Spaniel (Sussex)

Breed characteristics

Size: Medium
Exercise: More than 2 hours per day
Size of home: Small house
Grooming: More than once a week
Coat length: Medium
Sheds: Yes
Lifespan: Over 10 years
Vulnerable native breed: Yes
Town or country: Country
Size of garden: Large garden

The golden-liver coated Sussex is the rarest of the land spaniels with a rich history. A founding pillar of the breed was Mr A E Fuller of Rosehill Park, near Hastings in Sussex and he developed a spaniel for working in the dense cover of his local terrain and so the Sussex is low to ground and powerfully built with a thick protective skin to get through the densest of undergrowth. He is the only spaniel to give tongue whilst working (some say that there might have been an input of hound blood) and this helps his handler keep track of his whereabouts when not visible.

When Mr Fuller died in 1847, his dogs were sold and the breed became scarce. Fortunately, despite several periods of threatened extinction, the breed has made progress both in type and numbers in recent years.

Read the breed standard

Images for this breed

The Gundog breed group

Dogs that were originally trained to find live game and/or to retrieve game that had been shot and wounded. This group is divided into four categories - Retrievers, Spaniels, Hunt/Point/Retrieve, Pointers and Setters - although many of the breeds are capable of doing the same work as the other sub-groups. They make good companions, their temperament making them ideal all-round family dogs.

Colour Watch

Category 0: Breeds with no NBS colour registration options.

Read more about Colour Watch.

Breed Standard colours

Breed standard colour means that the colour is accepted within the breed standard and is a traditional and well-known colour in this breed.

Breed standard colours in this breed include:

Golden Liver

Other colour/s

'Other' means you consider your puppy to be a colour not currently known within the breed and one that does not appear on either the breed standard or non-breed standard list. In this instance you would be directed through our registrations process to contact a breed club and/or council to support you on identifying and correctly listing the new colour.

Non-breed-standard colours

Non-breed-standard colour means that the colour is not accepted within the breed standard and whilst some dogs within the breed may be this colour it is advised to only select a dog that fits within the breed standards for all points.

Colour is only one consideration when picking a breed or individual dog, health and temperament should always be a priority over colour.

Whether you’re thinking of buying a puppy, or breeding from your dog, it’s essential that you know what health issues may be found in your breed. To tackle these issues we advise that breeders use DNA tests, screening schemes and inbreeding coefficient calculators to help breed the healthiest dogs possible.

More about health

Important health schemes and tests

We strongly recommend that all breeders, both assured breeders (ABs) and non ABs, use the following (or equivalent) schemes, tests and advice.

Find out about a particular dog's results

Please visit our Health Test Results Finder to discover the DNA or screening scheme test results for any dog on The Kennel Club's Breed Register.

You can also view the inbreeding coefficient calculation for a puppy's parents, or for a dog you're thinking of breeding from.

Have any questions about health in your breed?

If you have any concerns about a particular health condition in your breed then you may wish to speak to your vet or you could contact your breed health co-ordinator.

Breed health co-ordinators are individuals working on behalf of breed clubs and councils who are advocates for the health and welfare of their chosen breed. They acts as a spokesperson on matters of health and will collaborate with The Kennel Club on any health concerns the breed may have.

To contact your breed health co-ordinator please email

Ann Moon

Breed watch

Category 1

Currently no points of concern specific to this breed have been identified for special attention by judges, other than those covered routinely by The Kennel Club's breed standard.