Sussex Spaniel

History

Dating back to the 1800's in Sussex, England, the Sussex Spaniel is a hunting breed that is used for hunting small vermin and other wild animals, both above and under ground. It is unknown which exact breed bloodlines originally created the Sussex Spaniel.

Appearance

The Sussex Spaniel is a medium sized dog breed with males and females measuring 15-16 inches in height and weighing 40-45 pounds in weight. Their head is broad in shape, forms into a wide, rectangular muzzle that stops short with a large red to brown nose at the end. Their forehead is rounded and raised, the space between their two ears is wide. Their two large ears are pendant shaped and hang gently alongside of their face. In general, the Sussex Spaniel has a very low, long and thick appearance. This breed has a cropped tail that is generally about 5 inches in length. When left natural, this breed has a medium length tail that is held out and upwards with flowing hair off of it. This breed has a medium length coat that is thick and soft to the touch, long in certain areas and shades of red in color.

Temperament

The Sussex Spaniel is a calm, independent breed who is more focused on hunting and getting their daily job done, more than anything else. This breed is naturally interested in hunting and does a fine job of doing so. Easy to train when it comes to hunting and tracking, this breed is rarely excited about much unless it has to do with hunting. A great companion for those who are interested in a low key breed who enjoys lounging near them at night. Daily physical and mental exercise are required in order to have a calm and happy dog. The Sussex Spaniel requires an owner who is able to remain pack leader at all times and one who uses positive reinforcement training methods only. This breed does well with children, however due to their lack of interest in playtime, they may be best suited for older children. This breed "bays" and does not bark.

Grooming

This breed does shed. Daily brushing and bathing when needed. Regular professional grooming is required.

Special Notes

Please fully educate yourself about the Sussex Spaniel prior to adding one to your family to ensure you are able to provide life long physical and financial care for your new family member. This breed is prone to ear infections, heart issues and weight gain. This breed requires a properly fenced in yard or properly fitting harness and leash while outdoors at all times. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.