In form the Sussex Spaniel is more like the Clumber Spaniel than the Cocker Spaniel. It is about height at withers as the Cocker Spaniel. Like the Field Spaniel the Sussex Spaniel is a rarity in Germany.

The Sussex Spaniel is a massive and strongly built spaniel with a characteristic gait, which is described as a kind of roll. It has a natural aptitude to working as a hunting dog in thick undergrowth. The Sussex Spaniel is a lively and energetic dog with a friendly disposition and is not in the least aggressive.

Since the end of the nineteenth century, when various different kinds of spaniel were identified and named as Cocker Spaniel, Field Spaniel or Sussex Spaniel and their separate identities strengthened through breeding, the Sussex Spaniel has often been called the original spaniel from which all modern spaniels are descended.