DIY projects have always been popular. Just think of it. There were no stores at one point in time, and people made do with what they had and what they could find!
Everything was done by hand. And although things are a lot easier today with billions of products ready for order at the touch of a button.
Many people still really enjoy and appreciate enjoy the fun of DIY, homemade crafting, and making.
My neighbor is the perfect example. She knits baby outfits for the church, but she just got a new pet dog she re-homed and asked me if I had any clue how to make a dog collar without sewing it by hand or on the machine. I thought to myself, if she wants to know about that, other people must as well!
So, off I went to find a step-by-step video tutorial that would help both of us. I needed to find something easily understood, and that wouldn’t cost too much if materials and supplies were required.
Mind you, the idea of her making it wasn’t to save money, but rather, she wanted something unique and a special item for her dog that would last a long time and be fun to make.
The other benefit of making your own dog collar is you can pick a color that not only looks nice on the dog but also matches the leash.
You could even make one for each season of the year, so it is not so boring when you two go for a walk. It gives you something to look forward to, like the warm weather in the summer, and the roses finally come out.
Before we start making the collar, if you want an easier but just as rewarding way to make your own dog collars without sewing, I found an actual kit for you complete with all the supplies and instructions.
Supplies Needed:
- D Ring Size Depends on Width of Collar and Size of Buckle
- Paracord in Your Choice of Color and Design
- Buckle Depending on Size of Dog and Thickness of the Dog Collar
- Pair of Sharp Fabric Scissors
- Lighter
First, let’s take a look at what we need to make this homemade dog collar in the video and then the steps actually to do it:
Step-by-Step Collar Making Instructions
1. Measure your dog’s neck and determine the length of the collar you need to make. Take into consideration that a safe size is one where you can fit two fingers in the collar when done up. Anything tighter can choke the dog.
2. Assemble your supplies. All you need is one buckle of suitable size, a D ring to latch the leash, and rolls of paracord. To determine sizing for the homemade collar, go to the next step.
3. The buckle is going to be most important for sizing. First of all, you need one that is appropriate for your pet. A little buckle is not going to hold a German Shepherd, for example. And a big buckle will be too heavy for a Chihuahua. Spend a little time on this step to get the right weight and size.
4. To measure the paracord, you need to decide how many strands you would like. For bigger dogs, it should be wider. In this video, he is making a Cobra, which takes four strands about ten feet.
5. Lastly, the D Ring size will follow the buckle and the size of the actual collar. Thank goodness they are sold in bags of various sizes so you can test and see which one works best.
6. Fold the paracord and double it so that it makes strands side by side.
7. Pull the paracord through the bottom of the buckle. Flip the pin back on the cords to link through the top of the buckle. Push the pin back in place to stop the cord from slipping out.
8. Make a wide loop and pull the other end of the strands through the loop. Tighten or loosen as needed. You want the ends even, so make sure to check before tightening to the top.
9. Before making it too tight, make a little space with a pencil or any thin round object. Take another twenty-foot length of paracord and pass it through this little space you made. The cord ends need to be even and match, so the center is at the top of the buckle.
10. To make the Cobra pattern, you loop the strands through and tighten each bow until you get to the end of all the strands.
11. Remember to keep the strands flat, so they don’t get all twisted. It does help to use two different colors, so you don’t get mixed up when making the loops.
12. Continue on until about halfway down the strands. You will notice a nice pattern emerging. In his case, he used blue and orange, and it looks quite sharp. It also appears reflective.
13. Place the D Ring through the next loop and continue to the bottom. Make sure the ring is not flimsy and bouncing all around. It will be used a lot when you attach the leash.
14. When you get to the last two loops, pull each as tight as you can so it doesn’t come apart in use.
15. Snip open the strands that are folded over.
16. Cut the two strands in the middle close to the two tight loops. Now, you will need to melt those together, so they don’t fray or come apart. Use a lighter, match, or soldering gun.
17. Now, you have four strands remaining.
18. Do two more really tight loops making them skinnier than the others.
19. Cut the last four strands and now melt them together.
20. You know the part on the dog collar after you close the pin in the hole and out the extra strap piece? He quickly shows you how to make one of those by weaving the blue strand right into the collar.
21. Try the new homemade collar your just crafted out of paracord on your pet doggie and get walking!
Final Thoughts on How to Make a Homemade Dog Collar out of Paracord
It is a bit tricky to do if you don’t see the video. You have to watch the steps closely to make the loops if you have never done a project like this before. But considering it only took about a half-hour to do, it is certainly worth it. Not only does this homemade collar look fabulous, I imagine it’ll last forever.
The other thing I was thinking about if you bought a collar like that, it would be costly. Getting the supplies and doing it yourself is a huge saving. You’d probably have enough supplies to do a couple.
Conclusion
I had so much fun with this tutorial that I am sure we will do others like it very soon. I know ribbon can make lovely dog collars, and don’t forget something as simple as rope. It would be quite durable, for sure. Webbing and ribbon combined can be very solid even if you don’t sew them, but use a glue gun to attach the layers.
Add some lovely rhinestones or cute little hearts. Whatever you feel like. And if you want to get really fancy, you can sew up some beautiful scrunchies for your dog’s brand new homemade collar!
Here’s a festive pup ready for winter and waiting for Christmas, all decked out in his cute snowmen and trees.
Thanks for reading.
PS – If you have Westie, you will love these tartan dog collars.
