Small Dog & Dachshund Collars
Collars for small and toy breeds, and the page I would point a dachshund owner to first. A collar can be made shorter without being made smaller. If the width, the buckle...
4 pieces, £36 to £56, collar sizes 8 to 26 inches. Every piece is handmade to order in Britain, and dispatched in two to six working days.
Add a lead to your order and 10% comes off it. No code needed: it comes off at checkout.
Find a collar that fits your dog
Collars here fit 7.1 to 26 inch necks. Measure the neck, not the old collar.
Collars for small and toy breeds, and the page I would point a dachshund owner to first. A collar can be made shorter without being made smaller. If the width, the buckle and the ring are carried straight over from the standard size, a nine inch neck ends up wearing full size fittings, and a good part of what the dog is carrying is hardware. Everything in this collection is scaled rather than shortened.
Four collars, in British wool, braided rope and waterproof BioThane®, covering necks from about seven inches upwards. All of them are handmade to order in Britain. Making takes 2 to 6 working days and ends at dispatch. UK tracked post is one to two working days after that, and it is free over £55.
Dachshunds: the head, not the neck
Most small breeds need a collar that is simply smaller in every dimension. Dachshunds need something else as well, and it is the reason they get their own section on this page rather than a line in someone else's.
The problem. A dachshund's head is narrow in profile relative to the neck, closer to a sighthound's proportions than a terrier's. So the collar has two jobs that pull against each other: loose enough to sit comfortably on the neck, tight enough not to pass back over the head. On a lot of dogs those are the same setting. On a dachshund they are not always.
Two answers. If your dachshund has never shown any sign of backing out of a collar, a well measured small breed collar is all you need, and the Custom Brampton Mini Hybrid or Custom Dingley Mini Hybrid will do it. If your dachshund has backed out of one, you want a collar shaped for that head profile instead: wider across the centre so it is held by its shape rather than by tension. That is the Cotswold Rambler, which is why it is stocked here.
How the wide panel shape works, and the half check alternative →
Getting the size right
Measure around the middle of the neck, roughly halfway between the base of the skull and the top of the shoulders, with a soft tape lying flat against the coat rather than pulled tight. That single number tells you which size to order. It carries more weight at this end of the range than most people expect: an inch of slack is a twentieth of a large dog's neck and a ninth of a small one's, so the same error that goes unnoticed on a labrador is the difference between a collar that fits and one that comes off.
These collars are sold in size bands rather than cut to a single number, which means each one carries about two inches of adjustment. Pick the band your measurement sits inside. Here is what the four collars actually cover:
| Collar | Material | Sizes available | Neck range | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwich Yarn Mini | 6mm braided rope | 16 sizes, 18 to 33cm in 1cm steps | approx. 7 to 13 inches | £40 |
| Custom Brampton Mini Hybrid | Charcoal wool on BioThane® | 4 sizes: 8 to 10, 9 to 11, 10 to 12 and 11 to 13 inches | 8 to 13 inches | £56 |
| Custom Dingley Mini Hybrid | Ecru wool on BioThane® | 4 sizes: 8 to 10, 9 to 11, 10 to 12 and 11 to 13 inches | 8 to 13 inches | £56 |
| Cotswold Rambler | BioThane® | 6 sizes: 9 to 12, 11 to 14, 14 to 17, 17 to 20, 20 to 23 and 23 to 26 inches | 9 to 26 inches | £36 |
The Greenwich Yarn Mini is the outlier and the useful one for very small dogs: it is sold in single centimetre steps from 18cm, which is a little over seven inches, so it goes below where the wool collars start. The measuring guide walks through it →
If it does not fit when it arrives, tell me and I will adjust or remake it. I do not charge for that work. If I got the size wrong I cover the postage both ways, and if the measurement turned out not to suit your dog the postage is yours. That is the Perfect Fit Guarantee, and it does more work here than on any other page on this site, because there is less margin for error on a nine inch neck than on a twenty inch one. The Brampton and Dingley small breed collars include a size exchange as well. Where you have specified colours or hardware, the collar counts as made to your specification and sits outside the 14-day cancellation right; otherwise there is the ordinary 30-day change of mind. Returns and the Perfect Fit Guarantee →
Collars by breed
Same principle, different numbers. Here is how the collection works out breed by breed.
Dachshund Collars
A dachshund collar has to clear one hurdle the others do not, which is the head. Take the neck measurement first and work from that. For a standard dachshund the wool Custom Brampton Mini Hybrid and Custom Dingley Mini Hybrid cover 8 to 13 inches across four bands, and most standard dachshunds land somewhere in the middle of that. If the neck measures above 13 inches, the Cotswold Rambler picks up from 9 inches and runs the whole way to 26, so there is no gap between the two. If your dachshund has form for reversing out of a collar, go to the Rambler regardless of size: it is the one shaped for that head profile.
Miniature Dachshund Collars
The Brampton and Dingley small breed collars were made with miniature dachshunds in mind, and the 8 to 10 inch band is the usual starting point. Below 8 inches the Greenwich Yarn Mini takes over, starting at 18cm, and it is light: 6mm rope with a small solid brass shackle rather than a buckle. If you are not sure which side of 8 inches your dog falls on, measure and send me the number before ordering rather than guessing.
Chihuahua & Toy Breed Collars
Chihuahuas, miniature pinschers and dogs of that build are the reason the Greenwich Yarn Mini exists at 18cm. On a neck that size the weight of the fittings is a real proportion of the collar, so a 6mm rope collar with hardware chosen to suit 6mm rope is a very different thing to wear than a scaled down version of something bigger. The wool collars suit the same dogs from 8 inches up if you want the warmer, softer option.
Jack Russell & Small Terrier Collars
Terriers of this size sit comfortably in the wool small breed collars, usually in the upper bands, 10 to 12 or 11 to 13 inches. If your terrier is a determined puller, the BioThane Cotswold Rambler is the harder wearing and fully waterproof choice, and it wipes clean, which anyone who walks a terrier through a hedge will understand.
What they are made of
British wool. The Custom Brampton Mini Hybrid in charcoal grey and the Custom Dingley Mini Hybrid in ecru, both a two row fishtail weave in 2mm British wool braid that comes out around 20mm wide and 1cm thick, on a 16mm BioThane® adjustable strap, with an 11mm brass disc on the D-ring. You choose the strap colour, the 9mm BioThane® keeper colour, and the buckle, D-ring and rivet finish from gold, nickel, black metal or gun-metal. £56.
I no longer make the woven wool Mini on a leather strap for this site. It has been rehomed to Daylesford and redesigned for them, in Mini, Classic and Sighthound widths, in cream or grey undyed British wool with brass hardware. The wool collars at Daylesford →
Braided rope. The Greenwich Yarn Mini, 6mm rope with the Greenwich Yarn whipping, a primary nano cord whipped over the rope with an accent colour worked over the top. Solid brass Swedish sailing shackle and a small solid brass O-ring, both sized to 6mm rope. Choose the rope colour and both binding colours. £40, and there is a matching 6mm Mini lead.
BioThane®. The Cotswold Rambler, a 38mm BioThane® body on a 19mm strap, fully waterproof and wipe clean, with your choice of BioThane® colour for body and trim and brass, nickel or gun metal hardware. This is the shaped collar, and the only one here that runs past 13 inches. £36.
The buckles, shackles, rings and rivets are load tested by their manufacturers and carry a twelve month guarantee. Everything is handmade to order in Britain, 2 to 6 working days on the bench before dispatch, then one to two working days for UK tracked post.
Frequently asked questions
What size collar does a dachshund need?
There is no single dachshund number, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. Measure the middle of the neck, roughly halfway between the base of the skull and the top of the shoulders, with a soft tape lying flat against the coat, then pick the size band that your measurement sits inside. Most standard dachshunds land in the middle of the ranges here and most miniatures near the bottom, but the tape decides, not the breed. The wool Brampton and Dingley small breed collars run 8 to 13 inches across four bands, the Greenwich Yarn Mini runs 18 to 33cm in single centimetre steps, and the Cotswold Rambler starts at 9 to 12 inches.
Are these suitable for a miniature dachshund?
Yes. The Brampton and Dingley small breed collars are made for miniature dachshunds specifically, and the smallest band is 8 to 10 inches. If your miniature measures under 8 inches, the Greenwich Yarn Mini goes down to 18cm, which is a little over 7 inches, and is the smallest collar I make. Measure first and send the number if you are unsure which side of the line you are on.
What is the smallest collar you make?
The Greenwich Yarn Mini at 18cm, which is roughly 7 inches. It is built on 6mm rope with a solid brass Swedish sailing shackle and a small solid brass O-ring sized to that rope, so the fittings are scaled to the collar rather than carried over from a larger one. Above that, the wool Brampton and Dingley small breed collars start at an 8 to 10 inch band.
Why does a dachshund slip out of a normal collar?
A dachshund's head is narrow in profile relative to the neck, closer to a sighthound's proportions than a terrier's. A collar loose enough to sit comfortably on the neck can pass back over that head shape. A collar shaped for sighthounds is wider across the centre so it sits in the hollow between the two and is held by its shape, which is why the Cotswold Rambler is stocked here as well as on the sighthound page. If your dachshund has ever backed out of a collar, that is the one to look at.
Do you make collars for small breed puppies?
Yes, with a caveat. These collars are sold in size bands rather than cut to a single number, so each one already has roughly two inches of adjustment built in, and a puppy will usually grow through a band rather than out of it overnight. Measure now, order the band your measurement sits in near its lower end, and you have room to let it out. The Brampton and Dingley small breed collars include a size exchange, and the Perfect Fit Guarantee covers you if the fit turns out wrong.
Why do small dogs need a different collar?
Because the fittings do not shrink on their own. A collar can be made shorter without being made smaller: if the width, the buckle and the ring are carried straight over from the standard size, a nine inch neck ends up wearing full size hardware and a good part of what the dog is carrying is metal. Everything here is scaled instead, down to the buckle width and the ring. Sizing is also less forgiving at this end. An inch of slack is a twentieth of a large dog's neck and a ninth of a small one's.
What materials can I get a small breed collar in?
Four collars, three materials. British wool in a two row fishtail weave, roughly 20mm wide and 1cm thick once woven, on a 16mm BioThane adjustable strap, in charcoal grey Brampton or ecru Dingley, with the strap colour, the keeper colour and the metal finishes chosen by you. Braided 6mm rope on the Greenwich Yarn Mini, with your choice of rope and binding colours. Waterproof, wipe clean BioThane on the Cotswold Rambler, with a choice of brass, nickel or gun metal hardware.
How do I measure my small dog's neck?
Run a soft tape around the middle of the neck, roughly halfway between the base of the skull and the top of the shoulders, lying flat against the coat rather than pulled tight. Read the number and pick the band it falls inside. If your dog is between two bands, or if it is a dachshund and you are worried about the collar passing over the head, send me the neck measurement and the widest part of the head and I will tell you which to order.
What happens if the collar does not fit?
Tell me and I will adjust or remake it, and I do not charge for that work. If I got the size wrong I cover the postage both ways; if the measurement turned out not to suit your dog, the postage is yours. That is the Perfect Fit Guarantee, and it matters more at this end of the range than anywhere else, because the margin for error on a nine inch neck is small. The Brampton and Dingley small breed collars also include a size exchange.
How long does a small breed collar take to make?
Every collar is handmade to order in Britain, 2 to 6 working days on the bench before it is dispatched, then one to two working days for UK tracked post.
Is the hardware scaled down as well?
Yes, that is most of the point. The wool small breed collars are built on a 16mm strap with fittings sized to it rather than carried over from a full size collar, and you choose the buckle, D-ring and rivet finish from gold, nickel, black metal or gun-metal. The Greenwich Yarn Mini uses a solid brass Swedish sailing shackle with a small solid brass O-ring chosen to suit 6mm rope. All of the hardware is load tested by its manufacturer and carries a twelve month guarantee.
Do you make a matching lead?
For the Greenwich Yarn Mini, yes: there is a 6mm Greenwich Yarn Mini lead built to match the collar, so the rope and binding colours can be carried across.
Not a supply chain. A standard. Every collar and lead is made by hand in Britain, tested, measured and finished before it is packed. You are buying from the person answerable for it.