Monday 14 April 2014
Tuesday 7 April 2009
Barefoot Leather - Hand-made Greyhound Collars
Barefoot Leather's 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 finest leather and solid cast brass buckles and dees.
Ray's greyhound, lurcher and whippet collars reflect a lifetime of owning and training running dogs. With all his designs and products, the dog's safety is paramount so he goes to extraordinary lengths to source the very best materials he can find for his much-loved sighthounds. Ray insists: "You can't make a quality product with substandard materials, and that goes for dogs as well as collars and leads!"
The latest addition to Ray's family is a gorgeous blue whippet bitch called Whisper. She has the run of his workshop and is often called upon to model his latest canine creation.
Ray's Greyhound and Whippet collars can be seen on his website: www.barefootleather.co.uk. There are plain and coloured collars, they can be hand tooled or even hand carved with your choice of design. Your dog's name can be embossed and a matching lead made to suit your needs.
Just give Ray a call on 01584 873633 for a 'no obligation' chat!
Ray's greyhound, lurcher and whippet collars reflect a lifetime of owning and training running dogs. With all his designs and products, the dog's safety is paramount so he goes to extraordinary lengths to source the very best materials he can find for his much-loved sighthounds. Ray insists: "You can't make a quality product with substandard materials, and that goes for dogs as well as collars and leads!"
The latest addition to Ray's family is a gorgeous blue whippet bitch called Whisper. She has the run of his workshop and is often called upon to model his latest canine creation.
Ray's Greyhound and Whippet collars can be seen on his website: www.barefootleather.co.uk. There are plain and coloured collars, they can be hand tooled or even hand carved with your choice of design. Your dog's name can be embossed and a matching lead made to suit your needs.
Just give Ray a call on 01584 873633 for a 'no obligation' chat!
Monday 6 April 2009
Choosing a new collar for a greyhound
When choosing a collar for your greyhound or lurcher there are some special considerations you need to be aware of:
1) Many greyhounds have a neck that is bigger (in circumference) than their head
Greyhounds (especially males) generally have thick muscular necks and long thin pointed heads, with ears that can lie absolutely flat to their head. This means if a Greyhound 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 greyhound collar can injure and possibly break the dog's neck neck.
It is said that a Greyhound can accelerate from 0 to 40mph in 3 seconds. Grehounds 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 Greyhound collar should span two vertebrae. This means a minimum width of two inches.
All Barefoot Leather greyhound collars meet this standard
1) Many greyhounds have a neck that is bigger (in circumference) than their head
Greyhounds (especially males) generally have thick muscular necks and long thin pointed heads, with ears that can lie absolutely flat to their head. This means if a Greyhound 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 greyhound collar can injure and possibly break the dog's neck neck.
It is said that a Greyhound can accelerate from 0 to 40mph in 3 seconds. Grehounds 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 Greyhound collar should span two vertebrae. This means a minimum width of two inches.
All Barefoot Leather greyhound 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 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.
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.
Check out www.barefootleather.co.uk to find out more
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 www.barefootleather.co.uk to find out more
Contact us:
All leads and collars are hand-made in our workshop in Ludlow.
Please call 01584 873633 for a chat or check out www.barefootleather.co.uk
an email to: ray@barefootleather.co.uk will work too!
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