The Royal Kennel Club registered only 15 Sussex Spaniel puppies in 2025. That is down from 24 in 2024, and a long way under the 300-puppy line that marks a vulnerable native breed.
The dog itself is a low, long-bodied gundog that works dense cover slowly and barks (called giving tongue) when it finds scent. Augustus Elliott Fuller developed the type on his Rosehill estate near Hastings, and golden liver is the coat people know it by.
The AKC puts it in the Sporting Group, and The Kennel Club files it under Gundog. Most are family pets these days, though a small number of breeders still develop dogs for hunting (Gun Dog magazine).
What Is a Sussex Spaniel?
Low, heavy and long in the body. That’s the shape, and it looks a lot like the white Clumber Spaniel. The coat is the quick way to tell them apart, since the Clumber is white and the Sussex is golden liver (Gundog Journal).
Fuller developed it in Sussex, southern England. The Kennel Club (UK, now styled the Royal Kennel Club) calls it a Gundog, while the AKC calls it Sporting.
It isn’t a wide-ranging spaniel. The slow pace is what the breed was built for.
Origins of the Sussex Spaniel at Rosehill
Fuller (1777 to 1857) began breeding spaniels around 1795 for the heavy clay soil and thick cover of his Sussex estate, according to Canine Chronicle’s breed history.
The estate was Rose Hill, spelled Rosehill in kennel records, near Brightling and Hastings. It is now called Brightling Park.
Nobody agrees on the start date. Canine Chronicle and Dogs Queensland say 1795, WebMD’s breed guide says 1792, Purina US says only the 18th century, and Purina New Zealand says the early 1800s.
An 1803 text, The Sportsman’s Cabinet, already named the largest and strongest spaniels of parts of Sussex as Sussex Spaniels, per Canine Chronicle. The type predates any single kennel record, so the spread of dates mostly reflects what each source counts as the beginning.
Fuller crossed several breeds, including the liver and white Norfolk Spaniel (now extinct) and the Field Spaniel, according to Dogs Queensland.
World War II nearly ended the breed.
Breeding was discouraged, and English breeder Joy Freer saved it. Most records show only eight Sussex Spaniels remained after the war, and her stock is behind all of today’s Sussex Spaniels, according to the Sussex Spaniel Association.
At the end of the war the US held more Sussex Spaniels than the UK, yet none of today’s American dogs trace back to them (Sussex Spaniel Club of America). That bottleneck still limits the breed’s breeding options.
Sussex Spaniel Size and Golden Liver Coat
Height depends on which standard you read. The AKC says 13 to 15 inches at the withers, the British standard says 15 to 16, and the coat in both is a rich golden liver.
Height and Weight
On paper, the two standards describe different dogs.
| Standard | Height at withers | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| AKC | 13 to 15 in | 35 to 45 lb |
| The Kennel Club | 15 to 16 in (38 to 41 cm) | About 50 lb (23 kg) |
| Dogs New Zealand | 15 to 16 in (38 to 41 cm) | Dogs 45 lb, bitches 40 lb |
The ranges barely touch. The AKC ceiling of 15 inches is where the British range starts, and the British 50 pound ideal sits above the AKC maximum of 45.
Judges also treat the numbers differently. The AKC counts height outside its range as a minor fault and has no disqualifications at all. The Kennel Club gives its figures as a guide, so a dog may be larger or smaller. The Canadian Kennel Club is the strict one and disqualifies a dog more than 1 inch over or under the recommended height.
Check which registry your breeder follows. A dog bred to the British ideal will sit at or above the AKC ceiling.
Golden Liver Coat
The Kennel Club standard wants a rich golden liver that shades to golden at the hair tips, with gold predominating. Dark liver and puce are both faults, and the UKC standard ranks them as very serious faults, along with white on any part of the body other than the chest.
A small white patch on the chest is only a minor fault in the AKC and UKC standards.
The Kennel Club describes a low, powerfully built dog with a thick protective coat, made for working dense cover. Heavy brows give the face a frowning, serious look (UKC standard), and the eyes are hazel (Canadian Kennel Club standard).
How the Sussex Spaniel Hunts
It flushes game from dense undergrowth at a slow, steady pace and gives tongue while it follows scent.
Short legs and a heavy body suit thick cover. Because the dog sits so low under tall vegetation, the bark tells the hunter where it is, according to the AKC.
Gun Dog magazine quotes an AKC hunt test judge who says a Sussex keeps working at its own speed and still produces birds after faster English Springer Spaniels have stopped for the day.
The AKC standard lists giving tongue on scent as a breed trait, and the UKC standard says it makes the breed ideal for flushing game in dense undergrowth. The field side is less settled. AKC field trial rules describe the ideal spaniel as eager, brisk and quiet, Gundog Journal reports the trait has been bred out of modern lines, and Showsight Magazine notes that US hunters disliked the barking.
So the breed’s defining habit is written into the standard and fading in working lines. A buyer who wants a vocal field dog should ask breeders about their lines.
AKC spaniel hunting tests give the breed a way to prove its work. Dogs start at Junior Hunter, then move to Senior and Master Hunter.
Most Sussex Spaniels are family pets, and only a small number of breeders develop dogs for hunting, per Gun Dog magazine.
Where it falls short is open ground, and with handlers who want range. A springer covers more country in less time.
What Is the Sussex Spaniel’s Temperament Like?
Friendly, cheerful and easy to manage, according to the AKC standard, even though the heavy brows give it a somber face.
Gun Dog magazine’s breed profile goes with cheerful, easygoing, affectionate and often clownish, and treats the serious expression as misleading.
Barking is where sources split. Petfinder’s breed profile says the Sussex tends to bark, while Dogs NSW rates its barking preference as low.
Both can hold for different dogs. Field barking is a bred-in trait, and barking at home depends on training and routine.
The Westminster Kennel Club breed profile rates the Sussex 3 out of 5 for good with children.
That is a middle score. Supervise any dog around small children, and the Sussex is no exception.
Caring for a Sussex Spaniel: Exercise, Training and Grooming
Care comes down to daily walks and early obedience work, plus a coat and ear routine every week.
The exercise figure is the part that varies, from medium energy to more than two hours a day depending on the source.
Exercise and Training
The Kennel Club says more than 2 hours a day. Purina UK says one to two hours of walking, and Purina US rates the breed medium energy.
Go with the high end if the dog works or has no garden to run in. The Kennel Club also lists a large garden as the right setting for the breed.
Puppies develop slowly and may not mature until age 2 or 3, according to Vetstreet.
The Sussex Spaniel Association’s breed profile calls obedience training a must for living with a Sussex as a hunting or household companion.
Dogs New Zealand rates trainability low, even though the AKC standard calls the disposition tractable.
Boredom is the usual failure point. Vetstreet warns that a bored Sussex turns destructive, so keep training and play going and socialize the dog early.
Coat and Ear Care
Brush two to three times a week and bathe about every other week (PetMD).
The Kennel Club rates grooming at more than once a week. Dogster describes a moderate shedder with a medium-length double coat.
The long hanging ears need regular checks for foreign objects and tangles (Discover Animals) and have to stay clean and dry (Vetstreet). Use a vet-approved cleaner or dog ear wipes after wet or muddy walks.
Trim nails as needed and brush teeth often with a vet-approved pet toothpaste (Vetstreet).
Sussex Spaniel Health Problems and Lifespan
Generally healthy, with documented heart and metabolic risks and some hip concern. Breed profiles quote a lifespan between 10 and 15 years.
The lifespan sources don’t line up. The Kennel Club says over 10 years. PetMD gave 11 to 13 years in 2009 and 13 to 15 in its 2025 update, and the Westminster Kennel Club says up to 15.
PetMD raised its range between editions, and the update quotes a breeder on how uncommon health issues are. A population this small leaves thin data, so treat any range as an estimate.
Heart Conditions
Sussex Spaniel health literature mentions pulmonic stenosis, patent ductus arteriosus and tetralogy of Fallot.
Pulmonic stenosis narrows the pulmonary valve, which makes the heart work harder. Patent ductus arteriosus happens when a fetal vessel fails to close after birth. Then there’s tetralogy of Fallot, a combined defect of four heart abnormalities.
The Sussex Spaniel Club of America advises listening to a puppy’s heart at about 8 weeks and ordering an echocardiogram if anything abnormal turns up.
PDP1 and Joint Problems
OMIA confirms an inherited metabolic disorder in Sussex and Clumber Spaniels called pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 (PDP1) deficiency.
Affected dogs tire during play and can collapse, and by age one may manage no more than five minutes of exercise (Paw Print Genetics).
Inheritance is autosomal recessive, so two carrier parents have a 25% chance of an affected puppy with each birth (Paw Print Genetics). Management means exercise restriction and a high-fat diet with thiamine and carnitine (Cameron et al., 2007, via DogWellNet).
Without dietary supplementation, affected dogs die within a few years. How common the mutation is across the breed remains unknown.
Hips and spine are the second concern, and the sources disagree on how serious it is.
The BVA/Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia Scheme’s 2018 breed statistics put the Sussex Spaniel’s median total hip score at 36, with individual scores from 8 to 90 (lower is better). That’s the number I’d look at first.
The Sussex Spaniel Club of America recommends only PDP1 and cardiac screening in its health document. Vetstreet tells buyers to expect OFA hip and heart certificates, while a zooplus guide calls joint problems rare despite the heavy bone.
Petfinder’s breed profile also lists intervertebral disc disease next to hip dysplasia as a major concern.
Ear Infections
Petfinder lists otitis externa, an infection of the outer ear canal, as a minor concern. WebMD says all spaniel breeds have ear problems, polyps and infections included.
WebMD ties red, itchy ears to allergies as well as infection, so a vet should confirm the cause before any diet change.
Health Tests Breeders Should Show
| Test | What it checks | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| PDP1 DNA test | Clear, carrier or affected status | OFA cheek swab, processed at the University of Missouri |
| Cardiac exam | Murmurs and congenital defects | Vet exam at about 8 weeks, echocardiogram if abnormal |
| Hip evaluation | Hip dysplasia | BVA/Kennel Club scheme (UK) or OFA (US, dog at least 24 months old) |
The Sussex Spaniel Club of America says every puppy buyer should get a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian.
Vetstreet adds that a general vet check is no substitute for genetic health testing.
How Rare Is the Sussex Spaniel Today?
The Royal Kennel Club calls it one of Britain’s most vulnerable native breeds, with just 15 puppies registered in 2025.
A breed counts as vulnerable below 300 registrations a year, and the “at watch” list covers 300 to 450 (The Kennel Club).
For comparison, the UK registered 24 puppies in 2024 (Royal Kennel Club) and 34 in 2018 (The Kennel Club, 2020). The US had 34 puppies born in 2018 (Sussex Spaniel Club of America), so the two main breeding populations were equal and tiny that year. The Westminster Kennel Club puts the total US population at about 600 dogs.
The AKC admitted the breed to its stud book in 1884, though the founding count differs by source. The AKC’s 2009 press release and WebMD list nine founding breeds, while the Sussex Spaniel Club of America and Canine Chronicle say first ten.
Stump (CH Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee) and handler Scott Sommer won Best in Show at the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club show. At 10 years old he was the oldest dog to take the title at Madison Square Garden, per the AKC.
In August 2026 the Royal Kennel Club, the Roslin Institute and the Sussex Spaniel Association announced a genetic diversity project.
The team will sample DNA from 125 to 150 dogs, as much of the accessible living registered population as it can reach, and combine it with pedigree records to build a population management strategy. Funding comes to 18,000 pounds through the Roslin Institute’s pump-priming scheme (Sporting Gun).
On-site sampling was scheduled for the Sussex Spaniel Championship in Coventry on 26 September. The Sussex Spaniel Association is the route to the postal option.
Is the Sussex Spaniel the Right Spaniel for You?
A Sussex suits someone who wants a slow, steady cover dog and can wait for a puppy. Anyone after easy availability or lower hip scores will probably be happier with another spaniel.
Sussex Spaniel vs Clumber, Cocker and Springer Spaniels
The Sussex and the English Cocker Spaniel stand at the same height in their Kennel Club standards, but the Sussex is roughly 18 to 22 pounds heavier.
| Breed | Height | Median hip score (2018) | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex Spaniel | 15 to 16 in | 36 | Vulnerable native breed |
| Clumber Spaniel | 17 to 20 in | 11 | Vulnerable native breed |
| English Cocker Spaniel | 15 to 16 in | 10 | Not vulnerable |
| English Springer Spaniel | About 20 in | 10 | Not on the vulnerable list |
Heights come from the UK standards for the Sussex, Cocker and Springer and from AKC-based figures for the Clumber. Hip scores are median total hip scores from the BVA/Kennel Club scheme.
The English Cocker Spaniel asks for up to an hour of exercise a day, according to The Kennel Club.
The Kennel Club standard calls the English Springer the highest on leg and raciest in build of the British land spaniels. The UKC says the Clumber’s heavy build makes it slower at upland hunting than its lighter-boned cousins.
Among these four, the Sussex has the highest median hip score.
When a Sussex Spaniel Is the Wrong Fit
The upside is a steady worker in thick cover with a cheerful, easygoing manner at home, backed by active breed clubs (the Sussex Spaniel Association dates to 1924).
The downsides are real, though. Puppies are scarce, so the search takes years rather than weeks. PDP1 and heart screening add homework before any purchase, and hip scores run far above the other spaniels in the scheme data. Giving tongue and slow maturity also wear on owners who want a quiet, finished dog.
For a first spaniel, an English Cocker is easier to find and shows lower hip scores. The Sussex rewards owners who have the patience for the wait and the paperwork.
How to Find a Sussex Spaniel Puppy
Start with the breed club, not a classified ad, and plan for a long wait.
- Contact the breed club for your country. The Sussex Spaniel Association lists available UK puppies on its puppies page, and the Sussex Spaniel Club of America keeps a breeder list for US buyers (Vetstreet).
- Introduce yourself to breeders and expect questions. Bobby Lewis of Lexxfield Sussex Spaniels in Virginia opens by asking how much a buyer knows about the breed, then puts good fits at the top of his waiting list (AKC).
- Plan for the wait. The Sussex Spaniel Association says two years or more is common in the UK.
- Ask for written health results on both parents, covering PDP1, the cardiac exam and hips, plus a vet health certificate with the puppy.
- Treat overseas puppies with care. The Sussex Spaniel Association published a guide for buyers considering puppies from abroad, because social media makes foreign litters easy to find and not every seller has the buyer’s interests in mind.
A breeder who calls the breed fully healthy or cannot show parent test results is a reason to walk away, per Vetstreet’s buyer guidance.
Sussex Spaniel FAQ
How much does a Sussex Spaniel puppy cost?
The Sussex Spaniel Association recommended about 1,200 pounds for a UK puppy as of 2022, and says imports cost considerably more. US listings on Good Dog run $3,000 to $3,500 nationally.
Do Sussex Spaniels get along with cats and other dogs?
Usually, with early socialization. Wisdom Panel describes the breed as typically friendly with familiar pets but often suspicious of unfamiliar dogs, and the Westminster Kennel Club rates good with other dogs 3 out of 5.
Can a Sussex Spaniel live in an apartment?
Yes, if the daily exercise gets done, though sources split. WebMD says the breed can live in smaller homes and that exercise matters even more in an apartment, while Wisdom Panel says it is not suited to apartment living.
The Kennel Club lists a small house with a large garden.
Are there Sussex Spaniel rescues?
Yes, though dogs needing rehoming appear only occasionally. The Sussex Spaniel Association keeps a Rescue and Re-homing co-ordinator who assesses dogs and places them in new homes.
In the US, the listing site Rescue Me! tracks Sussex Spaniels that need homes.
Is a Sussex Spaniel hypoallergenic?
No. The Kennel Club lists the breed as a shedder, and the Westminster Kennel Club rates shedding 3 out of 5.
Allergic buyers should spend time around an adult dog before joining a waiting list.
What should you feed a Sussex Spaniel?
A complete dog food matched to life stage, with puppy formula first and adult formula after. Portions start from the package guidelines and your vet’s advice.
Keep the dog lean, because PetMD (2025) says obesity worsens joint problems.
How to Help the Sussex Spaniel Survive
The Sussex Spaniel is a vulnerable native breed, and its future leans on buyers who join a breed club, ask for PDP1 and cardiac results, and offer a DNA sample to the Royal Kennel Club and Roslin Institute project.
Join the Sussex Spaniel Association or the Sussex Spaniel Club of America first, since they hold the puppy lists and the breeding advice. Ask for parent test results before putting down any deposit, because two carrier parents cannot be corrected once the litter arrives. Once you have a dog, enter it in the DNA sampling.
The cost of all this is time. Insisting on tested parents narrows the choice of litters in a population that already produces few puppies.
This guidance reflects the position in October 2026. The population management strategy that the Royal Kennel Club and Roslin Institute project is building is the development that would change it.
