We love dogs & we love making really great products for dogs, and products that work brilliantly well for their owners too.
The details are VERY important to us because it is in the detail that a good product becomes a really great product. Here you can read about all of the hidden secrets that go into making our leather collars the best that they can be:
The leather that we use is 3-4mm thick in black, tan, chocolate or red. Occasionally we throw a limited edition of another lovely colour into the mix, but the Core Four's special strengths are:
Black Leather - the original and classic. Really long lasting and strong.
Tan Leather - will age beautifully. As it is worn the colour will deepen with time.
Chocolate Leather - strong & beautifully rich in colour – looks amazing on brindle dogs.
Red Leather - bright and fun, however may not last as long as the natural veg tanned colours.
Red leather is a strange and tricky thing. We have tried many different red leathers over the years – some deepen to a brown when worn, others run like crazy. And while it's fun, we do not want to make any white dogs pink unintentionally. Eventually, after many years, our experimenting and testing led us to create our very own red leather which is now specially made for us. It seemed that through dyed leather was one of the major factors in the red running into a dogs coat, so we use a natural, pale leather and have both the top and the underside surface coated to our own pantone reference. Making the red leather this way not only also reduces the tendency for the leather to deepen in colour as it ages, but it goes a long way to stop the red dye from running into your dogs fur.
There seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to why red leather will run into some dogs fur and not others. We have tested and researched for years and are left to conclude that it must be down to the oils in certain dogs coats causing the leather to run. For this reason we have created a one sided red leather especially for white furred dogs. It is surface coated in red on the top of the leather and we leave the underside uncoated and natural to further minimise the risk of run. If you have a white dog, please let us know when ordering a red collar and we will use this special one sided red leather for your collar.
It is important to note that leather is a naturally dyed material. It can behave in a similar way to a new pair of dark denim jeans - you know when you wear them for the first day and find that everning that your legs have turned blue... Leather is a natural product and some colour transference can happen on initial wearing but should soon stop.
Fittings: Buckle, dee ring and studs are all made in solid brass. The silver finish versions are nickle plated solid brass.
Studs: Our studs are exclusively handmade for us – each stud is hand punched from solid brass, the rivet backs are then individually welded on by hand. We use brass because it is strong and will not break. The silver colour versions are nickel plated. All studs have brass backs for a hypoallergenic finish against the dogs neck. Due to the nature of dogs (diving through hedges, rolling in muddy puddles…), very occasionally we will be contacted to say a dog has lost a stud from their collar (in all of our 22 years of product testing this has never happened to any of our dogs collars despite much abuse). If this does happen please contact us and we can replace the stud for you.
Waterproofing: Before leaving our workshop the collar will have been treated with Neatsfoot oil to protect against water. Ideally we recommend treating this collar as you would a pair of leather shoes – it may not last as long if not looked after. Ideally rinse off salt water if worn swimming and remoisturise with saddle soap or Neatsfoot oil every now and then. However this being said, lots of our customers are in and out of the sea and their collars last for years without any rinsing or saddle soaping.
Care Instructions: To care for your hand made leather dog collar we recommend that you treat it as you would a new pair of shoes. If you spend 3 hours in the sea in a pair of leather DM’s then they won’t look the same as when they were new. That said, dogs just want to have fun and really don’t care about these things, and rightly so. So to keep your collar strong and supple, treat it with Neatsfoot Oil or Saddle Soap every now and then. And after a jump in the sea please try and wash off any salt water and avoid your dog pulling against a wet collar as you will stretch the leather.
Our collars are guaranteed for 6 months from date of purchase against breakage or loss of studs.
Our collars tend to last for many years – often a lifetime. If the collar is in need of some TLC we offer a collar service for £20 (inc postage back to you) where we will replace all rivets or missing studs and clean and treat the leather.
Guarantee: Our collars are guaranteed for 6 months from date of purchase against breakage or loss of studs.
Sizes and Breeds: Please see our size guide and info sheet on how to measure your dog’s neck for one of our collars. We use neck size rather than overall collar length as this creates a more accurate fit.
Size 0: 3 studs. Neck Size: 19-24cm/7.5-9.5”. Collar Width: 12mm at buckle, 18mm at collar. Great for puppies and tiny breeds – Chihuahua.
Size 1: 4 studs. Neck Size: 23-30cm/9-10.5”. Collar Width: 12mm at buckle, 18mm at collar. Great for small Jack Russells, Mini Poodles, Miniature Dachshunds, Yorkshire Terriers.
Size 2: 4 studs. Neck Size: 25-35cm/11-13”. Collar Width: 20mm. Great for Boarder Terriers, Caverpoos, Parsons Jack Russells, Dachshunds.
Size 3: 5 studs. Neck Size: 31-42cm/12-15”. Collar Width: 23mm. Great for Schnauzers, Cockerpoos, Cocker Spaniels.
Size 4: 6 studs. Neck Size: 40-51cm/15-18”. Collar Width: 25mm. Great for working Labs, Springer Spaniels, Labradoodles.
Size 5: 6 studs. Neck Size: 46-56cm/18-21”. Collar Width: 30mm. Great for Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Standard Poodles, Ridgebacks.
Size 6: 7 studs. Neck Size: 56-66cm/22-26”. Collar Width: 30mm. Great for chunky Labs, Large Golden Retrievers, Bull Dogs, Great Danes.
Please ensure you measure correctly for your dog’s collar as it will be hand made to order for you by our team of artisans. Below we give you a rough guide per breed, but we will often see 3 dogs of the same breed to wear 3 different size collars. I have 2 labradors – Beetle wears a size 4, Buzz wears a size 5.
For more information on how to measure your dog for a collar, please read our specialist blog on how to ensure you buy the right size collar HERE.
