Leather Care
Leather is a natural material and will need some care and attention to stay looking good. We use a soft bridle leather for most of our collars as it comes in a range of colours as well as being durable, but as some dogs are incredibly hard on their collars, being relentless pullers, wrestlers or scratchers, dogs who swim or roll in the mud, some basic care will keep collars looking good for longer. Being a natural material leather is also porous and if the leather becomes wet, some colour run of the natural dye may happen. Saturation should be avoided.
If your collar gets wet or muddy it can be cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth. The wet collar then needs to be dried with a cloth and left to dry naturally. Please don't place it near any direct heat as this will dry out the oils in the leather and make it crack. Once a collar has been cleaned it should be treated with an appropriate leather treatment to keep the leather moisturised and waterproofed.
Salt water
Leather and salt water don't go very well together.
If your collar does get immersed in salt water the look can be improved again by following the instructions below:
Take the collar and wash it in clean water and leave to dry naturally to remove the salt. Once it is dry apply an oily dubbin. We like the Kiwi select sport dubbin as it is very oily and an oily gel is just what is called for. Use fingers and apply it liberally over all of the collar including the brass work. Rub it into the leather and then apply another coat till the oil sits on the surface of the leather. The collar should then be left for a day or 2 and any remaining oil removed with a soft cloth. The collars should be a lot softer at that point as the oils will have been replaced and the surface should be better. Though how much better depends on the extent of the initial damage. Dubbin is not suitable for use on suede and nubuck.
Our collars and leads are made from very high quality components, but because leather is a natural material that is affected by many factors, we highly recommend that for yours and your pet's safety you examine pet's collars and leads regularly for any signs of wear and tear.