KENAI
Sussex Spaniel

The breeds · gun dog · flushing

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 127

Sussex Spaniel.

Flushing field dog of Sussex, England, used since the eighteenth century: short legs, massive build, long body and the habit of giving tongue on scent suited it to penetrating dense undergrowth and flushing game within range of the gun.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13.5YRMedian lifespan12.6 to 15.1, measured on real dogs.
14INHeightall 14. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
35–45LBWeight, all linesbreed 40 lb (35 to 45).
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

14 in (13 to 15)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

Center is the midpoint of the standard's range. The UK standard gives a higher ideal, 38-41 cm (15-16 in) (rkc_std).

Weight

40 lb (35 to 45)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

Center is the midpoint of the standard's range. The UK standard gives approximately 23 kg (50 lb) (rkc_std).

Coat

Body coat abundant, flat or slightly waved with no tendency to curl; legs moderately feathered, clean below the hocks; ears furnished with soft wavy hair; well-marked neck frill; tail thickly covered with moderately long feather; rich golden liver is the only acceptable colour

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

The UK standard: abundant and flat with ample undercoat for weather resistance (rkc_std).

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Abundant flat or slightly waved body coat with moderate leg feathering, a well-marked neck frill and a thickly feathered tail; the UK standard adds ample undercoat for weather resistance

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2023

Derived from the standard's coat description plus the undercoat named in rkc_std (2 = heavy double coat), on a massive, low-built dog. Not a measurement.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.5 years (12.6 to 15.1)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Very small sample for this breed; the wide interval reflects it. The breed is not among the 18 breeds in Teng et al. 2022, so no life_expectancy_yr partner is recorded. The 2004 UK Kennel Club survey reported a median age at death of 11 years 2 months from 42 deaths (kc_2004).

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than 2 hours = 150.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium; sheds

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3. The AKC standard allows no trimming except shaping foot feather and removing feather between the pads and from hock to foot.

Grooming

More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Flushing field dog of Sussex, England, used since the eighteenth century: short legs, massive build, long body and the habit of giving tongue on scent suited it to penetrating dense undergrowth and flushing game within range of the gun

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

The RKC page calls it the only spaniel that gives tongue while working, which helps the handler keep track of the dog when it is out of sight in cover (rkc_breed).

Primary game

Upland game birds in thick, hard-to-penetrate undergrowth; flushed and retrieved for the gun

Breed clubAKC

Neither the standard nor the club names a single bird.

Range

Close: flushes game within range of the gun, which the AKC spaniel rulebook defines as effective shotgun range, about 30 to 40 yards

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

Gun-range definition from akc_sht.

Search pattern

Methodical, determined and thorough at a moderate pace (a quick-stepped trot) with excellent endurance; moves logically with head down to catch the faintest scent rather than covering every square inch; 'comes alive' on bird scent, slows and often hesitates before an English-style flush; may give tongue when a bird is located, alerting the hunter to an imminent flush

Breed clubAKC

The parent club's description for hunt test judges; the AKC spaniel rulebook recognises that some breeds cover less ground less rapidly but must still find, flush and retrieve efficiently (akc_sht).

Field trial standard

AKC spaniel hunting tests (Junior, Senior, Master): find, flush and retrieve birds to hand on land within suitable gun range, plus marked water retrieves; Master dogs must be steady to wing and shot, retrieve from water at 40-45 yards, run a 30-40 yard blind water retrieve and 'hunt dead' at 55-60 yards, and hunt with a logical pattern and experienced independence

Breed clubAKC, 2013

The rulebook tells judges they must know the hunting characteristics of the breeds they judge; the parent club's hunting style document is written for that purpose (akc_hunting_style).

Water work

Sussex easily master retrieving from land and water, delivering to hand; water entry deliberate, speed moderate, but they retrieve capably from water; every AKC spaniel test level includes a water retrieve

Breed clubAKC

Test requirement from akc_sht.

Cold water

3 of 5 · Abundant coat with undercoat; the parent club says Sussex retrieve capably from water with a deliberate entry and moderate speed, delivering to hand

DerivedAKC

Derived from coat plus the breed's water work as the parent club describes it: a land spaniel that retrieves from water, not a water specialist. Placed at 3.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

37.8% · 37.8% dysplastic of 399 OFA hip evaluations on record (all data through Oct 2026); 61.2% normal (2.0% excellent, 36.1% good, 23.1% fair); mild 17.0%, moderate 15.5%, severe 5.3%; breed rank 19

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry and a small sample: radiographs are submitted by owners, so affected dogs are under-reported and true prevalence is higher. Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock.

Elbow dysplasia

25% · 25.0% abnormal of 208 OFA elbow evaluations on record (grade 1 16.3%, grade 2 6.7%, grade 3 1.9%); 71.2% normal; breed rank 16

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat as hips, and a very small sample (208 elbows).

Most common disorders

UK Kennel Club 2004 survey (42 deaths, 81 disease reports in 121 live dogs; 31.4% response): causes of death led by cancer 19.0% (mammary), old age 19.0%, cardiac 14.3% (heart defect, heart failure, cardiomegaly), then gastric dilatation-volvulus, seizures/meningitis, behaviour and trauma at 4.8% each; live-dog conditions led by skin 25.9% (pyotraumatic dermatitis, mites), ear 13.6% (otitis externa), reproductive 12.3% (infertility, pyometra, whelping difficulty), eye 6.2% (epiphora, ectropion, entropion), urinary 6.2% (cystitis, cystinuria, incontinence). The parent club calls the breed basically healthy past the first two weeks of life and names breeding and whelping problems, PDP1 deficiency and cardiac abnormalities as its concerns (ssca_health). OFA tables: pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 deficiency 10.9% carrier of 92 tested; eye exams 9.7% abnormal of 226 (ofa_stats).

Breed clubThe Kennel Club / BSAVA Scientific Committee, 2006

Owner survey of club-connected dogs, two decades old, and OFA samples under 250 dogs; no VetCompass paper on the breed was found. The Royal Kennel Club lists the breed as a vulnerable native breed (rkc_breed); the US club reports 34 puppies born in the United States in 2018 (ssca_health).

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 4; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 3; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 2.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Sussex Spaniel yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 10 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Sussex

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