# Leather leash quality



## Dan Bowman (Nov 8, 2012)

I used to buy leashes and collars from a farmer who made them part time. The distinguishing feature was the leather. It was hard/stiff when new, but the more it was used the softer it became. Soft but not stretchy at all. The leather would become smooth on all sides, even the edges, unlike other leashes where one side or the edges are "hairy". It would never dry out and crack. I've had the same leash for over 20 years, and get panicky if a dog puts it's mouth on it. I'm afraid I won't find another like it. Does anyone know from my description what kind of leather this is, and where I can buy a leash made with this leather. I can post a close up pic of the leash if it will help.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

I buy Amish made leather goods and it sounds like it might be that. It just softens up and becomes really comfortable with lots of use. If you need some links, or contact info let me know.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

not a leather expert by any means..

the best leashes I have ever gotten were made by Jon Naroditsky (Rugby Leather, Fala Woods K9).

I have had one that I use often for over 15 years, and it will probably last another 20 years I am betting...granted it is a heavy leash and was not cheap, but it is awesome...


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Carol Boche said:


> I buy Amish made leather goods and it sounds like it might be that. It just softens up and becomes really comfortable with lots of use. If you need some links, or contact info let me know.


Yeah, me too. I buy the handmade Amish leashes on Leerburg.


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## Dan Bowman (Nov 8, 2012)

Carol, if you can't post the link here sure pm it to me.

Jody, falawoods.com website is down.

Here's a pic of my leash, hopefully someone will recognize the leather. I'll take another pic outdoors in daylight later. This doesn't need to be expensive. In the best case I just need the leather. I can braid it myself and put the rivet in. I also like to use my own snap that I trust.


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

There are several different types of leather. What you are describing sounds like harness leather.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

mike suttle said:


> There are several different types of leather. What you are describing sounds like harness leather.


Agree!
I have leashes like that and they are harness leather. The guy that made them no longer does it though. 
Look at Tandy leather on the net.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

probably a harness leather vs latigo Q ....
harness :
hard and needs to be broken in and conditioned properly
but MUCH more durable
- some don't like it because they're too lazy or don't know how to condition leather 

latigo :
- cheaper to make but decent
- made soft thru the tanning process so it's softer when you first get it. most amish stuff is latigo
- i work in the rain a lot and latigo won't last as long and will get ruined with crap conditioning products 

- your pic looks like harness leather
available LOTS of places, especially quality tack from reputable UK sources but if you are a usa made only type, can get em there too 

use harness leather horse reins with rolled edges ... makes great leads


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## Tim Lynam (Jun 12, 2009)

I agree with Rick. It looks to be 12 to 15 ounce Black harness leather. 

The English Bridle Leather, in 10 to 12 ounce (or heavier if you like) is also a "best" choice. It's my favorite and usually what I use to make leads and collars. It develops the fine feel you're talking about faster than harness and doesn't bleed black dye when it gets wet.

If you're not going to cut the strap out of a hide yourself, just be sure to buy strap cut out of the back, not the belly.

Either of the two leathers should last 3 lifetimes if given a minimum of care.


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## Dave Colborn (Mar 25, 2009)

mike suttle said:


> There are several different types of leather. What you are describing sounds like harness leather.


"No matter how fat your dog is, he won't break this collar."

I still tell that story.


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

Dave Colborn said:


> "No matter how fat your dog is, he won't break this collar."
> 
> I still tell that story.


 was I wrong? I can't tell you how many times I have had to listen to people tell me how much their dogs weigh, and then tell me crazy shit like "my dog will tear the sleeve out of that bite suit" or "my dog will break that 2" double ply leather collar"........
What Dave is talking about here was when he first came to work with us at Signature K-9 he and I went to a Virginia work dog seminar together (or maybe it was an iron dog event they hosted, not sure now, anyway) to set up a vendor booth and sell some equipment. There was some crazy civilian dude there who walked by our booth and picked up a heavy duty 2 " leather aggitation collar and said "my dog will break this collar". I said to him "no he won't", then his reply was "oh, yes he will, he is a 120 lb German Shepherd", to which I replied "I don't care how fat your dog is, he won't break this collar"........my PR skills have never been really good.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

This is my leash and is as old as the hills.... English harness leather. Has the feel you are talking about, and I think you can see the brass snap is beginning to perish, will last for years and years to come yet.


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## Dave Colborn (Mar 25, 2009)

mike suttle said:


> was I wrong? I can't tell you how many times I have had to listen to people tell me how much their dogs weigh, and then tell me crazy shit like "my dog will tear the sleeve out of that bite suit" or "my dog will break that 2" double ply leather collar"........
> What Dave is talking about here was when he first came to work with us at Signature K-9 he and I went to a Virginia work dog seminar together (or maybe it was an iron dog event they hosted, not sure now, anyway) to set up a vendor booth and sell some equipment. There was some crazy civilian dude there who walked by our booth and picked up a heavy duty 2 " leather aggitation collar and said "my dog will break this collar". I said to him "no he won't", then his reply was "oh, yes he will, he is a 120 lb German Shepherd", to which I replied "I don't care how fat your dog is, he won't break this collar"........my PR skills have never been really good.


I thought your PR skills were just fine. Maybe it's revisionist history, but I think he left mad and came back later and bought the collar.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Dave Colborn said:


> I thought your PR skills were just fine. Maybe it's revisionist history, but I think he left mad and came back later and bought the collar.


Think he broke it?

Maggie that was a cool imagery combo. Organic and fitting. Reminds me a bit of the song Leather and Lace (Stevie Nicks with Don Henley).


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Dave Colborn said:


> I thought your PR skills were just fine. Maybe it's revisionist history, but I think he left mad and came back later and bought the collar.


As long as he came back and bought the collar. It was an effective sales technique ;-)


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

This leash I've had five years or so, I think it is buffalo hide. It was very stiff initially but now is reasonably pliable and soft.... it's a piece of shit in comparison!


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## Dan Bowman (Nov 8, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like it's harness leather then. The leash in Maggie's pic looks like mine.


rick smith said:


> - your pic looks like harness leather
> available LOTS of places, especially quality tack from reputable UK sources but if you are a usa made only type, can get em there too :smile:


My leash is 15/16" wide, 6' long. I asked for it to be cut to this width. I realize it's unlikely to find this width so I'll settle for 1". Still I'm having trouble finding this online using search terms: harness leather 1" strap black
Can you please suggest better search terms or a link to a shop that sells this. The total length would've have to be minimum 7' 2" to account for the handle and snap.

Does this look like the right stuff? If so I can make two leashes from it http://www.buckarooleather.com/trai...il-riding-tack/black-harness-split-reins.html .


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## Steve Estrada (Mar 6, 2011)

John Riboni's use to do leather & this looks like his stuff. I have a couple leashes & a equipment bag both about 25yrs old from John. The bag is disintegrating but I still use it...\\/

QUOTE=Dan Bowman;362709]Carol, if you can't post the link here sure pm it to me.

Jody, falawoods.com website is down.

Here's a pic of my leash, hopefully someone will recognize the leather. I'll take another pic outdoors in daylight later. This doesn't need to be expensive. In the best case I just need the leather. I can braid it myself and put the rivet in. I also like to use my own snap that I trust.








[/QUOTE]


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

theleatherguyofmn on ebay has some hides and pieces for sale, inventory always varies...

I have bought some things from him in the past, some heavy 15+ oz stuff and some suede leather pieces for various things...

maybe shoot him a message.


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## Karen Havins (Apr 22, 2012)

It may have been answered here, but you are speaking of Harness Leather. 
If you have a choice between two leathers, or two pieces of leather period and one is harness leather and one is not...use the harness leather. 

Our horse equipment is always harness leather unless it's cheap.


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## Karen Havins (Apr 22, 2012)

mike suttle said:


> was I wrong? I can't tell you how many times I have had to listen to people tell me how much their dogs weigh, and then tell me crazy shit like "my dog will tear the sleeve out of that bite suit" or "my dog will break that 2" double ply leather collar"........
> What Dave is talking about here was when he first came to work with us at Signature K-9 he and I went to a Virginia work dog seminar together (or maybe it was an iron dog event they hosted, not sure now, anyway) to set up a vendor booth and sell some equipment. There was some crazy civilian dude there who walked by our booth and picked up a heavy duty 2 " leather aggitation collar and said "my dog will break this collar". I said to him "no he won't", then his reply was "oh, yes he will, he is a 120 lb German Shepherd", to which I replied "I don't care how fat your dog is, he won't break this collar"........my PR skills have never been really good.


hehehe 
Do people forget that these leashes are exactly like reins, and leads made for horses? If they can handle a horse, I think they can handle their pudgypooches


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## Karen Havins (Apr 22, 2012)

maggie fraser said:


> This leash I've had five years or so, I think it is buffalo hide. It was very stiff initially but now is reasonably pliable and soft.... it's a piece of shit in comparison!


Unless there is a new technique that I may not know about, this is regular leather, albeit nice leather. Buffalo isn't smooth. I actually love buffalo, our nicer cutback saddles are made of it. It's not a smooth leather, grainy and it's easier to uh..'stick' to lol.


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## Karen Havins (Apr 22, 2012)

Steve Estrada said:


> John Riboni's use to do leather & this looks like his stuff. I have a couple leashes & a equipment bag both about 25yrs old from John. The bag is disintegrating but I still use it...\\/
> 
> QUOTE=Dan Bowman;362709]Carol, if you can't post the link here sure pm it to me.
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]

This is just regular, fantastic old harness leather. Well tooled on the sides. 
It's sadly hard to see if you don't look closely, but this is a company that makes the very best training leather you can buy for horses. 
'N' is the driving reins, with the same side as this...they last decades with every day use on multiple horses. I have actually spoken with David Lasalle on more than one occasion about making some dog equipment!
http://www.lasalleharness.com/Page 4/Page4.htm


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Karen Havins said:


> Unless there is a new technique that I may not know about, this is regular leather, albeit nice leather. Buffalo isn't smooth. I actually love buffalo, our nicer cutback saddles are made of it. It's not a smooth leather, grainy and it's easier to uh..'stick' to lol.


I didn't think that leash as smooth, it was certainly not smooth on the underside and it was very stiff for the first year or so, I spent a bit of time conditioning it. I know what you mean about the 'stick', used to work horses myself. You could well be right though, I was not certain.


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## Dan Bowman (Nov 8, 2012)

Jody, thanks I send the leatherguy a message.

Karen, thanks for definitively identifying the leather. The "N" reins at $120 are expensive for two leashes, also they're 3/4", I need 1" wide.

Still open to suggestion on where to buy a 7.5' long 1" wide black harness leather strap with tooled edges.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

unless it's very well made (burnished // $$) all leather has two sides

- that's why i make my collars "inside out" ... so the smooth side rides on the dog's fur
- and i'll bet you a buck your loop handles have got the smooth side on the outside of the loop so it looks better hanging on a hook  ... i do it the opposite way 
- i'm not big on looks


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

rick smith said:


> unless it's very well made (burnished // $$) all leather has two sides
> 
> - that's why i make my collars "inside out" ... so the smooth side rides on the dog's fur
> - and i'll bet you a buck your loop handles have got the smooth side on the outside of the loop so it looks better hanging on a hook  ... i do it the opposite way
> - i'm not big on looks


I like collars smooth on both sides, guess I'm big on looks , or a leather snob!

You wanna see a pic of my dog's collar? :wink:


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

maggie fraser said:


> You wanna see a pic of my dog's collar? :wink:


 yes


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## leslie cassian (Jun 3, 2007)

These guys made me a custom dog harness pretty reasonably. 

http://www.aaronmartin.com 
Canadian Mennonite harness makers, probably ship to the US. 

I have bought Western horse reins and turned them into dog leashes. I like a narrower leash and they feel right in my hands... maybe because I rode for so many years. Didn't take much to cut the slits to make the braids for the ends and add a nice quality snap and I have a pair of 7' leashes for under $30.


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## Dan Bowman (Nov 8, 2012)

That's exactly what I want to do. Those of you experienced with leather, which one of these two would you go with?

http://www.buckarooleather.com/trai...rformance-tack/black-harness-split-reins.html

or

http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/HLR512 it's available in black too.

Now what about an agitation collar, does anyone make them with harness leather? Or does harness leather not have an advantage for a collar?


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Dan Bowman said:


> Now what about an agitation collar, does anyone make them with harness leather? Or does harness leather not have an advantage for a collar?


Dan, I don't know about that but Stillwater makes an excellent leather collar for a very affordable price that I would recommend. I might have some pictures of it when purchased new if you are interested in seeing an example of their work.


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## Karen Havins (Apr 22, 2012)

Dan Bowman said:


> That's exactly what I want to do. Those of you experienced with leather, which one of these two would you go with?
> 
> http://www.buckarooleather.com/trai...rformance-tack/black-harness-split-reins.html
> 
> ...



Definitely the Hermann Oak reins!!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

My very first leash was the reins off a set of harness my dad had stashed away for yrs. As a kid he peddled vegetables from the back of a horse drawn wagon owned by his dad. The set was probably older then dad but were in excellent shape after a bit of neat's-foot oil.


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## Ralph Tough (Jun 3, 2012)

I have bought Leerburg Leashes, Collars and Harness they are soft, strong and of excellent quality! The best that I have had so far.


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## john axe (Sep 24, 2011)

Hermann oak is the brand of leather used by most of the amish in my area. they have made my leashes for 35 years very reasonable. same leather they use to make reins . driving horses all day they want something strong.


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## Melissa Blazak (Apr 14, 2008)

I have Leerburg leashes, but also ones from the following.

http://www.mjleatherwork.com/


http://www.dogsportgear.com/


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## Molly Johnson (Dec 14, 2012)

The best leather leashes I have found are made by a small company called LeatherNature. The man softens the leather by hand and his leashes are unbelievably soft. I have several and they are holding up very well. I prefer leashes made from latigo leather because I don't have to worry about walking in the rain. The website for LeatherNature is http://www.leathernature.com/.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Molly

You need to do an intro before placing any ads. 
Nice looking custom harness but $265? I think I'll have to pass.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I really like the leads made by Bill Forbes. He makes them to order, and there's no rivets, he braids in the clips. First lead I got from him was in the early 90s, the quality of his work then and now, is very good. He is a stand up guy with an excellent reputation and is very easy to deal with.

http://www.fullgripgear.com/catalog.php?cat=leads_leather

P.S. They also make the best blinds.


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## Mario Fernandez (Jun 21, 2008)

Bill Forbes leads IMO are the best. I gave a club member a leash I just bought from Bill while we at a trial. He was freaking out because he could not find his leash and heading out to field for his OB routine. Its been eight years since he last trial and the past five years the leash was in the bed of his truck in the elements. I was given the leash back...a little saddle soap and the leash is back in shape and is what I use for my dog in training.


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## keith shimada (Dec 7, 2009)

Bill Forbes is my go to guy for leads, harnesses, and tugs. 

If you train in the rain, take a look at Bills synthetic gear. I have a light weight synthetic lead by Bill that is holding up great.


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## jim stevens (Jan 30, 2012)

john axe said:


> Hermann oak is the brand of leather used by most of the amish in my area. they have made my leashes for 35 years very reasonable. same leather they use to make reins . driving horses all day they want something strong.


Hermann oak leather is the standard for all western horse equipment, from reins to saddles. Most good handmade saddles are made from Hermann oak tanned leather. I use my old broken reins to make my own leashes. Find a horse guy and you can probably get all you want for free, cut them to length, use a hole punch and some latigo to make a loop, and you are good to go.


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