Information on AKC Sussex Spaniel Puppies
Sussex Spaniel Breed Standard
General Appearance
The Sussex Spaniel was among the first ten breeds to be recognized and admitted
to the Stud Book when the American Kennel Club was formed in 1884,
but it has existed as a distinct breed for much longer. As its name implies,
it derives its origin from the county of Sussex, England, and it was used
there since the eighteenth century as a field dog. During the late 1800’s
the reputation of the Sussex Spaniel as an excellent hunting companion was
well known among the estates surrounding Sussex County. Its short legs,
massive build, long body, and habit of giving tongue when on scent made
the breed ideally suited to penetrating the dense undergrowth and flushing
game within range of the gun. Strength, maneuverability, and desire were
essential for this purpose. Although it has never gained great popularity
in numbers, the Sussex Spaniel continues today essentially unchanged in
character and general appearance from those 19th century sporting dogs.
The Sussex Spaniel presents a long and low, rectangular and rather massive appearance
coupled with free movements and nice tail action. The breed has a somber and serious
expression. The rich golden liver color is unique to the breed.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size--The height of the Sussex Spaniel as measured at the withers
ranges from 13 to 15 inches. Any deviation from these measurements is a minor
fault. The weight of the Sussex Spaniel ranges between 35 and 45 pounds. Proportion--The
Sussex Spaniel presents a rectangular outline as the breed is longer in body than
it is tall. Substance--The Sussex Spaniel is muscular and rather massive.
Head
Correct head and expression are important features of the breed. Eyes--The
eyes are hazel in color, fairly large, soft and languishing, but do not show the
haw overmuch. Expression--The Sussex Spaniel has a somber and serious appearance,
and its fairly heavy brows produce a frowning expression. Ears--The ears
are thick, fairly large, and lobe-shaped and are set moderately low, slightly
above the outside corner of the eye. Skull and Muzzle--The skull is moderately
long and also wide with an indentation in the middle and with a full stop. The
brows are fairly heavy, the occiput is full but not pointed, the whole giving
an appearance of heaviness without dullness. The muzzle should be approximately
three inches long, broad, and square in profile. The skull as measured from the
stop to the occiput is longer than the muzzle. The nostrils are well-developed
and liver colored. The lips are somewhat pendulous. Bite-- A scissors bite
is preferred. Any deviation from a scissors bite is a minor fault.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck--The neck is rather short, strong, and slightly arched, but does
not carry the head much above the level of the back. There should not be much
throatiness about the skin. Topline and Body-- he whole body is characterized
as low and long with a level topline. The chest is round, especially behind the
shoulders, and is deep and wide which gives a good girth. The back and loin are
long and very muscular both in width and depth. For this development, the back
ribs must be deep. Tail-- The tail is docked from 5 to 7 inches and set
low. When gaiting the Sussex Spaniel exhibits nice tail action, but does not carry
the tail above the level of the back.
Forequarters
The shoulders are well laid back and muscular. The upper arm should correspond
in length and angle of return to the shoulder blade so that the legs are set well
under the dog. The forelegs should be very short, strong, and heavily boned. They
may show a slight bow. Both straight and slightly bowed constructions are proper
and correct. The pasterns are very short and heavily boned. The feet are large
and round with short hair between the toes.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are full and well-rounded, strong, and heavily boned. They
should be parallel with each other and also set wide apart--about as wide as the
dog at the shoulders. The hind legs are short from the hock to the ground, heavily
boned, and should seem neither shorter than the forelegs nor much bent at the
hocks. The hindquarters must correspond in angulation to the forequarters. The
hocks should turn neither in nor out. The rear feet are like the front feet.
Coat
The body coat is abundant, flat or slightly waved, with no tendency to curl. The
legs are moderately well-feathered, but clean below the hocks. The ears are furnished
with soft, wavy hair. The neck has a well-marked frill in the coat. The tail is
thickly covered with moderately long feather. No trimming is acceptable except
to shape foot feather, or to remove feather between the pads or between the hock
and the feet. The feather between the toes must be left in sufficient length to
cover the nails.
Color
Rich golden liver is the only acceptable color and is a certain sign of the purity
of the breed. Dark liver or puce is a major fault. White on the chest is a minor
fault. White on any other part of the body is a major fault.
Gait
The round, deep and wide chest of the Sussex Spaniel coupled with its short
legs and long body produce a rolling gait. While its movement is deliberate, the
Sussex Spaniel is in no sense clumsy. Gait is powerful and true with perfect coordination
between the front and hind legs. The front legs do not paddle, wave, or overlap.
The head is held low when gaiting. The breed should be shown on a loose lead so
that its natural gait is evident.
Temperament
Despite its somber and serious expression, the breed is friendly and has a
cheerful and tractable disposition.
Faults
The standard ranks features of the breed into three categories. The most important
features of the breed are color and general appearance. The features of secondary
importance are the head, ears, back and back ribs, legs, and feet. The features
of lesser importance are the eyes, nose, neck, chest and shoulders, tail, and
coat. Faults also fall into three categories. Major faults are color that is too
light or too dark, white on any part of the body other than the chest, and a curled
coat. Serious faults are a narrow head, weak muzzle, the presence of a topknot,
and a general appearance that is sour and crouching. Minor faults are light eyes,
white on chest, the deviation from proper height ranges, lightness of bone, shortness
of body or a body that is flat-sided, and a bite other than scissors. There are
no disqualifications in the Sussex Spaniel standard.
Approved April 7, 1992
Effective May 27, 1992
