Best harness for Bloodhounds with droopy skin

A Bloodhound with heavy dewlap skin is a real harness challenge — most chest-strap designs ride up and bunch right into that loose neck skin, which causes rubbing and makes the dog miserable within a mile. The essentials for hiking with any dog are a well-fitting harness, a collapsible water bowl, and depending on your terrain, possibly boots — paw protection on rocky or hot ground matters more than most people realise. Before I point you toward the right harness, can you tell me: how big is your Bloodhound, what kind of terrain are you typically hiking on, and how long are your usual hikes?

That's a very common problem with Bloodhounds specifically — that dewlap hangs low and most harness chest straps sit right across it. At 48kg on woodland and towpath terrain, you don't need anything extreme, but you do need a harness where the front chest strap sits low on the sternum and the neck opening is wide enough not to clamp down. Can I ask — is he prone to pulling, or is he reasonably steady on the lead? That'll help me confirm the best fit style.

Perfect — that tells me you don't need a no-pull front clip as the primary feature, so we can prioritise fit comfort over correction. My clear recommendation for your Bloodhound is the Ruffwear Front Range Harness in size XL or XXL. Here's why it works for loose-skinned breeds: the neck opening is genuinely wide and sits back toward the shoulders rather than pressing against the throat, the chest strap is padded and positioned low on the sternum where it clears the dewlap, and there are two aluminium V-rings — one on the back, one on the chest — so you have options. The webbing is soft enough that even if there's minor contact with skin folds it won't abrade. For a 48kg Bloodhound you'll almost certainly need the XXL — measure his girth before ordering and check against Ruffwear's size guide, as their sizing runs fairly true. It's widely available on Amazon UK and holds up well to regular trail use.

Yes — Bloodhounds overheat faster than most breeds because all that loose facial skin and heavy jowls trap warmth, and they're not efficient panters. For 2–3 hour woodland hikes, a collapsible silicone bowl is non-negotiable; offer water every 20–30 minutes rather than waiting for him to ask. If you're hiking in summer, go early morning or evening and watch for excessive drooling beyond his normal level, slow heavy panting, and reluctance to move — those are early overheating signs in the breed. Boots aren't urgent for canal towpaths, but if you ever move onto hot gravel or sharp rocky trails, they're worth having. The harness fit will make a bigger difference to his comfort day-to-day than anything else right now.

Good call on measuring first — Ruffwear's guide is on their site and takes about a minute. Once it's fitted correctly and you've done one shorter walk to check there's no contact with the dewlap, you should find it holds up really well. Enjoy the trails with him — Bloodhounds are brilliant hiking companions once they're comfortable.