Today Beaureguard and I have a special DIY for you. I am going to show you how to make a martingale collar. These collars are used a lot in dog training. There are two parts to the collar, the collar neck piece and the control loop. The collar fits nicely around your dog’s neck when they are sitting or walking easy with you, and if they pull, the control loop tightens the collar around the neck. The tightening is mild and doesn’t hurt the dog like a chain training collar can. Martingale collars are fantastic for sight hounds(like my italian greyhound Beau), as well as any dog that has problems with backing out of their collar. It’s the only type of collar we use for little Beau and his sister Sadie. It is a bit hard to find martingale collars at the pet stores, especially cute ones. So today I’m going to show you how to make your own. They are quick and easy to make, and all you need is a few supplies.
Here’s What You Need:
*Cotton or Nylon Webbing
*Ribbon(optional)
*Hardware set- two sliders and one D ring( I found mine Here)
*Measuring tape
*Scissors
*Sewing Machine
*Thread
Step 1: Measure and cut- Measure your dog’s neck. You want to take two measurements. The first measurement is around the widest part of the neck. The second is around the neck right behind the ears. You want to make your collar loose when worn freely, but able to tighten at the neck so the collar can’t slip over the ears and head, but not too tight to where it chokes the dog. Take your second measurement and add 1.5 to 2 inches to it and cut a strip of webbing that size (my 2nd measurement was 10.5, so I cut my collar to be 12.5 inches.) Then take your second measurement and subtract it from your first measurement. My first measurement was 12.5, so 12.5-10.5= 2″, then double the difference since this will be a loop, so that would be 4″, and then add another 2″ allowance for sewing to get your final measurement for your control loop, mine was 6″. So to repeat the formula again:
Measurement 1- around widest part of the neck
Measurement 2- around the neck right behind the ears
Measurement for collar= measurement 2 + 2″
Measurement for control loop= Measurement 1- Measurement 2, doubled, then add 2″ (or basically a little over half the length of the collar)
Once you have your correct measurements, cut your collar and control loop strips of webbing and ribbon
Step 2: Sew Ribbon to webbing if using ribbon- Tuck end of ribbon over the edge of one side of your webbing. Carefully topstitch all the way around the ribbon on the machine and snip loose threads.
Step 3: Sew Collar- Insert webbing onto one of the sliders fold over about an inch and stitch down webbing closing over the slider. Measure your collar again. You need to count in the webbing plus the sliders and enough allowance to fold over the other edge of webbing into the second slider bar. You want your finished collar piece to be the exact measurement of measurement 2. If you need to trim some off, go ahead and do so. Then, insert your loose end of webbing into the second slider buckle, fold over and stitch closed.
Step 4: Sew Control Loop- Thread both of the sliders onto your control loop. Make a loop and overlap the ends by around 2″. Stich down the end underneath close to the end, making sure your top end of the webbing is loose and free. Slide the d-ring onto the top loose flap of the webbing and scooch it down to the seam you just made. Then, stitch down the top flap of webbing. You should end up with a loop of webbing that has a d-ring sandwiched in between the ends, and two sliders.
Poor Sadie was very upset Beau was outside and she was not!
Aren’t they cute! These collars are so easy to make, and with all the adorable ribbon out there you could make one for every day of the week. Beaureguard really likes his collars, and it makes me feel better to know that he can no longer escape his collar, so I don’t have to worry about catching him if he decides to make a break and go after a squirrel in the park! So go ahead and give one a try for your favorite pooch.
Happy Crafting!
