Pacific Northwest Sussex Spaniel Club © All Rights Reserved. Breed Standard | Consitution
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Origin
The Sussex Spaniel is named after Sussex, England, where the first and most important
kennel of these dogs was established.
Specimens of the breed competed in Britain as
far back as 1862.
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.
History
The first and most important kennel of Sussex Spaniel dogs belonged to a
Mr. Fuller - it was he who developed the rich golden liver color that has long distinguished
the breed. Phineas Bullock, of Field Spaniel fame, also did notable work in furthering
the best interests of the Sussex. Specimens of the breed competed in Britain as far
back as the Crystal Palace show of 1862.
The Sussex was used for certain types of
rough terrain and underbrush in England, where an abundance of game, together with
the custom of hunting on foot, rendered the dog satisfactory as a sporting companion.
He has not been imported to any great extent to this country,
Although he lacks
the speed of other flushing spaniel, the Sussex has an extremely good nose, and he
is a determined hunter. He is inclined to give tongue on scent. The Sussex Spaniel
is a happy dog, and is not too difficult to train, and when properly taught becomes
an excellent retriever.
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