Collar for Bloodhound puppy with ear problems

Those gorgeous Bloodhound ears are one of the breed's most iconic features — but they do come with a catch. The long, heavy flaps trap warmth and moisture right where a flat collar sits, and that friction can make ear problems worse, especially in a puppy whose ears are already prone to infection. The first few months set the patterns for life, so getting the right collar now matters more than people realise — the wrong choice can create irritation habits that are genuinely hard to undo. To point you in the right direction: how old is your pup, what are you mainly trying to work on with training, and has the vet said anything specific about what's already going on with the ears?

That's exactly the right time to get this sorted. At 13 weeks she's just starting to associate the collar with walks and training, so whatever you put on her now becomes her baseline normal. Given what the vet has flagged, you want to stay well away from flat nylon or wide fabric collars — they press the ear leather against the neck and hold any trapped moisture right there. What I'd steer you toward is a rolled leather collar. The round profile means it sits against the neck without creating a flat surface for the ears to rest on, and it doesn't absorb moisture the way nylon or cotton does. For a Bloodhound puppy at 13 weeks you'll want to size carefully — she'll grow fast, so check the adjustable range.

Yes — the Ancol Heritage Rolled Leather Collar is the one I'd point you to. It's a proper round-profile rolled leather collar, not a flat collar dressed up with stitching, and it comes in sizes that cover the puppy-to-adolescent range for a large breed. For a 13-week Bloodhound, start with the medium or large depending on her current neck measurement, and you'll have enough adjustment room to last several months before she outgrows it. The leather softens with wear without going floppy, it doesn't trap moisture, and the round profile genuinely keeps contact away from where those ears sit. It's widely available on Amazon UK and it's been around long enough that the quality is consistent. One thing to do alongside it: attach a lightweight tag rather than a heavy engraved barrel — you don't want extra weight pulling the collar upward into the ear fold.

A couple of practical things that make a real difference. First, take the collar off when she's not being supervised or walked — Bloodhound puppies don't need to wear it 24 hours a day, and giving the skin underneath a break helps a lot. Second, after walks in wet weather, give the ear flaps a gentle lift and let them air out before putting her in her crate or bed. You're not overcleaning, just not letting damp sit trapped. For training itself at this age, a well-fitted harness is actually your better working tool for lead work anyway — it gives you more control over a Bloodhound's considerable forward drive without any pressure on the neck, and it completely takes the collar out of the equation during active sessions. The collar is really just for ID and short lead clips. Keep sessions short, use high-value treats, and she'll take to it quickly — Bloodhounds are food-motivated to a fault.

That's a solid setup. Measure her neck before you order and recheck every few weeks — Bloodhound puppies can put on size surprisingly quickly and a collar that's suddenly snug will undo everything you're trying to protect. Good luck with the training; she's at a brilliant age to start and you're already thinking about the right things.