What is the purpose of an additional loop?
The additional leather loop on one of my handmade leather dog collars serves to hold the point of the dog collar tightly against the collar. The extra loop is the one on the right of the picture, after the dee ring. It is stitched in place and blocked square. It make the collar look nicer by not leaving the point flapping around. It can also help if you have more than one dog that like to chew one another's collars.
Australian nut bridle leather and so...
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How about treating your dog to a handmade plaited leather dog collar from Oakside Saddlery. It's not even too late for Christmas to place your order for a bespoke leather dog collar.
My plaited leather dog collars are made from a single piece of Oak Bark Tanned Bridle Leather. This one is full grain London Tan colour from J&FJ Bakers in Colyton. I use a mystery braid to make these leather dog collars. A mystery braid has no cuts across the leather nor any joins to weaken the collar. Have a loo...
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So you need a collar that is wider than 1 inch but you don't like having the big buckle that goes with it. You need one of my Extra-Wide Dog collars.
These handmade leather dog collars are wider than 1 inch, this one is an inch and a quarter. But it still uses a 1 inch buckle and dee ring.
The buckle is attached using a 'reverse turn' on the bridle leather. This turns the leather at the buckle return to the outside of the collar. A reverse turn has a number of advantages; It keeps the inside of...
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An option on my handmade leather Sighthound Collars is to have the inside lined and padded. This padding can help to protect a sighthound's long neck when they are on the lead.
I use a soft leather to line the inside of the leather dog collar. This is stitched by hand to the collar. In this collars case the dog collar has also been lined with a thick layer of neoprene between the two pieces of leather. This further reduces pressure on your dog's neck.
Handmade from Black Oak bark tanned Bridle ...
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Sighthounds such as Greyhounds, Wolfhounds, Saluki, and Whippets, tend to have long narrow necks and need a different style of collar to other breeds.

This Sighthound Collar is made from Full Grain London colour Bridle leather that is strong and yet soft and pliable. It is a martingale or half check dog collar with a leather check loop and solid brass rings.
The inside of the Sighthound dog collar is padded with a soft leather helping to protect your dog's neck. A thick layer of neoprene is use...
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It's not just big dogs that need their own handmade leather collar. Small dogs need them to.
Made by hand using the finest English bride leather my small dog leather collars can be as narrow as 1/2 inch wide. Perfect for the smaller breeds of dog.
Solid brass roller buckle and dee ring provide long-lasting and fantastic good looks. Handmade to your measurements for a perfect fit. Stitched by hand using waxed linen thread and made entirely in Great Britain.
This collar is a traditional leather do...
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So you have just got your new furry friend and need to treat them to a new dog collar. Once you start looking around you realise that there are a vast array of dog collars to choose from. From high visibility collars, to rope, chain, to leather. Each of these collars comes with their pros and cons.

Now this may sound strange but for a puppy I would recommend finding a collar with a lot of adjustment that your dog can grow in to. No matter how much you look it up and think how big there a...

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Any dog, Any size!


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Fed up with a long, flappy, end on your lovely handmade leather dog collar?
Then simply opt for the additional loop option and I will hand stitch an extra leather loop after the dee ring. This loop keeps the point tightly against the collar and prevents it from spoiling your pets perfect pose for that excellent photograph.
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So I have made a new deign of plaited leather dog collar. This collar merges the working dog collar style with a plaited collar. Because, lets face it some working dogs deserve a bit of style!

The first thing that you notice is the solid brass West End buckle providing years of rust free use. The dee ring is at the very end and two fixed loops keep the pint well and truly under control. The leather is a reverse turn here, meaning that the inside of the collar, against your dogs neck, is as smo...
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How do you measure your Dog’s existing collar to get the right sized Handmade Collar from Oakside Saddlery?

First take your a look at your current collar on your dog. Does it fit OK? If not now is the time to make so changes. Make a note of which hole the collar is buckled to and then remove the collar from the dog.

Lay the collar out flat and measure from the inside edge of the buckle to the hole that it was buckled to.

You can see the mark on the collar where it was buckled to on this pictur...

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I have a few ideas in my head for some new styles of handmade leather dog collars. I thought I might put these ideas to paper - so to speak.

Patent Stripe
This would be a leather dog collar based on my patent stripe browbands and nosebands. A standard traditional leather dog collar with an inserted piece of patent leather. I can't make a collar entirely from patent leather as it is too thin in substance. Therefore the strength will need to be in the normal bridle butt leather that I make all of...
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Personalisation of any item is a good thing! And how better to express this than by ordering handmade.

Colour

The three leather dog collars above are; from left, Dark Havana, Black, and Australian Nut.Dark Havana is a dark brown coloured leather, Australian Nut has a reddish hint to it, and black is, well, black! 

Stitching is carried out by hand and can either blend in or contrast. So above we have brown stitching on a dark Havana collar, Yellow stitching on an Australian Nut collar, and on the...

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The point when making leather is the part of a belt or strap that passes through the buckle. There are a variety of designs and styles that a Cordwainer can use, and sometimes traditional methods dictate what style of point a strap should have. Nowadays, on leather belts and the like, this is just a case of personal preference.

There are two styles of point that I use and both are traditional designs.

Cathedral Point

The cathedral point, or harness point, is probably the most common point end in...

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Measuring your dog for a slip collar

The measurement that I require to make your leather handmade slip collar is not the same as a traditional collar. This is due to the way that a leather slip collar fits on your dog. As a slip collar does not open it needs to be able to pass completely over your dog's head without pinching or rubbing.

To measure you will need;

• A fabric tape measure,

• and your dog of course!

Simply take your tape and measure around the largest part of your dog's head....

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Measuring your dog for a Handmade Leather Dog Collar from Oakside Saddlery couldn't be easier!

Method 2

Using your dogs existing collar to measure for your new handmade Leather Dog Collar. You will need the following items;

• Your dog's collar.

• A fabric tape measure or other ruler.

How To

Before removing your dog's collar check the fit and note which hole that the collar is buckled to.

• Remove the collar and lay it flat.

• Lay your measure alongside the collar.

• Take the measurement from the inside of the o...

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To measure your dog for your new Handmade Leather Dog Collar from Oakside is quite simple really.

Method 1

You will need the following items;

• A fabric tape measure (this can be in inches or centimetres)

• Two fingers

• And your dog

Hopefully you have all three of these otherwise you may have to improvise!

Place the fabric tape around your dogs neck where the collar will go. The tape needs to have enough slack to easily slide two fingers underneath it. This is the size of the collar that you should order...

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The Sighthound Collar

A sighthound is a type of hound that catches its prey by using shear speed and agility. It uses, as the name would suggest, its keen vision to keep this prey in sight at all times. Sighthounds have a long, lean, and flexible body; long legs and neck, and a deep chest. This all comes together to create the perfect, high-speed, hunter.

Breeds of dog associated with being a Sighthound include;

• Greyhound

• Whippet,

• Lurcher

• Afghan Hound

• Borzoi

• Wolfhound

• Saluki

To name but a few.

Sighthoun...

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Plaited collar

My plaited dog collars are made from English Bridle leather, the pre-eminent leather available. It is hard wearing, long-lasting and has an excellent finish. My plaited leather collars are available in either Black, Dark Havana, or Australian Nut Bridle leather with the entire collar made from a single piece of leather, with no joins in the plait.

Buckle

The buckles that I use are either; solid brass roller buckles or stainless steel West End Buckles. I use stainless steel West En...

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So you have an idea for the perfect collar for your dog. And no matter how much you have scoured the web you just can’t find exactly what you are looking for! This is when a Bespoke Cordwainer comes in handy. Give me your ideas and I will see what I can do.

Some of the specific requirements I have been requested to make are listed below

• ·         Extra wide to protect an old injury.
• ·         Brass instead of leather loops.
• ·         Wide boar hound style collar.
• ·         Double pronged buc...

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1. It has good looks and characteristics.

2. It can put up with bad weather.

3. It can put up with a lot of abuse.

4. It is smooth and comfortable when in use.

5. If looked after it can last a lifetime.

6. It is strong and can be stitched well.

Si

www.oaksidesaddlery.co.uk
www.oaksidebelts.co.uk
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Dog Collars have been in use by mankind for thousands of years. Images can be found in Ancient Egyptian paintings dating back to 3500BC. These collars were made from leather and had the dogs name on them. The Ancient Greeks used dogs to protect their livestock and used large spiked collars. The Ancient Romans were devoted to their dogs, and collars have been found with with messages in them showing appreciation to their dogs.

Dogs have been used, and sadly abused, by humans for many years; hu...

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You have been looking for a proper leather dog collar, just like you remember having years ago! But no matter how much you look you just can't seem to find one. Well look no more!

My handmade Traditional Leather Collar is made the old Fashioned way using English Bridle Leather which is very strong and long-lasting, solid brass or Stainless steel fittings ensure that there is no rust, and hand stitched with linen thread.

I hand stitch the fittings using an old traditional method which passes two...
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Hi all,

My name is Simon, I am the Cordwainer at Oakside. My two websites are www.oaksidesaddlery.co.uk and www.oaksidebelts.co.uk. I specialise in hand stitching heavy English Bridle leather and making bespoke leather dog collars and leads, horse bridles and hand made leather Belts.

I hope to be able to use this blog to inform you about some of the products that I make, give you an insight into leather and the skills that I use, and to also provide some advice to help you make an informed deci...
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