When we own dogs, we seem to need lots of things to make sure they are well taken care of – exceptional food, toys, dog beds, leashes, and of course, a collar. Although some dogs wear only one collar their entire lifetime, some owners enjoy changing up their dog’s look. If this sounds like you, we have some great tips on making your own leather collar at home.
Depending on what type of collar you want, there are several ways to make a unique one. There are several things to consider when making your collar – think about your dog’s size, what you want the collar to look like, and how comfortable you are working with tools.
If you feel like this is a project for you to tackle, keep reading for a quick tutorial on making a simple leather dog collar.
How To Make a Leather Collar
To start this project, spend some time reviewing the list of needed items for this project. There are limitless different styles, colors, and embellishments that can be considered for a dog collar. Making your collar allows you to personalize it with anything that you can imagine – different stamps, braiding, or even your dog’s name can be added to your creation.
Materials
When putting together your shopping list, think about the process you will use to make your collar. Consider your final project width when finished, what style you plan to make, and how fancy you want the collar to be. Another essential item is the hardware, which has limitless options as well.
The shortlist of things you will need:
– Leather – either pre-cut to your needed width or you plan to cut. Ensure you know how much you need.
– Leather awl – this is used to punch holes into the leather for sizing and decoration.
– Leather rivets and leather punch – these will hold together your pieces.
– Metal tongue buckles – to change sizes of the collar.
– Martingale collar set – if you are making the specific martingale type of collar.
This list is not complete as there are many other variations and types of items that can be used. The other things to think about are:
Optional Materials
– Do you want the color added? Review stains and color kits for leather
– Do you want to embellish the leather? Buy an optional leather stamping set
– Do you want to add some bling? Research different decorative rivets, charms, reflective stickers, and spikes to spice up your collar.
Once you start working on your collar, you may want to change your design or plan, which is just fine! It is your project, and you want it to reflect what you want as a final result.
Sizing and Fitting Your Dog
To ensure that you have enough leather products to make your dog collar, you want to know the finished product’s length and then add what you need to work with and secure the ends together.
To measure your dog’s neck:
- Use a soft tape measure and loosely wrap it around your dog’s neck.
- For a small dog, put one finger in between the dog’s neck, and the tape measures snug but not too tight.
- For a larger dog, use two fingers and again make the fit snug but not tight.
- Once you know the size of the completed collar, review the amount of leather you will need to be sure that you have added enough to make and secure the finished product.
Usually, this adds one to three inches depending on the size of the dog.
The “how-to” Part of the Process
Making anything with leather can be a bit – if you are new to crafting with leather, the best thing to do is connect with other people that have completed these projects. There are so many variations to creating your dog collar that they cannot possibly all be reviewed in one conversation!
Starting with a simple project at first may be a great way to learn – a smooth collar with a buckle at the end, loops for the leash, and attached with a bracket can be an easy start. If you finish your first one and decide you want to add to it, you can still modify it with decorations.
With the world connected through the Internet, it will be easy to review specific techniques and questions that you have in the process. Another great connection is individuals who create horse saddles and leads, as leather is used in many horse products.
Bottom Line
If you have decided to make your dog its own collar, there are more choices than you can count! The only restriction is the amount of time you want to spend making it – the fun part is there are so many different things you can do with it!
Feel free once you have one or two under your belt to make more. You can make them for special occasions, holidays or just because you enjoy making them.
Once you learn the process, you can have a great time making your dog the most stylish canine on the block!
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