@brada1878: I am a fan of LDS Leather, but apparently Dr. Dave had some trouble ordering from them.
@sunyata: If you get a standard rolled leather collar sized to the center hole, there is enough space behind the buckle to implement the slide-on collar tags thus eliminating the jingle jangle.
With the Lyndale leashes, I wonder if she could use some letter/number beads to insert a name and phone number?
LDS leather has serious bad reviews, including a D- rating on the better business bureau (glad I discovered that BEFORE I tried ordering them! They looked pretty good before I saw that!
After I saw those rolled leather collars on quillan, I thought I might get one of those, because it includes the ID tag on the collar! Great deal! But in the meantime, I ordered him a cheap rolled leather collar, and it's too big right now, so by the time he grows into it....well, I figure I may not need another that soon (and I can slip a boomerang tag on the flat end of the rolled collar near the buckle, so he may just end up with this non fancy collar for awhile).
Lyndale can include letter beads--I saw some leads that had names on them, but they were those little letter cube beads that seemed more fancy than useful, you know? I did note she sent a whole bunch of leads and collars to Japan (but I suspect not for NKs....)
I could have sworn I found a place with braided leather ID collars that showed a thin collar tag slipped over the collar but I can't find it now.
I also found this place on etsy for braided kangaroo leather ID collars: http://www.etsy.com/listing/106405763/kangaroo-braided-tag-collar. She takes custom orders, too, and said sometimes her turn around time is as fast as 48 hours, but she says a week on her site just in case.
I am still having issues with Leo and collars. His rolled leather one is still matting down and breaking his fur. I've also decided I will probably walk him and work with him in a collar rather than a harness, because at least in agility, he freezes with the harness on and won't work, but he's fine with just a collar.
So still looking for something for him, and finally found these. Probably no one else needs a chain martingale, but if you have an inveterate collar chewer (and he can do it FAST, and I'm not even sure how he does it, though it's true we leave their buckle collars fairly loose in the house), then these might work. I also like know the fur saver type collars do work to keep the hair from breaking. I don't know that I'd leave this on him all the time (though I do leave a leather martingale on one of my Shibas 24/7), but I may try one of these anyway:
We are huge fans of this small family owned business in upstate New York that still manufactures in the USA. They make beautiful rolled leather collars and also martingale rolled-collars that are super long lasting. You can order them direct with matching leashes: http://www.auburndirect.com/
or there's this other small business out of Chicago that carries their products and more, they have a store front on Amazon.com too: www.dogcollarsboutique.com/
Huge fan of Oli Collars. They make their own version of the old school akita collar that poeticdragon posted for half the price ( if you can't afford the authentic japanese version like me hehehe ). Plus he's a Canuck, so I gotta represent!
@rikumom i love the auburndirect rolled martingale but where do they list the prices? Or is it one of them that if you have to ask you can't afford it?
Does anyone know if there is anyone that will make it custom? I picked up quite a bit of fabric for the pups before I realized that B&G closed unfortunately.
@rikumom I almost got the texas star collar audburn sells. There is a little family owned dog boutique in downtown dallas that carries a few of their collars. Toki's collar is made by Around The Collar in New York as well. If something ever happens to his collar, I can send it back to be fixed or replaced for free.
I have it on Leo now, but it was very stiff when we got it, and it is still too thick and is breaking the hair on his neck.
I love the oli collars, too, but any dog I might put it on (Oskar or Leo) has longer, more fragile hair and it would break/mat the hair on their necks....I guess you wouldn't have them wear those fancy collars all the time, though?
I keep not getting it because it is $44, which doesn't make sense, because I'm sure I've spent more than that replacing collars so far! *lol* But part of my hesitation now is that I know the rolled leather is not helping with the breaking hair problem.
Too funny. We've been working with leather the past 7 months or so. I actually passed on the leather supplier that Auburn uses. I was really hopeful, but when I got the samples, it was very stiff & almost fake-feeling. [ plastic-y / tough ]
@shibamistress - Have you tried conditioning it? Just rub some oil into it, & let it dry. Should help soften it. You can hit it with a hair dryer to get the oil to absorb more. If you don't have mink or neatsfoot oil on hand, extra-virgin olive oil will do it.
The other reason it might still be breaking hairs is that it's too small of a size.*** The reason the rolled leather collars don't break hairs is because they're round, they "roll" around on the neck. But, if it's too tight, then it won't be able to "roll." Don't know if that makes sense. Also, if you knew that already, sorry for repeating it lol
*** Rolled collars are meant for tags, not walking. I wouldn't walk any dogs with a rolled collar since the process used for making them involves splitting & / or skiving down the center. Makes it weak, unless they put a core in there...even so, still not something I would trust unless it was saddle-stitched closed, not machine-stitched. ~
We conditioned it with mink oil and did that repeatedly, hoping to soften it. It did a bit, but not enough. so I hear you about the leather being too stiff--I just don't like it.
and it's big on him--the collar I mean--and we purposely buckle all the buckle collars loose, both in case they get stuck (since they are not break away collars) and to try to minimize some of the hair breakage. So it's not that it's too small--if anything, it's a bit big. Oh well....just not the right collar for him, I guess!
I didn't know about not walking them with the rolled collars, but then again, I walk everyone with a harness (except for Toby, who doesn't pull, so he gets a martingale collar).
@shibamistress - Oh that sucks. Well, if nothing else, it solidifies my reason for not going with that particular supplier! LOL
Sorry the mink oil didn't help. You can try wetting it & working it with your hands too. Water will also help soften it, as will age...
BUT, I didn't mess with the samples I got too much. Like I said, I just really didn't like the leather. haha It really was pretty tough. Like, old boot. LOL
Have you looked into braided kangaroo leather collars? Those are lightweight & round. In general, not for walking [ with a puller / lunger ] , but I know you said you don't walk with collars anyway. They're popular in the show ring, I think, as they don't matt fur. ~
How interesting, I prefer the Auburn patent leather collars b/c their leather is stiff vs. the Circle K or Hamilton rolled collars that soften/stretch out over time. They stay new looking for a long time. I hadn't realize others had problems b/c the leather is stiff. Very interesting.
Another problem I had with other leather collars is the dye rubs off on the dog when the collar gets wet. I've never had that problem w/ Auburn ones.
@sangmort....yeah I ordered him a braided kangaroo hide martingale from Etsy. $20 so if he chews it, well, I won't feel like I'm out that much and it is braided around a cord so should have some strength (though no, I don't walk them on the collars, but he will go to his agility class in it).
I don't even like my shoe leather to be that stiff! So I totally understand why you wouldn't go with them as a leather supplier. What are you making with your leather?
And I love the paco collars too, but also not the right kind of collar for my longer more fragile haired boys.....
@rikumom - For me, the stiffness is not so much of a problem as is the feel of the leather. The samples I got from Aurburn's supplier, had a "plastic" feel to the grain. It's a little shiny. However, it looks like RJF uses a mix of latigo &/or bridle leather. The bridle will be VERY thick / heavy, the latigo a little more pliable. The supplier I looked at supplies them with Latigo. I don't know if they supply their bridle as well.
But, I didn't like the feel of the grain, so I passed over it. [ that plastic feel ] I didn't even test it to be honest like I did the samples from all the other tanneries / suppliers I checked for it's water / weather-resistance.
@shibamistress - I think if they use a paracord core, you should be good for walking on it. But don't quote me on that. I think it all depends on how many strands they used when braiding as well, in addition to, what they did to the actual leather itself. But, if there is no core, Kangaroo stretches. Should be ok as long as there is a core. [ & of course we're talking about a Kai here, not a mastiff ]
We're making collars & leashes There are no real nice quality leather suppliers on the east coast, let alone in the south east, & after spending a ton of money on what was suppose to be a nice leather collar for Wraith, only to be severely pissed / disappointed in the quality & construction when it arrived, we decided to do it on our own.
I mean, really...if I'm spending $80 on a leather collar, I want nice leather, with solid brass or stainless steel hardware...not old boot leather with steel hardware that's just nickle plated. KWIM? ~
Comments
@sunyata: If you get a standard rolled leather collar sized to the center hole, there is enough space behind the buckle to implement the slide-on collar tags thus eliminating the jingle jangle.
With the Lyndale leashes, I wonder if she could use some letter/number beads to insert a name and phone number?
After I saw those rolled leather collars on quillan, I thought I might get one of those, because it includes the ID tag on the collar! Great deal! But in the meantime, I ordered him a cheap rolled leather collar, and it's too big right now, so by the time he grows into it....well, I figure I may not need another that soon (and I can slip a boomerang tag on the flat end of the rolled collar near the buckle, so he may just end up with this non fancy collar for awhile).
Lyndale can include letter beads--I saw some leads that had names on them, but they were those little letter cube beads that seemed more fancy than useful, you know? I did note she sent a whole bunch of leads and collars to Japan (but I suspect not for NKs....)
I could have sworn I found a place with braided leather ID collars that showed a thin collar tag slipped over the collar but I can't find it now.
I also found this place on etsy for braided kangaroo leather ID collars: http://www.etsy.com/listing/106405763/kangaroo-braided-tag-collar. She takes custom orders, too, and said sometimes her turn around time is as fast as 48 hours, but she says a week on her site just in case.
So still looking for something for him, and finally found these. Probably no one else needs a chain martingale, but if you have an inveterate collar chewer (and he can do it FAST, and I'm not even sure how he does it, though it's true we leave their buckle collars fairly loose in the house), then these might work. I also like know the fur saver type collars do work to keep the hair from breaking. I don't know that I'd leave this on him all the time (though I do leave a leather martingale on one of my Shibas 24/7), but I may try one of these anyway:
http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.prodshow/vid/387155/catid/510/vname/Herm_Sprenger_Martingale_Collar_GOLD
http://www.fordogtrainers.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_231&products_id=254
http://www.auburndirect.com/
or there's this other small business out of Chicago that carries their products and more, they have a store front on Amazon.com too:
www.dogcollarsboutique.com/
They make their own version of the old school akita collar that poeticdragon posted for half the price ( if you can't afford the authentic japanese version like me hehehe ). Plus he's a Canuck, so I gotta represent!
It's here: http://www.amazon.com/Auburn-Leather-Collar-Round-Rolled/dp/B008850LIU/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1356636323&sr=8-10&keywords=auburn+rolled+leather+collar
I have it on Leo now, but it was very stiff when we got it, and it is still too thick and is breaking the hair on his neck.
I love the oli collars, too, but any dog I might put it on (Oskar or Leo) has longer, more fragile hair and it would break/mat the hair on their necks....I guess you wouldn't have them wear those fancy collars all the time, though?
Oh, and here is rolled leather martingale on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Martingale-Rolled-Dog-Collar-available/dp/B004YR2J36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356636849&sr=8-1&keywords=rolled+leather+martingale+dog+collar
I keep not getting it because it is $44, which doesn't make sense, because I'm sure I've spent more than that replacing collars so far! *lol* But part of my hesitation now is that I know the rolled leather is not helping with the breaking hair problem.
@shibamistress - Have you tried conditioning it? Just rub some oil into it, & let it dry. Should help soften it. You can hit it with a hair dryer to get the oil to absorb more. If you don't have mink or neatsfoot oil on hand, extra-virgin olive oil will do it.
The other reason it might still be breaking hairs is that it's too small of a size.*** The reason the rolled leather collars don't break hairs is because they're round, they "roll" around on the neck. But, if it's too tight, then it won't be able to "roll." Don't know if that makes sense.
*** Rolled collars are meant for tags, not walking. I wouldn't walk any dogs with a rolled collar since the process used for making them involves splitting & / or skiving down the center. Makes it weak, unless they put a core in there...even so, still not something I would trust unless it was saddle-stitched closed, not machine-stitched. ~
and it's big on him--the collar I mean--and we purposely buckle all the buckle collars loose, both in case they get stuck (since they are not break away collars) and to try to minimize some of the hair breakage. So it's not that it's too small--if anything, it's a bit big. Oh well....just not the right collar for him, I guess!
I didn't know about not walking them with the rolled collars, but then again, I walk everyone with a harness (except for Toby, who doesn't pull, so he gets a martingale collar).
Sorry the mink oil didn't help. You can try wetting it & working it with your hands too. Water will also help soften it, as will age...
BUT, I didn't mess with the samples I got too much. Like I said, I just really didn't like the leather.
Have you looked into braided kangaroo leather collars? Those are lightweight & round. In general, not for walking [ with a puller / lunger ] , but I know you said you don't walk with collars anyway. They're popular in the show ring, I think, as they don't matt fur. ~
Another problem I had with other leather collars is the dye rubs off on the dog when the collar gets wet. I've never had that problem w/ Auburn ones.
Plus I like the back story and Pit Bull/Rott advocacy. :-)
I don't even like my shoe leather to be that stiff!
And I love the paco collars too, but also not the right kind of collar for my longer more fragile haired boys.....
But, I didn't like the feel of the grain, so I passed over it. [ that plastic feel ] I didn't even test it to be honest like I did the samples from all the other tanneries / suppliers I checked for it's water / weather-resistance.
@shibamistress - I think if they use a paracord core, you should be good for walking on it. But don't quote me on that. I think it all depends on how many strands they used when braiding as well, in addition to, what they did to the actual leather itself. But, if there is no core, Kangaroo stretches. Should be ok as long as there is a core. [ & of course we're talking about a Kai here, not a mastiff
We're making collars & leashes
I mean, really...if I'm spending $80 on a leather collar, I want nice leather, with solid brass or stainless steel hardware...not old boot leather with steel hardware that's just nickle plated. KWIM? ~