The breed has always had a good character for work, and most of the older writers who mention them speak of Sussex Spaniels in very eulogistic terms.  They are rather slow workers, but thoroughly conscientious and painstaking, and are not afraid of any amount of thick covert, through which they will force their way, and seldom leave anything behind them.

A well-bred Sussex Spaniel is a very handsome dog.  Indeed, his beautiful colour alone is enough to make his appearance an attractive one, even if he were unsymmetrical and ungainly in his proportions.

This colour, known as golden liver, is peculiar to the breed, and is the great touchstone and hall-mark of purity of blood.  No other dog has exactly the same shade of coat, which the word “liver” hardly describes exactly, as it is totally different from the ordinary liver colour of an Irishman, a Pointer, or even a liver Field Spaniel.  It is rather a golden chestnut with a regular metallic sheen as of burnished metal, showing more especially on the head and face and everywhere where the hair is short.  This is very apparent when a dog gets his new coat.  In time, of course, it is liable to get somewhat bleached by sun and weather, when it turns almost yellow.  Every expert knows this colour well, and looks for it at once when judging a class of Sussex.

The description of the breed given by the Spaniel Club is as follows:—­

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HEAD—­The skull should be moderately long, and also wide, with an indentation in the middle, and a full stop, brows fairly heavy; occiput full, but not pointed, the whole giving an appearance of heaviness without dulness.  EYES—­Hazel colour, fairly large, soft and languishing, not showing the haw overmuch.  NOSE—­The muzzle should be about three inches long, square, and the lips somewhat pendulous.  The nostrils well developed and liver colour.  EARS—­Thick, fairly large, and lobe shaped; set moderately low, but relatively not so low as in the Black Field Spaniel; carried close to the head, and furnished with soft wavy hair.  NECK—­Is rather short, strong, and slightly arched, but not carrying the head much above the level of the back.  There should not be much throatiness in the skin, but well marked frill in the coat.  CHEST AND SHOULDERS—­The chest is round, especially behind the shoulders, deep and wide, giving a good girth.  The shoulders should be oblique.  BACK AND BACK RIBS—­The back and loin are long, and should be very muscular, both in width and depth; for this development the back ribs must be deep.  The whole body is characterised as low, long, level, and strong.  LEGS AND FEET—­The arms and thighs must be bony, as well as muscular, knees and hocks large and strong, pasterns very short and bony, feet large and round, and with short hair between the toes.  The legs should be very short and strong, with great bone, and may show a slight bend in the forearm, and be moderately well feathered.