Basic Care Guide
If your collar or leash gets dirty, wipe with a damp cloth. If the collar is REALLY dirty, using some leather cleaner as indicated on the product label is good for those grubby collars. A soft bristle toothbrush is handy for getting settings, crystals, and cabochons clean when extra dirty.
After cleaning with a leather cleaner and allowing your collar or lead to dry, you need to condition it. Never condition dirty leather!
Once finished buckle the collar and let sit on a flat surface - do not hang a damp/wet/freshly cleaned collar as this can result in some stretching or warping of the leather.
In our experience, only the Bick will not darken leather, the rest will darken the leather to varying degrees. The Huberd’s Shoe Grease and Aussie conditioner(as well as many others!) contain wax and in cold weather or in storage may result in a pale colored wax bloom on the surface of the leather - do not worry! Rub and wipe the excess wax from the surface of the leather - friction from wiping/rubbing and warmth from your hands will soften and melt the wax and allow it to be wiped away or soak back into the leather.
Recommended Products
Recommended products for the latigo, bridle, and strap leathers are Bick 4, Smith’s Leather Balm, and Leather Honey.
Bick 4 Cleaner and Bick 4 Conditioner are the most versatile of the products we recommend and are suitable for all but the Specialty Leathers.
For working leads and plain collars ONLY - Huberd’s Shoe Grease and Fiebings Aussie Leather Conditioner are great products for intense conditioning and weatherproofing. Huberd's Shoe Grease has a strong smokey earthy scent that may not be appealing to everyone.
Please keep in mind that most leather conditioners will darken the leather!
Regular Lining/Padding Leathers
All the regular solid colored overlay and lining/padding leathers can be submerged in water and are fine for intermittent fresh water swimming. Always allow your collar to fully dry as soon as possible after rain or swimming. Clean and condition your collar regularly - for the lining/padding leathers we recommend Bick 4 products and not any oils or wax based conditioning products.
Caring for Specialty Leathers
The specialty leathers require different care and are more sensitive to the elements. Examples being the Elephant Embossed, python print, crackle, metallic, holo, sparkle, etc leathers - ALL specialty leathers. These leathers should not be submerged in water or allowed to become saturated, and should only be cleaned with a damp cloth and soft bristle brush. These leathers should NOT have any conditioner applied to them! Specialty leathers are a luxury item that are meant to make a fashion statement, they are not intended for hard use or wear.
Leather Info
Only the highest quality latigo and bridle leathers are used for collars and leads. The average weight of the leather is 9-10oz (approximately 3.5-4mm) although the black latigo is a little bit lighter at 8-9oz (3.2-3.5mm). These latigo and bridle leathers are very durable and water resistant. Our regular solid colored lining/padding leathers are also durable and can withstand some water and swimming if properly cared for, although they are not as tough as the bridle and latigo base leathers.
Any heavyweight bridle leathers used for working dog leads will be 12-14oz (4.5-6mm), use of this heavier leather will be noted in the product description if used.
For full length overlay collars, top panel of multi layer designs, and special order collars for puppies, small dogs, and cats, the base leather will be highly quality 6/7oz veg tanned strap leather. This lighter weight leather is used to reduce bulk and ensure crystal and cabochon settings and all decorative spots can be set securely into the leather. Overlay leathers range from 2-4oz in weight, so the collar with full length overlay will still be a minimum of 8oz and up to 11oz in total thickness with the base leather.
The latigo, bridle, and strap leathers are very durable and the tanning process makes them water resistant and easy to care for. They are full of oils and waxes that make them more soft and pliable in the hand from day one, and do not require much break in time. All of our collars have been conditioned and hand worked prior to being shipped, but periodic care is always recommended for all leather products.
*Please Note!* leather tends to "bleed" dye when wet. All but the havana brown bridle, grey bridle, and any pigmented strap leathers used for limited release collars have the potential to stain light colored coats and clothing.*
Leather is a naturally occurring product and varies in appearance. There may be wrinkles, small lines, scars, or marks that do not affect the durability of the collar or leash strap. All straps are hand cut and every effort is made to ensure only the best parts of each side of leather are used to make each product.