How to Measure a Dog for a Collar
How to measure a dog's neck, how much room a collar should leave, and how one maker spaces the buckle holes.
Making leather dog collars and leads
This site explains how to make a leather dog collar or lead by hand. It covers measuring the dog, choosing leather and hardware, stitching, and finishing the edges. The steps are written for a beginner.
- Choosing Leather for Dog Collars and Leads
How vegetable-tanned and chrome-tanned leather behave around water, what thickness suits bigger dogs, and what to know about chewing.
- Collar Hardware: Buckles, D-Rings and Rivets
What a leather dog collar needs in hardware, what buckles, D-rings and rivets do, how brass and stainless steel differ, and how to match sizes.
- Making a Flat Leather Collar Step by Step
Mark, punch, rivet, trim and bevel a basic buckle collar, mostly following one maker's order, with safety notes for blades and finishes.
- Stitching a Collar or Lead by Hand
How to saddle stitch a leather strap with two needles, how to backstitch the ends so the thread stays put, and how to lock the last stitch.
- Making a Flat Leather Lead with a Hand Loop
What a leather lead is made of, how long a training or walking lead usually is, and how to stitch the loop and fit a clip so it holds.
- Finishing Edges and Sealing Leather Dog Collars
How to sand, bevel and burnish a cut leather edge, which lubricants makers use, and how oiling affects leather that gets wet. Includes safety notes.