Gear Guide
Here's a short guide to our leather, hardware, metals and jewels. We hope that our photography and descriptions speak for themselves, but here's some extra info, to ensure you make the right choices for your dog's gear and get the most out of our products. Of course, if you've got any questions, just drop us a line...
Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the page to see some pictures
Our leathers...
The leather we use is English bridle leather. A tanned cowhide, its historical use is in riding bridles and high-end equestrian tack. The wonderful thing about English bridle leather is that the hides are 'stuffed' with a multitude of greases and tallows, then finished off with natural waxes. This labour-intensive process gives bridle leather its unique 'waxy' feel and super-smooth surface. The high levels of grease and wax minimise drying and cracking and give the leather its renowned durability. With time and wear, waxes and tallows may rise to the surface creating white patches (known as 'blooms'). This is nothing to worry about and is simply a sign of good quality leather. Just buff up the surface with a dry, soft cloth. The leather we use for our medium and large collars (1, 1.25 and 1.5 inch widths) is a heavy-weight grade which means these collars are thicker and heavier than those usually found in pet shops. The leather we use for our small collars (0.75 inch width) is a lighter-weight grade.
Our English bridle black leather is a deep, moody licorice tone. It's probably our most popular leather colour, but it doesn't just look great on ebony dogs... customers often want black to pick up on a dog's nose, patches or spots.
Our English bridle brown leather is often described as 'bitter chocolate'. Of course it looks brilliant against brown fur, but customers will often choose brown if they want a warm tone to the leather, rather than the cool shade of jet black.
Our English bridle tan leather is a spicy tone with gingery notes. After all, we originally sourced this to harmonise with Boo's patches (she thought of it as her signature colour and, we have to admit, it was the shade she got most compliments in).
Our English bridle red leather is a rich, cherry shade. For a 'pop' of colour around your dog's neck, this is the option to choose. It looks fabulous with both brass and silver hardware and it's even more dazzling when teamed with Ruby jewels.
Our lining leather is lamb nappa. Quite simply, it's exquisite. Super-soft to the touch and like butter against your dog's neck; it's garment-grade quality leather. Our linings are a BOO! signature; they're double-layered with rolled edges. All leather linings are stitched in place using strong, rot-proof thread.
Our hardware...
The bolt snap is probably the most popular type of leash snap available to dog owners. It's often what customers are most used to and it's the quickest and easiest way to clip a lead on and off. Bolt snaps have a tiny spring inside the shaft which comes into action when you pull the bolt down to open/close the snap. Over time, this little spring can weaken, which can cause the bolt to open and close under small amounts of pressure. Has your lead ever come undone when your dog shakes his head? No, it hasn't happened to us either, but a quick search on the internet shows that this does and can happen with the bolt snap. That's not to say we don't love this snap - ours are solid brass and great quality - but if you have a super-strong breed who pulls, then consider using a snap without a spring mechanism (ie: the lobster snap).
The lobster snap is super-strong and our personal favourite (the Dobermann is a power breed after all). The tiny o-rings (usually found on head-collars) can sometimes wiggle through a bolt snap, but there's hardly any chance of it happening with the lobster snap. There's a tiny pin inside the mechanism of a lobster snap which allows the two sides of the snap to open and close (a bit like a lobster claw). This type of snap might need a little lubricating every now and then, but all-in-all the lobster snap is pretty fool-proof. We have found them to be popular with professional dog walkers and people in the canine training world.
Our 3/4 inch and 1 inch width leads (for medium and large dogs) feature heavy-weight leather and heavy-weight hardware
Our 5/8 inch width lead (for small dogs) features heavy-weight leather and light-weight hardware
The half-roller buckle is a favourite of ours because it's not as 'chunky' or 'bulky' as a full buckle. It's also super-easy to thread, which is why a half-roller buckle is the standard choice on all our collars. Sometimes, on a dog with long hair, customers prefer a full buckle, so if like the idea of that, then just let us know. We have all sorts of buckles in stock, so all you have to do is get in touch with your preferences and we'll do our very best to meet your requirements (heck, we've even sourced jewel-laden buckles before...)
Our metals...
All our hardware (buckles, d-rings, keepers) are either solid brass (gold colour) or nickel-plated brass or nickel-plated steel (silver colour). Our ornaments are a mixture - most of our spots, studs and rim settings (for the jewels) are either solid brass or nickel-plate, but some of our decorations and ornaments are steel, silver-plate or antique silver-plate. We've even used copper-plate ornaments before. Of course, if you'd like to know about any items in particular, just drop us a line...
Our jewels...
We have chosen to name most of our multi-faceted jewels (also referred to as gems and rhinestones) after precious and semi-precious gemstones. Of course they are not the real thing, but Boo felt pretty special wearing them all the same (and, to be honest, most of her play-buddies couldn't tell the difference either...)
Our emerald jewel is a bright, vivid tone. Its mesmerising colouration is both bewitching and captivating
Our peridot jewel is a pale-to-mid toned green which is bursting with the fresh and crisp colours of spring
Our sapphire jewel is a true mid-blue which reflects the tones and captivating glow of a bright twilight sky
Our palest blue jewel is a very light, smoky air blue with a faded grey-ish tint giving just a delicate whisper of colour
Our aquamarine jewel is a tropical sea blue. Mirroring the sense and spirit of the ocean, it's a refreshing, cool shade
Our amethyst jewel is a vivid purple with a flash of fuchsia at its heart. Its intense glow adds an opulent air of mystery
Our lavender jewel is an exceptionally pale-tinted rhinestone which gives just a subtle hint of elusive colour
Our ruby jewel is a fiery and rich regal red. Known as 'the king of gems', its depth and vibrancy adds to its majesty
Our rose jewel is a pretty mid-pink shade. Its dusty warmth gives it a beautiful vintage feel with a hint of romance
Our amber jewel is a mid-tone with hints of both orange and yellow. Its natural pairing is with brass hardware
Our citrine jewel is a fresh pale lemon yellow. Brass hardware brings out its warm tones and zesty citrus tinge
Our diamond jewel is a timeless classic. Keep it icy and modern with silver tones or traditional with golden shades
Our opal jewel has a clear base with an aurora borealis iridescence which reflects a rainbow of colours and hues
Our tangerine jewel is a spicy and warm shade with hints of ruby and amber. It beautifully mirrors the hues of autumn
Our alabaster jewel is an opaque white rhinestone which really 'pops' when set against our choice of leathers
Our onyx jewel is an opaque black gem. A solid colour, which captures the essence of night, it's forever chic and elegant
