Breeding

No. How Sussex baby puppies turn out as adults can be unpredictable and is very much a result of their genes and how they are raised. Just because you have bought a puppy for showing is no guarantee that it will finish as a typical, show-winning adult. That said, if you have a bitch of reasonable quality, you should be able to find a male with strengths that can balance out your bitch’s weaknesses.

Stud fees are typically in the region of £400 per mating. It is customary for a male Sussex’s first mating to be offered free of charge, as they are not proved. However, some stud owners may ask for a fee on the birth of healthy puppies. It is always wise to confirm the fee arrangements in writing before you use the stud dog.

As of 2022, the SSA recommends that a reasonable price for a Sussex puppy sold in the UK is in the region of £1200. (This advice is kept under review and individual breeders may charge more particularly if they have incurred additional veterinary expenses.) This applies to all puppies whether sold as pets or potential show dogs. A puppy bought from overseas may cost you considerably more due to the added costs of importation and transport.

Probably not, because they were sold as pets. However, some pet Sussex do mature into adults of good show and breeding potential. Sussex puppies should, therefore, never be neutered at too early an age for this reason. They are precious individuals in a very small gene pool and should not be lost. Consult your breeder first about whether your Sussex has breeding potential if you come under pressure from your vet to neuter a young dog or bitch purely for convenience.

All pure bred Sussex Spaniels should be registered with the UK KC. If your Sussex was not registered by its breeder, it may be that your Sussex is not pure bred and could be a cross breed. It will be impossible to register any puppies you breed as “Sussex Spaniels” and it could result in puppies with inappropriate features: i.e. they would not be true “Sussex Spaniels”. 

If your Sussex was bred outside the UK, you must ensure that they are registered with the UK KC before attempting to breed from them. Trying to do this after pups have been born can be extremely difficult and you may have difficulty selling them. 

Before attempting to breed or use your dog at stud, check its registration certificate for any endorsements placed on it by the breeder which may prevent any progeny from being KC registered. These can be removed by your dog’s breeder with their agreement. Have a conversation with them to explain your intentions.

Unless you attend dog shows, you may not have any idea whether your Sussex is ready or even suitable to breed from. Ask its breeder for their honest opinion. If you can’t ask them for any reason, please do ask any SSA committee member for their advice or if they can put you in touch with an experienced breeder who can help you.

A bitch needs to be sexually mature before you should consider breeding pups from her. Sussex are a slow maturing breed. The Code of Ethics states: 

“It is recommended that bitches should not be bred from until at least 18 months of age or after the second season (whichever comes first) and should not be bred from more than once a year.”

Breeding from a younger bitch will place undue strain on her body and could result in long term damage to her health or even be life-threatening. Furthermore, the KC will not register puppies from any bitch under the age of 1 year old at the time of mating or over the age of 8 at the time the puppies are born. There are other KC criteria for registration that must be met, details here: form-1.pdf (thekennelclub.org.uk)

In theory, a Sussex male can sire puppies as soon as he is sexually active, which can be quite young. However, a very young dog will not be fully physically mature and you cannot therefore be sure about his eventual size and physical characteristics as an adult that he could pass on to offspring. Older males tend to lose their potency as they get older, so a 9 year old dog, for example, is less likely to produce offspring than a younger dog. Mating Sussex can be very challenging due to their weight and strength. Even the most experienced of breeders can find it difficult! Never try a mating on your own if you are a novice, always ask an experienced breeder to help you. Not all matings are successful, but this will improve your chance of success. Most experienced breeders will be happy to help.

The SSA exists to promote and sustain the Sussex Spaniel as a pure breed. In doing so, it is not helpful to the breed’s future if you breed from a dog or bitch that is lacking in the essential breed characteristics as set out in the KC Breed Standard. This is referred to as being “typical” or “of correct Sussex type”. So this is “harmful” to the quality of the breed. Also, they should be healthy and not known to be suffering from any ongoing, hereditary health disorder that could be passed on to offspring – such as Entropion, Hip Dysplasia or even aggressive temperament. This is “harmful” to the individual dogs and to their offspring. There are examples of pet Sussex that are not “show dogs” which turn out to be very typical examples of their breed and as such are valuable to the breed’s limited gene pool. However, breeding from inferior quality bitches or dogs that are not typical examples of the breed will only result in poor quality puppies that will just be generic brown spaniels. These are of no use whatsoever to the breed if it is to be maintained for future generations as a recognisable, pure Sussex. Ask to be referred to an experienced show breeder who will be happy to advise you.

Absolutely not. When considering mating any Sussex bitch, you need to think about her breed features which are not so strong and look for a dog that is better in those areas. For example, if she has weak bone, look for a dog with strong bone. If her eyes are very light in colour, look for a dog with dark eyes etc. This will improve your chances of having puppies with the right balance of breed features.

As noted above, it is partly about assessing the respective physical qualities of the dog and the bitch. Are they of sufficiently good quality to produce typical, healthy pups? But it is also about their pedigree, their heritage. All Sussex in the world descend from the 6 or so Sussex that survived WW2 in the ownership of Joy Freer (“Fourclovers”). With the exception of a KC authorised outcross to Clumber Spaniels some decades ago (and probably some “unauthorised” out crossings back in the day by working kennels) all existing Sussex in the world share the same genes. With such a limited gene pool, you want to avoid matings that are too genetically close, otherwise you risk fixing genetic problems. The KC will not register puppies from very close pairings – i.e. father to daughter etc. Genetics is complex, but put simply a mating should result ideally in puppies that share fewer of their genes than the breed average – known as “The Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI)”. With Sussex this is a real challenge but it is at least an attempt to widen the gene pool rather than concentrate it. The KC has a useful tool that will calculate the COI for a proposed mating of two KC registered dogs. https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/inbreeding-co-efficient/

In most cases, probably not! Taking into account the cost of breeding a litter (stud fee, travel costs, vets’ fees and feeding) you may still only get 2-3 pups, if any. Remember that breeding a litter of Sussex is challenging and has to be for the general good of the breed. It is not a profit making exercise. If you do go for it, then good luck! Remember, the SSA is here to advise and support you.