How to Make a Buckle Dog Collar

Dog collars come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, sizes and styles. Flat buckle collars are very popular, as they are simple and easy to use, and most dogs tolerate them well. Collars can be very expensive, but with a few simple items and a little work, you can make many collars with your own personal flair.

Things You'll Need

• D-rings
• Strong scissors
• Flat buckles
• Marker
• Flat colorfast webbing
• Heat source
• Flexible tape measure
• Flat or decorative screws
• Large nail
• Pliers
• Decorations (sparkles, rhinestones, whatever you choose)
• Strong fabric glue

Instructions

1. Take an accurate measurement of your dog. Measure around the middle of your dog’s neck, adding six inches to ensure enough extra to secure the buckle. Cut the webbing according to this length and melt the ends with your heat source to avoid fraying.

2. Slide the buckle over the webbing and fold it over, marking a secure spot with a marker. Hold the nail with the pair of pliers, and warm it over the heat source. Once it is hot, push the nail through the webbing on the marked spot, making sure to go all the way through the webbing. Remove the nail, and place one of the screws through the hole. If you use a decorative one, be sure the decorative part does not rest against the dog’s skin. Tighten it with a screwdriver to assure it holds your buckle securely.

3. Place the collar around the dog’s neck and pull it snugly to determine where you will need to put the holes in the collar. Mark the correct areas with your marker, and remove the collar form the dog’s neck. Again, heat up the nail and press it into the marked areas, making sure you poke holes all the way through the marked spots.

4. Once the collar has cooled and the melted webbing is no longer sticky, you can place the collar back on the dog to ensure it fits correctly. If you wish to use a D-ring to attach the lead to, you can slide a ring on the collar before you buckle it, and then your lead can be securely attached.

5. If you wish to decorate your collar, you can do so now. Any variety of rhinestones, jewels, ribbons, or any other type of decoration you choose can be glued onto your collar. If you wish to secure them a bit more, you can sew them on, but it is not necessary. Be sure that you use a non-toxic fabric glue to attach your decorations, and let them dry completely before letting your pooch strut in his brand new collar.

Tips & Warnings

• Use colorfast webbing so that it does not bleed into your dog’s fur or skin. Test a small bit of the webbing by wetting it and rubbing it against an old rag. If it bleeds, don’t use it on your dog.

• Use care then handling sharp scissors or hot items. You do not want to injure yourself while making your collars.

• Do not make your collars too small or too large. A collar that is too small will cut into your dogs while one that is too large will slip off and not be secure.

• Do not let your dog chew on or eat any of the collar material. Your dog can become very sick ingesting foreign items.