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Barefoot Leather - Bespoke Lurcher Collars

Ray Hatley trained as a harness maker and has been making high quality bespoke leather dog collars for more than thirty years. He uses the very best quality leather and solid brass or nickel-plated brass buckles and dees.

All kinds of collars are available including greyhound, lurcher and whippet collars, terrier and small dog collars right up to German Shepherds and mastiffs.

Collars can be any size, colour and can even be hand tooled or carved with your choice of design. The dog's name can be embossed and a matching lead made to suit your needs.

Call Ray on 01584 873633 for a 'no obligation' chat or check out the
Barefoot Leather website.

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Choosing a new collar for a lurcher

When choosing a collar for your lurcher there are some special considerations you need to be aware of:

1) Many lurchers have a neck that is bigger (in circumference) than their head

Heavy lurchers (especially males) can have thick muscular necks and long thin pointed heads, with ears that can lie absolutely flat to their head. This means if a lurcher is frightened by something whilst out for a walk (and some are terrible babies) it may panic and simply back out of a normal collar.

2) A badly chosen lurcher collar can injure and possibly break the dog's neck neck.

It is said that a lurcher can accelerate from 0 to 40mph in 4 seconds. Lurchers are bred to chase and hunt so they can be expected to show 'considerable interest' in cats or rabbits. As the dog reaches the end of its lead the collar can jerk its neck with considerable force. To protect the dog's neck/back from injury a lurcher collar should span two vertebrae. This means a minimum width of two inches.

All Barefoot Leather lurcher collars meet this standard

'Breaking in' a new leather collar

New collars are often quite stiff and unyielding. A smart dog will soon work out that it is easy to slide backwards out of a stiff new collar so it is necessary to soften the leather a little before the dog wears it.

Good quality leather collars will already be quite supple. All you need to do is rub a little Skidmore's conditioning cream into the front and back of the leather to add moisture and a beeswax sealant. This will make the leather supple and water resistant and, as Skidmore's is made entirely from natural materials, it won't harm your dog.

Check out: Barefoot Leather - we send out worldwide every day.

Choosing a lead

The main thing to consider when choosing a new lead is the weight of the dog and the speed at which it can accelerate. Make sure you choose a lead that is strong enough to stop your dog instantly without breaking.

Good quality, well made leather leads have been used for centuries because they have a certain amount of elasticity or stretch which cushions the dog from the worst effects of a 'snatch'. Properly looked after a good leather lead will last the lifetime of the dog and more.

Always make sure the lead fittings are well designed and ensure the clip cannot be undone accidently. Beware: some cheap 'trigger hooks' will break under strain. Look for solid brass, nickle-plated solid brass or stainless steel.

Check out Barefoot Leather to find out more

Contact us:

All our leads and collars are hand-made in our workshop in Ludlow. We do not import collars and leads and we do not sell inferior quality goods.

Please call 01584 873633 for a chat or check out Barefoot Leather

an email to: ray@barefootleather.co.uk will work too!

The Barefoot Leather guide to choosing a lurcher collar