How We Make our Collars & Leashes

One of the reasons are leashes are special is because they are handmade in very artisanal process.   Each one is a piece of art and unique.   Here's a simplified process of how we make our collars & leashes:

  1. Prepare Hides of Full Grain Leather for Cutting

    • We only buy Full Grain leather because of its beauty and durability.   
    • We only buy complete hides.  We then lay the hides out and and mark them up for cutting making sure to avoid any holes and uneven areas.  

  2. Cut the Hides into Strips

    • Our artisans use a combination of handheld tools and hand-operated machines to cut the full hides into strips. 
    • We only buy complete hides because we need very long strips of leather. For example, our large leashes use two 7-foot strips of leather.  We do not sew a 5 foot strip and a 2 foot strip together to make the 7-foot strips!  We use one piece of leather!   This adds time and expense to the process but results in a stronger, superior product.

  3. Prepare Strips for Fabrication

    • Smooth and polish the backside of each strip to achieve an even thickness
    • Hand sand selected areas on the strip where we will make folds and place hardware 

  4. Hand Punch Designs into leather

    • Our Artisans use a hand punch to put beautiful designs into one of the two strips of leather. This allows light to reach the reflective material we will place in between the strips of leather. 

  5. Reflective Material Inserted Between Strips

    • We use industrial grade reflective material because it does not deteriorate or lose its reflective properties with time and use.  Its the same stuff used in firefighters uniforms! 
    • The reflective material inserted between the two strips
    • Strips are then glued together using specialty leather glue.  

  6. Prepare the Edges 

    • The edges of the leather strips are meticulously sanded then polished.
    • This is done to create a smooth even edge suitable for painting.  
    • Apply a carefully chosen paint to the edges, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your leather product.

  7. Paint the Edges 

    • Specialty leather paint is applied by hand to the edges of the collar. 
    • Strips are then left to dry.

  8. 1st Round of Stitching

    • The two strips are stitched together using high quality nylon thread.   
    • Both the inside and outside face of the collar consist of a single strip of Full Grain leather.  We don't use a different, cheaper material for the backside of the collar. The result is a collar that doesn't have a "bad side".  Both sides have the same top quality leather.

  9. 2nd Round of Painting

    • A second coat of specialty leather paint is applied by hand to the edges of the collar. 

  10. Painted Edges are Heated and Polished 

    • Painted edges are heated using a hand-held artisanal tool then repolished.
    • This creates a smooth even painted edge.

  11. Hardware Attached

    • Buckle and ring are placed on the collar and secured with rivets
    • All of our hardware is either solid brass or stainless steel

  12. 2nd Round of Stitching

    • Selected areas of the collar around the hardware are reinforced with additional stitching.  
    • The end result is a collar that is held together with glue, rivets, and multiple rounds of stitching.   

  13. Personalized Engraving (Optional)

    • We use an laser engraver to engrave whatever text you want (dogs name, phone number, address, etc.)
    • Text can be placed on a variety of locations (frontside tip, backside tip, leather loop, etc.)  
    • Check out our engraving process!