Flash Hound Collars & Leads

21/06/2024

Something a little different on my work bench today. Using a coin from our collection of old penny’s we found one that is the birth year of a friend and thought this key ring would make a nice gift. I’ve dyed the leather discs inside in different contrasting colours. Pretty happy with the results.

09/06/2024

Our new boy Flynn finally got his very own collar today. He is almost 9 months old now and has grown a lot since we got him at 6 months old. He’s a big strong boy, so I’ve gone with this beautiful Sedgwick English bridle leather in Havana colour. It’s super strong and has a beautiful finish to it. This will be his everyday collar, I haven’t lined it, and it will not be given any special treatment other than leather dressing, so I’m keen to see how this Sedgwick leather stands up to all that Flynn will throw at it. Now to get started on a matching lead for him.

07/06/2024

What an absolute pleasure it was to make this collar for Reuben’s brother Ari (from the same litter). His mum gave me some instructions of what she would like for this special little guy and I got to work on a beautiful piece of natural Herman Oak leather that I handed dyed. The leather took the dye just beautifully. It has solid brass fittings and a soft leather lining that matches the hand stitching. I’m happy to say, Ari is pretty chuffed with his flash new collar.

22/03/2024

Spanish Braid now available. A nice way to add a little something special to a collar. I learned this technique for some hat bands that I made. Looks great on a collar too.

23/02/2024

23/02/2024

Not quite dog collars, but a friend asked me to make him a hat band, and asked if I could plait the leather. So, after a bit of creative thinking I came up with several hat bands and now have a new feature that I can add to my dog collars…the Spanish braid! I think it’s going to look nice on a lined collar. Stay tuned for that one 😆

11/02/2024

This adorable little guy is Cricket, and he got his handmade Flash Hound collar in the post a few days ago. I was so chuffed to be asked to make something special for Cricket. It was certainly the smallest tapered collar I’ve ever made, but I was really happy with the way it turned out. He is such a chill little dude, and now with this eye catching, conversation starter around his neck, he’ll be charming new friends everywhere. 🐾💞

16/01/2024

Another handmade collar for a special greyhound this week. I love the solid brass fittings on the black leather and was really happy with the way this one turned out. On this occasion my customer requested that I use re-purposed leather, not new. This particular piece of leather was salvaged from a saddlery from their scrap pile, it was undeniably high quality beautiful veg tanned leather, but it wasn’t black to begin with. I was amazed how well it took the dye. A lot of work went into this one as it also had a name and 2 phone numbers stamped onto it as well. But all worth it in the end.

27/12/2023

Meet Happy, who stopped by our workshop today. Happy was visiting our town with his family and his 2 legged Granma had hear about my whippet collars and decided to pay us a visit. And what a Happy chap he is now in his Flash new collar and lead. He actually didn’t want to take it off. He left with a swagger in his step. 😆💞🐾

20/12/2023

Stitching time! Every Flash Hound collar and lead is hand stiched by “yours truly”. I put some music on and get into a rhythm and it becomes like meditation for me. The process requires punching the holes using a stitching chisel, which leaves perfectly uniform, slightly slanted holes in the leather. I apply some beeswax to a beautiful Japanese thread that I use. I do a traditional saddle stitch, where each stitch locks into each other, so if one thread gets broken it won’t run any further. Unlike a sewing machine stitch where if a thread breaks, the whole thing will unravel. This makes it super strong and a safe option to keep the precious pooch on the end of the lead. Anyhoo…just thought I’d share a little bit of the process that goes into every item I make. Cheers! JC

30/11/2023

A brief trip away to visit family and friends before Christmas is breathing down our neck!
We’ve taken the opportunity to give Reuben’s everyday collar a run for its money and left it on him while he jumped in the salt water with the locals.
The stainless steel fittings have nothing to worry about as they will remain rust-free.
The waxed cotton used for the stitching is protected from rotting but how would the leather and the suede go after a thorough soaking?
Surprisingly well!
We rinsed the collar in fresh water from the hose when we got off the beach, patted it dry with a towel and left it hanging on the towel rail in the bathroom overnight, near an open window.
This morning it was dry and ready for a light oiling before we took Reuben for a morning walk.
We probably wouldn’t recommend a daily dunking in the salty water but we know it’s fine for the occasional dip.
Here’s to more road testing!

22/11/2023

Meet Sapatos! This very special young lady has wagged her way into our hearts and into our whippet Reuben’s heart. They are absolute best mates and miss each other when they don’t get to play together. So I just had to make a special collar for such a character. I took some measurements of her old collar and thought that red would be a great colour on her. After hand dying the leather, I’ve used suede to line it and hand stitched the entire collar using saddle stitch and a heavy waxed thread, this makes it super strong. Finished off with solid brass buckle and Dee and I reckon this collar will be keep Sapatos looking very flash for the rest of her days. 💞

28/10/2023

We took our whippet Reuben on holidays with us recently and a lady stopped us on the street and asked where did we get his lovely collar? After explaining that I make collars and a nice chat we exchanged some details and I started the process of making a collar for this very special family member “Jess”. What a pleasure it is to see her now wearing her hand made Flash Hound collar, tailored just for her. First time personalising a collar with a name and I was happy with the way it all turned out.

08/10/2023

Handsomest hound ever! 😍

08/10/2023

It’s taken a while to get my workshop set up again after packing up our lives and moving from Northern NSW to a tiny town in the Riverina district. But I am up and running again, making collars and leads. This one is for our darling boy Reuben, who needed a good “going out” collar. This is hand dyed veg tanned leather, with a mustard coloured kangaroo leather for the lining which is soft yet strong. Fully hand stitched with stainless steel fittings. Built to last!

01/10/2023

We’ve been on holidays meeting lots of lovely people in Beechworth and Yackandanda, Victoria. A few people even stopped us to admire Reuben’s Flash Hound Collar. We wouldn’t trust any other collar to keep our precious boy safe when we’re away and experiencing unknown terrain and traffic.

28/05/2023

Vali got her new collar on the weekend. Probably the nicest collar I’ve made so far. I worked with Vali’s Mum & Dad to get an idea of what would suit her and to get the sizing right. I dyed the leather and got this fantastic red. This collar is super strong and sturdy and should be the only collar she needs for the rest of her happy days. One good quality collar that lasts a lifetime is a much better philosophy than buying multiple, poorly made, throw away pieces in my humble opinion.

07/05/2023

Nothing says special like a little bling!

02/05/2023

Our collars are all hand dyed, and custom made to order. I work with people to create the perfect collar for their hound. Here is a new colour that was a customer request. Pretty happy with how it’s turned out, so I’ll be adding Hot Pink to the range. There will be some “bling” going on this one too. Will post a photo when it’s all done.

10/04/2023

Rosie and Niva got their new Flash Hound Collars today! What beautiful, elegant girls they are and now they really look the part. 🐾💕

09/04/2023

Another collar for a very special whippet, Rosie. This is the first time offering a padded leather collar instead of the suede lining. It’s fully hand stitched, there are no nickel plated rivets that eventually rust. I have dyed the leather myself and added all stainless steel fittings. This collar will last beautiful Rosie a lifetime. PS: I will add some photos of the collar on her when she gets it!

14/03/2023

Ok! This cutie needs a walk outside! 😍

16/01/2023

So…I’m in the process of turning my little side hustle into a business. I’m not in full production just yet, but I’m setting the wheels in motion, so to speak. Here’s a few of the collars I’ve made for various pooches over the last few years. If anyone is interested in a collar, just flick me a private message.

15/01/2023

Hello! Welcome to Flash Hound Collars & Leads.
Let me tell you a little story about how "Flash Hound" was born. (the abridged version) After not being able to find quality whippet specific collars for our two whippets, Ripley and Ollie, my partner and I decided to make our own. Having grown up with horses, we were familiar with quality leather work, but couldn't find that same level of quality in a dog collar made here in Australia. We wanted something that would be strong and yet comfortable for our boys. Those two original collars that were made stood the test of time and pretty soon people were asking "can you make one of those for my whippet?" And so...we did! A lot has been learned about the intricacies of making a good hound collar over the years, so we decided it was time to share this lovely product with the community. We have certainly fine tuned the design and learned a thing or two to get to the collar we make today. These collars are of the highest quality, fully hand stitched, vegetable taned leather, hand dyed by us, using the best quality stainless steel or brass fittings. There are no rivets that may rust on one of our collars, just beautiful saddle stitch. Because each collar is handmade for the particular hound, I deal direct with people to measure their dog and then offer a selection of options to create the perfect collar that will not only look beautiful, but is crafted to last a lifetime.