Sussex Spaniel

The Sussex Spaniel is a low, heavy-bodied English gun dog with a rich golden-liver coat — the rarest of the British spaniels and one of the rarest native breeds.

History

It was developed in Sussex in the early nineteenth century to work slowly through dense undergrowth, giving tongue as it went so the gun could follow it by ear. That job explains everything about its build: low, wide and deliberate. It has been close to extinction more than once.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, affectionate and steady, with a more serious disposition than most spaniels. It is companionable at home and stubborn when it has decided something.

Care and training

It needs moderate exercise and patient, food-motivated training that works with the stubbornness. The coat needs regular brushing, the long ears need routine cleaning, and the long back and heavy build make weight worth watching.

Health

Known tendencies include hip dysplasia, ear infections, intervertebral disc problems and, in some lines, a heart condition. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.