Our collars are crafted from a variety of latigo, bridle and specialty leathers leathers. Each type of leather requires its own specialized care.

Latigo and Bridle leathers have been developed for use in horse tack. These leathers are both strong and durable. Rider safety depends on it! Saddlery items are expected to last for 10 or more years. The leather used in saddlery must be strong and must be able to survive poor weather, dirt, rain, and the natural oils from the horse’s skin and coat among other things. Latigo and Bridle leathers are smooth, have high tensile strength and must be flexible. While our Bridle leathers may be a little stiffer than our Latigo at first, once broken in, the Bridle leather will be soft as butter!

These are the reasons why we choose to use Latigo and Bridle leathers as our stock collar and leash leathers. These reasons also mean that we encourage you to USE your collars and leashes.

To care for your leather collars and leashes, we recommend investing in a good quality leather cleaner and conditioner. The two brands we recommend are Oakwood and Leather Honey. Glycerin Saddle Soap is also an excellent and inexpensive option as well.

To clean your collar or leash:

• Wet a soft cloth and wring it out thoroughly.

• Wipe your collar or leash down with the cloth. Rub the cloth up and down along the collar to remove any loose dirt or dust. Hold each piece taut with one hand, and rub the cloth up and down it with the other. Be careful to include stretches of leather that are usually covered by a buckle or runner.

• Use a damp sponge to apply your cleaner of choice. Do not soak the sponge in water! Using too much soap or putting too much lather on your leather will cause the leather to dry out.

• Soap all the leather on both sides, and between layers (if it’s a double layer collar) by gently rubbing the sponge up and down the collar or leash.

• If your collar appears dry or has gotten exposed to water on a regular basis, follow up the cleaning step with a light conditioning. NEVER CONDITION A DIRTY COLLAR OR LEASH!

• Any hardware can be buffed with metal or brass polish pad. If your collar has black hardware, clean the hardware with a damp cloth. Be careful not to rub hard as this will remove the black enamel coating on the hardware.

If your dog decides to go swimming in their FBD collar, don’t panic! Simply lay the collar flat to dry then clean and condition per above.

Important note about coated crystals and water: If your collar features top or bottom coated crystal colours such as any Glacier Blues, colour shifting crystals, metallics or shimmers, please note that exposure to water, particularly pool water (salt or chlorinated) may damage the finish on the crystals and cause the colours to fade. We do not recommend allowing your dogs to swim in a collar with coated crystals.

Caring for Specialty Leathers - Metallics

Metallic Leathers are a “fair weather” leather. A fashion leather, they are not designed to hold up to the same use and abuse as our Latigo and Bridle leathers. Metallic leathers are not dyed. Rather, a very thin metallic foil is applied to the smooth surface of the leather in order to give it its metallic appearance.

Treat metallic leathers with care and as the fashion accessory that they are.

DO NOT let your dog swim in a metallic lined collar. Exposure to water may damage the foil finish (a few raindrops is fine but a pool, perhaps not so much).

To clean your Metallics, very lightly and gently wipe down with a damp cloth so as not to scuff or remove the metallic foil.

Metallics do not need to be conditioned.

Caring for Specialty Leather - Chap & Lambskin Padding Leathers

Our lambskin and chap leathers are used for our padded collar linings. It is an incredibly soft and luxurious leather that is perfect for dogs with sensitive skin or necks. 

These leathers are less durable than our Bridle and Latigo leathers but more durable than our Metallics. With a little bit of care, your padded  lining will look great throughout the life of your collar.

Similarly to our Bridle and Latigo leathers, these leathers can get wet and will not be harmed by the occasional swim. Simply follow the care instructions listed for our Bridle and Latigo leathers above.