Owning dogs, in particular taking care of the sussex spaniel, is a specialty of humans. Experts believe dogs were domesticated between twelve thousand and 25,000 years ago—and that all canines evolved from the wolf. Since those days, humans have selectively bred more than four hundred breeds, ranging in size from 4-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose three-foot stature has earned them the title of the tallest pooch. But the most popular dogs are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The sussex spaniel is another favorite choice with dog owners. Many owners are unaware, however, of many of the most common sussex spaniel care tips.
Cost of care for your sussex spaniel
The annual cost of providing for the sussex spaniel—which includes everything from meals and treats, veterinary care, toys and license—can vary between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This is not even considering capital costs for spay/neuter operations, collar and leash, a dog carrier and crate. Note: Be sure you have all of your items before bringing your sussex spaniel home.
Typical sussex spaniel Care
Feeding your sussex spaniel
- sussex spaniel pups between 8 and 12 weeks old need 4 meals in a day.
- Feed sussex spaniel pups three to 6 months old three meals daily.
- Feed puppies 6 months to one year 2 meals every twenty-four hours.
- When the sussex spaniel hits his or her 1st birthday, one feeding in a day is sufficient.
- Some adult sussex spaniels, however, eat 2 smaller servings. It is your duty to learn your sussex spaniel’s eating schedule.
Excellent-quality dry food provides a balanced diet to adult sussex spaniels and may be mixed with broth, water, or canned food. Your sussex spaniel may have a taste for cooked eggs, fruits and vegetables, and cottage cheese, but these shouldn’t be more than 10 percent of her daily food allowance. sussex spaniel pups should be fed premium-quality, brand-name puppy food. Try to cut down on “people food”, however, because it can result in vitamin and mineral imbalances, bone and teeth issues, and might result in very picky eating habits as well as obesity. Give fresh, potable water exclusively, and be sure to wash food and water bowls very regularly.
sussex spaniel Care Tips: Your sussex spaniel needs physical activity daily
sussex spaniels must get some physical activity so they can stay fit, stimulate their brains, and keep healthy. Exercise also tends to help sussex spaniels fight boredom, which would often lead to naughty behavior. Supervised fun and games will cure most of your sussex spaniel’s instinctual urges to dig, chase, herd, chew and retrieve. Activity needs depend on your sussex spaniel’s age and her level of health—but 10 minutes outside and just a walk down the street every day probably isn’t enough. If your sussex spaniel is a 6 to eighteen month adolescent, her requirements will be higher.
Grooming tips for sussex spaniels
You can help reduce shedding and keep your sussex spaniel clean with brushing. Check for ticks and fleas daily during the summer or other warm weather. Sometimes sussex spaniels don’t need a bath more than a few times a year. Before the bath, cut out or comb any mats from the sussex spaniel’s coat. Rinse all soap out of the coat, or the dirt will stick to soap residue.
Handling Your sussex spaniel
Puppies, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to manage. When carrying the sussex spaniel puppy, take 1 of your hands and put it under the dog’s chest, with either the forearm or other hand supporting the back legs and rump. Don’t ever attempt to lift or grab your pup by her front legs, tail or nape. If you must pick up a larger, full-grown sussex spaniel, lift from underneath, supporting his chest with 1 arm and rear end with your other.
How to House the sussex spaniel
Your sussex spaniel needs a comfy peaceful spot to be able to rest away from all the breezes and away from the floor. You might want to buy a dog bed, or make one out of a wood box. Place a clean blanket or pillow in the bed as cushion. Wash your sussex spaniel’s bed covering frequently. If the sussex spaniel will be outdoors often, make certain she has access to plenty of cool water and covering in hot weather, and a dry, covered, warm area when it’s cold.
sussex spaniel Licensing and Identification
Your area has licensing rules to follow. Make sure to attach the license to your sussex spaniel’s collar. This, together with an identification tag, can help secure your sussex spaniel’s return should he get lost.
sussex spaniel Temperament Info
Training sussex spaniels
A well-mannered, companion sussex spaniel can truly be a pleasure to raise. But left untrained, your dog can possibly be a lot of trouble. Teaching your sussex spaniel the fundamentals—”Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, and “Leave it”—bolsters your relationship with both the pooch and your relatives. If you have a puppy, start training him on the appropriate behavior quickly! Use a treat as recognition and incentive. Puppies should commence obedience classes when they are sufficiently vaccinated. Call the community SPCA or humane society for information on obedience courses. Invariably you should walk your sussex spaniel leashed when, even as a puppy. Be sure your dog will come back to you if you say so. A disobedient or aggressive sussex spaniel should not play with people.
sussex spaniel Health
sussex spaniels should visit the vet for a thorough examination, innoculations and a heartworm examination every year, and promptly if he is injured or ill.
About your sussex spaniel’s Dental Health
While many of us may simply dislike our sussex spaniel’s foul breath, we must be aware of what it may be telling us. Foul-smelling breath is a symptom that your sussex spaniel should have a dental exam. Plaque brought on by germs causes a terrible odor that requires professional treatment. After you give your sussex spaniel a cleaning done by a professional, the gums and teeth can be kept up by brushing the teeth regularly, feeding a specially formulated dental diet and treats, and avoiding table scraps. The veterinarian can provide you additional tips for mitigating periodontal problems as well as bad breath. You can clean your sussex spaniel’s teeth using a dog toothpaste or a paste made of baking soda and water once or twice per week. Clean them with a gauze pad, a piece of nylon stocking stretched over your finger, or a soft, child’s toothbrush. Periodontal disease,which is an infection between the teeth and gums, sometimes affects sussex spaniels. This painful affliction will sometimes cause your sussex spaniel’s loss of teeth as well as propagate infection to his body. The vet will most likely brush your dog’s teeth as a regular part of your sussex spaniel’s health screening.
Halitosis in sussex spaniels
If your sussex spaniel has halitosis, periodontal disease might not necessarily be the reason, as other more serious ailments also have that symptom. Diseases of the intestines or liver may cause foul breath, while a pleasant, even fruity smell can frequently be indicative of diabetes. Kidney disease may be the cause when your sussex spaniel’s breath smells of ammonia or urine. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your sussex spaniel has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
Fleas and Ticks in sussex spaniels
In the summer, it’s important for you to perform regular, daily checks of your sussex spaniel for fleas and ticks. Use a flea comb to remove fleas. There are numerous new techniques of flea elimination. Ask your veterinarian about his recommendations.
Heartworm problems in sussex spaniels
The heartworm is a parasite that lives in the heart and is passed from an infested dog to your sussex spaniel by way of mosquitoes. Heartworm infections are potentially deadly. It is very critical you make sure your sussex spaniel has a blood test for worms each year during the spring. A monthly pill taken during the warm, wet time of the year will protect your sussex spaniel. If ever you travel south with your sussex spaniel in winter, he should be on the preventive medicine during the trip. In some of the milder regions, vets advise preventative parasite medication be taken continually.
Medicines and Toxins
If you’re considering giving your sussex spaniel medicine that was not prescribed for him by his veterinarian, forget it. One little ibuprofen tablet is known to cause stomach ulcers in sussex spaniels. Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your sussex spaniel. When you suspect that your pooch has eaten a toxin, contact your veterinarian or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for 24-hr. animal poison instructions.
sussex spaniels: Neutering and Spaying
Female sussex spaniels should be spayed—the extraction of the ovaries and uterus—and males neutered—removal of the testes—by six months of age. You usually will greatly reduce your female sussex spaniel’s chance of breast cancer by spaying prior to adulthood. Spaying also eradicates the risk of a sick uterus, a very serious problem in older females that can only be treated with surgery and intensive medical care. Neutering male sussex spaniels prevents testicular diseases, certain aggressive behavior and some hernias.
sussex spaniel Shots
- The combo vaccine (also called the “5-in-1 shot”) should be given to your sussex spaniel at 2, 3, and 4 months of age and then once annually. This shot immunizes your sussex spaniel puppy from hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and distemper. The sussex spaniel puppy’s immunization program cannot be completed before 4 months old.
- If your sussex spaniel has not been immunized and is older than four months, she will need 2 innoculations promptly, 2 or 3 weeks apart. Then you must vaccinate yearly.
- sussex spaniel puppy immunization and socialization should coincide. Most doctors advise that new owners take their sussex spaniel puppies to socialization classes, beginning at 8 to nine weeks of age. They should have received their first immunizations by then.
Regulations are so varied around the country, that it’s best to call your neighborhood doctor about rabies vaccination information. In New York City, for instance, the statute requires any pets older than 3 months must be vaccinated for rabies. After the original innoculation, she must get another innoculation the following year, and then every 3 years after that. There are a variety of immunizations, many of which are effective for your sussex spaniel. There are others that are not, however. Ask your sussex spaniel’s vet for his recommendation. By the way, if your sussex spaniel gets sick because she is not vaccinated, do not administer the shots until the dog has made a full recovery.
Intestinal Parasites in sussex spaniels
sussex spaniels are often exposed to worms and possible infestation—especially in rural areas. Microscopic eggs made by roundworms are passed in an infested sussex spaniel’s stool. Even the healthiest of sussex spaniel puppies carry hookworms or roundworms. The key to treatment is early detection. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed medication will be successful against your sussex spaniel’s worms. A dewormer that eradicates roundworms, for example, won’t kill tapeworms. Your sussex spaniel’s doctor can best determine the culprit—and assign the right medicine.
sussex spaniel: Miscellaneous Care Tips
sussex spaniel Supply Checklist
- Premium-quality dog food and treats designed for sussex spaniels and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water dish
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Brush and comb for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with identification tag and license
- Quality leash
- Carrier (for puppies)
- Crate for training
- Dog bed or box with blanket or towel
- Doggie or child’s toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
Never, ever feed your sussex spaniel the following:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate
- Grapes and raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food
- Onions, chives & garlic
- Chicken, turkey, or any other poultry bones
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems and unripe fruit
- Dough
The scoop on poop
Unless you are at home, or in a secured, fenced-in area, keep your sussex spaniel on a leash at all times. And please, when your sussex spaniel defecates on your neighbor’s yard, remove and dispose of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about sussex spaniels
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