth curve, on the record's own band (breed club figure)5.

UK / FCI type

FCI 127
Height at the withers
Males
38–41 cm
Females
38–41 cm4
Its figures here are heights only.

American type

AKC standard
Height at the withers
Males
33–38.1 cm
Females
33–38.1 cm6
Its figures here are heights only.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Sussex Spaniel puppy is already as heavy as a grown Pug. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
11 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight8
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
3.5–5.0 kg 7.7–11.0 lb
3.8–5.5 kg 8.4–12.1 lb
3 months
5.1–7.4 kg 11.2–16.3 lb
5.4–7.8 kg 11.9–17.2 lb
4 months
7.4–10.7 kg 16.3–23.6 lb
7.7–11.2 kg 17.0–24.7 lb
5 months
9.5–13.8 kg 20.9–30.4 lb
9.8–14.2 kg 21.6–31.3 lb
6 months
11.4–16.4 kg 25.1–36.2 lb
11.5–16.6 kg 25.4–36.6 lb
7 months
12.7–18.4 kg 28.0–40.6 lb
12.7–18.4 kg 28.0–40.6 lb
8 months
13.7–19.8 kg 30.2–43.7 lb
13.6–19.7 kg 30.0–43.4 lb
9 months
14.4–20.8 kg 31.7–45.9 lb
14.2–20.6 kg 31.3–45.4 lb
10 months
14.9–21.5 kg 32.8–47.4 lb
14.7–21.2 kg 32.4–46.7 lb
11 months
15.2–22.0 kg 33.5–48.5 lb
15.0–21.7 kg 33.1–47.8 lb
12 months
15.4–22.3 kg 34.0–49.2 lb
15.2–22.0 kg 33.5–48.5 lb
15 months
15.8–22.9 kg 34.8–50.5 lb
15.7–22.7 kg 34.6–50.0 lb

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Sussex Spaniel lived to about 13 and a half years, about average for a medium breed. The group was small, so treat the figure as rough.

Where it comes from

The Sussex Spaniel was developed in the 1700s in its home county as a short-legged, heavily built bird dog for heavy clay and dense cover. A E Fuller of Rosehill Park, near Hastings, was a founder; after his death in 1847 his kennel was dispersed, and the breed has since been threatened with extinction several times. The Kennel Club calls it the only spaniel that gives tongue while working10,11.

The Sussex Spaniel came through its repeated brushes with disappearance thanks largely to a few committed breeders. During the Second World War, Joy Freer of the Fourclovers kennel is credited with keeping a handful of dogs going when breeding had almost stopped. Most modern Sussex Spaniels are said to trace back to her stock. The breed remains scarce and is listed by the Kennel Club as a vulnerable native breed. It was bred to work steadily through thick undergrowth at a pace that suited a shooter on foot, flushing game within range and giving voice as it went so that its handlers could follow it out of sight.

Breed standard

The American standard asks for a shorter dog than the UK and international ones.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Sussex Spaniel figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a medium-sized breed is most likely somewhere in the middle.

Compare with related

Clumber Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Large
Field Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium
Welsh Springer Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium
Or compare the Sussex Spaniel with any breed you choose
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Sources

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