Digby & Fox Flat Leather Dog Collar – Black, XS

Digby & Fox Flat Leather Dog Collar – Black, XS

A plain flat leather collar in black, finished with brass-colour fittings and the small Digby & Fox tag, sold by Shires as product 6893. There is nothing clever about it and that is rather the point — one thickness of leather, a buckle and a D-ring, in the pattern that has been on working dogs for a century and has not needed improving.

XS is the third smallest of the eight sizes Shires cut this collar in, and fits a neck of 26–34cm on their own size chart. That covers most terriers, toy breeds that have grown out of a puppy collar, and small crossbreeds. Shires give the care as wipe clean, and leather behaves accordingly: it will take a wet walk and dry out again, but it does not forgive being soaked and then left.

Performance & Benefits

• A single thickness of flat leather, so it lies flat under the coat instead of bunching.
• Brass-colour buckle, keeper and D-ring, with the Digby & Fox branded tag.
• Leather softens to the shape of a dog's neck with wear rather than staying rigid the way webbing does.
• Black hides dirt in a way tan does not, which matters on a dog that goes through hedges.
• Made in eight sizes from XXXS to XXL, so there is a size either side as a dog grows or fills out.
• A matching Digby & Fox flat leather lead is made in the same finish.

Suitable For

• Small dogs measuring 26–34cm round the neck — terriers, toy breeds and small crossbreeds.
• Everyday walking and general wear.
• Owners who want leather rather than nylon webbing.
• Carrying an identity tag, which is a legal requirement for a dog in a public place in the UK.
• Not the collar for a dog that swims most days or works in standing water — repeated soaking is hard on leather, and a webbing or rope collar handles that better.

How to Use

• Measure round the neck with a tape where the collar will actually sit, and choose the size that puts that figure inside 26–34cm.
• Fasten it so two fingers slide flat between collar and neck. Tighter rubs; looser comes over the ears.
• Re-check the fit every few weeks on a puppy or a growing dog.
• Wipe mud off with a damp cloth and let it dry at room temperature, away from direct heat.
• Work a little leather balm through it once or twice a year, and more often after a wet winter.

Specification

• Flat leather dog collar in black. Shires product code 6893.
• XS fits a neck of 26–34cm, taken from Shires' own dog collar size chart.
• Brass-colour buckle, keeper and D-ring, with a Digby & Fox tag.
• Also made in brown and tan, and in XXXS, XXS, S, M, L, XL and XXL.
• Care: wipe clean.
• Shires publish no collar width and no leather thickness for this collar, so neither is stated here.

Care & Caution

• Leather is wipe clean, not washable. Do not soak it, machine wash it or dry it on a radiator — it will stiffen and then crack.
• A buckle collar is not a safety collar. Take it off, or use a breakaway, where a dog is crated, left loose with another dog, or working in cover it could snag on.
• Check the stitching either side of the D-ring and the leather around the buckle holes regularly. That is where a leather collar gives way, and it gives way without warning.