Paracord Collars - slip off tag collar added to OP

edited November 2011 in Products & DIY
So, here are the paracord collars I made. One for each dog, plus a cat collar. The dog collars have their boomerang collar tags built in and whistle buckles, and the cat collar has a break-away buckle. The O-rings on the dog collars are salvaged from other collars and harnesses that got chewed up. Sosuke's collar used the "cobra stitch", Hester's was the "see-saw knot", and Rakka's was woven. The paracord has a reflective strip in it.



Close-up showing the three different styles:


Modeled:





I was thinking, "I bet Juno would look good in the purple one..." So here's Sosuke 'in drag' proving me right! Yeah, the wall behind was painted by the kids, but it looks nice with the purple.



Reflective!




Here's a very simply, thin tag collar. It's tied in such a way that it will pull loose if the dog is stuck on something, although it requires quite a bit of pressure to loosen it, so you could use it to grab onto them. This would be good for owners of show dogs whose fur they don't want flattened by a regular collar, or for owners who worry about dogs getting their collars caught on a crate or a fence. Also good for a litter of puppies.


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Comments

  • Dang these are pretty neat!
  • Very nice work I like the purple on Sasuke. :)
  • those are nice.. I wonder could you make a martingale style collar?
  • oooohhh!!! I lovelovelove them!! Do you sell them :) ??? I would love a thin one for Bea. She is always bolting and so I have to keep a collar on her even at home just in case....
  • These are awesome. My fav is the see saw knot collar. :)
  • Those are awesome, Heidi! You and Tony need to team up!
  • Those are awesome Heidi! I really like the knot style of the orange one. I was considering making a few of these a while back [ saw some super cool tutorials online ] but was concerned with how "sturdy" they are. Are they as "strong" as say, nylon, collars? Or are they purely for tags? ~
  • Holy moly those are nice! Yeah I need a collar like that to compliment Tony's leads. I will be first up to purchase some if yo decide to sell them!
  • I like the reflective strip built in.

  • @Sangmort - Osy, they are made out of 550 cord... Of course they are strong! :) I bought a couple of leashes from Tony in the Spring, and I swear they are the strongest and most durable leads I have ever had. The guys that I work with are jealous. (Even though they do not even have dogs!) So I would say that the collars (as long as the knots were secure) would be better than standard nylon collars.
  • edited November 2011
    Thanks, everyone! I'm really liking them, too! I may remake Rakka's to be thinner like Sosuke's, though, as it's kind of wide and flattens her fur a little more than I like. That's another nice thing about them, since they are made so that you can unravel them in a survival situation, I can undo them and change them, make them longer, etc. On Sosuke's I left enough extra that I could undo it and make it longer if his neck gets thicker. It's still sturdy, though, because I back-wove it about a third of the way backward. Even if the ties did come loose, the collar wouldn't come off because of the way these are made. The rope is put through one side of the buckle, through the other half of the buckle, and then back through the first one again, and then woven back to the other end, and then tied up and back-woven again (if that makes any sense).

    @kaikenone - sure, you could make martingale:

    image
    You could also just use another paracord section instead of the chain.

    @Sangmort - Oh yeah, they're very strong - paracord is short for parachute cord, so it is meant to hold up the weight of a person parachuting. The "550" in the "550 paracord" means that the breaking point is 550 lbs - and that's just one strand. These are several strands strong. I think the weakest point on the collar is the plastic buckle, although that's the same as any dog collar with a plastic buckle. There are also metal side-release buckles. Or you could use one of those locking metal quick links instead of a buckle, or any other metal hardware, like this:

    image image

    Or, you could use a regular metal buckle and use a different weave, like this:

    image

    As for selling them... well, I don't have enough reflective paracord left to make any more collars (unless they're really little, like a cat collar), but I do have enough of the pink camo (what Hester's collar is made of) for about two dog collars, and I have some orange/black flecked stuff. I'm happy to take orders, though! I can order more of other colours if people want them, but it would take a while. Email me. heidi.bialik@live.ca
  • Thanks guys! I knew it was parachute chord, but having never actually "handled" it, it just looks so "squishy" to me LOL Just trying to see how much of an illusion it was ;)

    Yeah, I would go with metal buckles. I don't trust plastic buckles at all. [ unless they're just for tags ] The dogs are walked on harnesses, but for the instances when I need to grab a collar, I want something secure.

    How do you guys like the "feel" of them compared to leather or fabric or nylon? ~
  • @sangmort--I got a paracord leash from Tony and it's really nice...however, whenever Bea pulls on the leash unexpectedly, it hurts my hands so it is a little rough on the hands, imo. But I really love the leash.
  • They feel very sturdy and tough. I agree that they wouldn't be too soft on the hands if you were getting yanked around.
  • Paracord halter. I wanted a halter for Rakka to keep her from lunging at other dogs when we're on walks. I looked at the ones available, and I noticed that all of them have the leash attached to the strap that goes over the muzzle rather than to the collar portion. That way, the buckle and leash are hanging down off the dog's nose, and I know from experience that Rakka really hates that. I had a theory that Rakka would tolerate a halter better if the weight was on the collar and the nose strap only applied pressure if the dog tried to pull. So, I put this together. She puts up with it really well, and it doesn't put any pressure on her snout unless she pulls or lunges. I think I will make another one with a fabric strap for the nose so that it's even more comfortable, though.

    IMG_3095

    IMG_3096

    IMG_3106
  • The point of the halter is that the leash pulls (tightens) the nose strap, allowing you to pull the head towards you to control the dog. If the leash is only attached to the collar portion, the nose strap is just a decorative annoyance.
  • @hondru All of those look really awesome!! Way to go! I love that you got creative to find a solution that was more comfy for you dog and helped to fix a problem you were having! So cool :o)
    Did you have to special order your cord or were you able to find those great colors around where you live?
  • edited May 2012
    Hey awesome thread, I lurked since it was started and started my own paracord projects going (various bracelets, now leashes, and soon collars). Just wanted to post up the prototype 4ft leash I made as practice for the gift leash for my sister's new GSD/GR/? rescue puppy (4 months old now I think?). By prototype I mean practice leash, the gift leash's weave had improved tightness on the weave since I knew what I was doing after the first one, and was 1ft shorter for better puppy control.

    It's highlighter orange (like on traffic cones/hunting vests) and digital woodland.

    I kind of got addicted and now have 9 different colors, each in 100ft lengths, of paracord hahaha. I've had a bartender buy two bracelets for $10 a piece and now have had a friend want to commission two 4-6ft leashes for $20/per in her favorite sport team colors, so I'm 1/2 way to recouping my costs from people just offering to throw money at me. Really cool hobby and they make great personalized gifts :) Thanks for starting this thread!

    I'm really digging that halter collar's weave style and colors! Until now I'd never heard of boomerang tags either, they really add that extra something to your collars.
  • edited May 2012
    @poeticdragon The nose strap still works this way. It doesn't need to tighten; the fact that it's attached to the collar means that the head is pulled back when the collar is pulled, too. Look at the picture of Rakka wearing the halter and imagine the leash pulling down. The collar portion would go down, and since the strap is firmly attached, of course it would pull down, too, putting pressure on the snout. If you're still having trouble picturing it, I could try to take a video.

    @CarabooA Yes, I ordered all the cord online. I only found one place that sold it locally and they only had olive drab and it cost twice as much as online.

    @cezieg Looks good! I'm glad you were inspired. I, too, have collected quite a lot of paracord colours and am making all sorts of stuff. More than what is shown in this thread for sure.

    This reminds me, I actually took apart Rakka's collar and made it different and then made a new one for Sosuke (his neck grew). I should post pictures of those. They have steel bow shackles instead of plastic buckles.
  • Would weaving a softer rope along with the paracord make it easier on the hands?
  • @ayk I wear a paracord bracelet daily and it started off rough, but now it's super smooth and soft after breaking in. The way I wove it makes it somewhat narrow and does apply pressure somewhat sharply. Perhaps switching the weave for the handle or finishing on a metal O ring with a softer material handle loop attached might work. Going to make some more leashes in the near future with different ideas for this. Not quite sure what @ttddinh 's leash looks like.
  • @cezieg-- I don't make the paracord leashes. I get mine from Tony, I think alot of members on the forum get their leashes from Tony too (I don't know his sn on this forum). Although I DO get paracord collars from Heidi. The one she made for Bea is really pretty.
  • Very cool. I've actually made a few martengale/lead combos. I made a martengale for Kage my shiba. It's nonadjustable. They are kinda tricky to make.
  • @toecari & @hondru - Do either of you have a web/blog page or something that shows the diff types of colors/collars you make and prices?
  • @CarabooA I've made a lot for some Forum members. I don't have a blog, but here is a review

    http://thedailytoki.com/2011/05/09/paracord-leash-review-and-daily-toki-giveaway/
  • Cool! Thanks!! With Kunai coming to us soon we will need an extra leash or two... I'll talk to the hubby and let him take a look! :o)
  • So after making leashes for a few friends/relatives I've gotten some reviews back. Mostly about how they like the colors, that's it tough and washable, etc. The one common negative is that it can be rough on the wrist when looped around, sometimes the hands too if the person has soft hands. Has anyone done any sort of modification or addition to paracord leashes to pad? ex. wrapping the loop with leather or anything similar? Or any tips/suggestions to making it more comfortable?
  • edited August 2012
    @cezieg The Ruff Wear "Knot-a-Leash" handles are SUPER comfortable! Maybe you could do something like that.

    We tie 1 or 2 knots on our paracord leashes so when we have to pull the dogs away from something (or just for comfort) we just grab the knots. It gives us more grip and it doesn't strain our wrists. We still slip our hands through the handle for security.
  • I love the leashes I got from tony.
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