Download detailed literature:
Fastener-Free Collar Brochure Wheelchair Leash Info BookletHow it works: The collar slides “open” to fit over the dog’s head, then the weight of the leash (or pressure on the leash) will cause the collar loop to “close” to fit the dog’s neck. It’s easy to get on and off.
This collar is sized to fit the dog’s neck snugly in the “closed” position; this ensures the collar will not choke the dog yet is snug enough to not allow the dog to back out of the collar. The neck size is adjustable with our special Conway buckle (Initial adjustment may require a helper). Once adjusted to the correct size you won’t need to adjust it again!
The Fastener-Free Collar can be ordered in two styles: separately or built-in to a leash.
Read about the two available styles here:
- Separate collar: Made with an O-ring that any leash can clip to (select “Separate Collar (made with O-ring to attach leash)” style)
- Built-in option: Made with a swivel to attach a leash in a semi-permanent fashion (in most cases leashes are removable, just not as quickly as a leash with a snap). This option allows for an all-in-one leash and collar combo! You may request this collar be added to any of our leash designs including the wheelchair leashes (select “Built-In Style (with swivel) ADD TO LEASH on this order” style), or you can attach your own leash to it (select “Built-In style (with swivel) collar only” style). The collar will add extra length to the leash (EXCEPT for full-custom designs). Photos illustrate the choices. *Can only be made with stainless steel/silver colored hardware.
Please read below about some other options to consider when ordering a fastener free collar:
- Optional Hand-Loop is available for people who need extra space for their fingers/hands to grasp the collar to “dress” the dog
- Available in Leather or our vegan Brahma Soft-Grip material—see the Material & Hardware Color tab for more details
- Comes standard with stainless steel/silver colored hardware
Only for use with a leash. Not recommended for dogs that are escape artists and/or runners if they slip the collar.
Sizing
Available for the following neck sizes:
- Small 13-16” (33-41 cm); adds approx. 6-8” to leash length
- Medium 16-20” (41-51 cm); adds approx. 7-9” to leash length (fits most retrievers!)
- Large 20-24” (51-61 cm); adds approx. 8-10” to leash length
All Fastener-Free Collars are ¾” wide.
Measuring
Measure your dog’s neck/collar as you would like the collar to fit when “closed” or snug. The collar can be adjusted looser or tighter as needed using our special Conway Buckle and once the collar is adjusted to the perfect fit, you won’t need to adjust it again.
BLD’s Materials:
We use only the highest quality hardware—most of our hardware is stainless steel or solid brass for durability and longevity. Stainless steel bolt snaps are standard on all of our wheelchair leashes.
All Fastener-Free Collars are ¾” wide (19.5 mm).
Brahma:
Choose your color:- BLACK
- HUNTER ORANGE (high visibility)
- PURPLE
- BRIGHT PINK (high visibility)
- BRIGHT MINT GREEN (high visibility)
- TEAL
- COBALT BLUE
About Brahma:
Strong as a Brahma bull, this man-made leather alternative is great for your adventurous pal. It is constructed with webbing on the inside and a durable, non-tacky PVC coating on the outside. This material can take a beating through brush, muck, and saltwater. Brahma is great for any extreme weather condition, resilient in cold weather, and is resistant to abrasions and stink. It is a nice weight, flexible, and has a feel that resembles leather. It won’t absorb dirt & moisture like rope, nylon or fabric. Brahma material is so reliable that it comes with our unmatched Lifetime Warranty! Plus, it is easy to clean: Just wipe clean with soap and water.Leather:
Standard Leather and Hardware Color:
- Black leather with stainless steel/silver color hardware
- Tan leather with solid brass (gold color)
About our leather:
BLACK LATIGO leather(Available in all widths.)
Our latigo is a lovely deep black and superior to ordinary leather in texture and quality. Latigo has a high tensile strength and tanned specifically for quality horse tack and premium pet products. Your leash will start out a bit firm yet flexible and will very quickly soften with just a few uses and continues to get better with age. The rich black color will not bleed or fade because it is struck through the leather in the tanning process, not just dyed on the surface. Made in North America from select heavy US native steer hides for durability, Stainless steel (silver color) hardware is standard.
English Bridle Leather in LONDON TAN(Available in 1/2 to 1 in. widths)
English bridle has a supple, satin-smooth finish and satisfying hand feel that is simply unmatched. This high-end leather in London Tan, cherished in the 19th century for the finest horse tack, ages to a warm patina while keeping its light brown and orange tones. This full grain leather is 100% veg tanned with no metals or harsh chemicals from only the best North American cow hides. ("English" refers to the style of tanning rather than a location. It does not darken the same our oiled golden tan leather.) Solid brass (gold colored) hardware is standard.
Golden TAN BRIDLE leather(Available in small 3/8 in. widths)
This lovely brown 100% American vegetable-tanned leather, made with NO dyes or toxic metallic chemicals. Reminiscent of fine English horse tack. Every golden tan leash is HAND-OILED to bring out the softness, so your leash arrives supple and feels great in your hands immediately and only improves with age. The color will darken with use and age. This is our choice leather for products where a lighter weight material with excellent strength is necessary. Solid brass (gold colored) hardware is standard.
Marfnet (verified owner) –
Why are people sleeping on your collars?! This is one of the best functional collars I’ve ever owned except for the fact that it doesn’t quite fit any of my dogs because I bought the wrong size (oops!). Despite this, I use it constantly even though it is about 1/2″ too big. It looks fantastic (better than some collar snob type stuff I tried to replace it with), is gentle on coat, and gets softer over time. I got it for growing puppies and I loved that it is adjustable as the dog changes over time, while remaining secure and not loosening if the dog pulls or something. The fact you can open the buckle and slide on no-jingle identification tags or GPS tags is just the best. I have not tried the option built into a leash because I use different length leashes pretty often, but it sounds like a perfect all-in-one for all sorts of applications. Will definitely recommend and may buy again in the future.
Mpaige –
I’m in love with this collar for any time a collar needs to go on and off a dog often. I live an apartment, so my dog often has to go outside for potty breaks. All I need to do is slip this over his head, and we’re ready to go! I also really appreciate the fact that this collar is a limited slip so that it won’t tighten too much around the neck. It’s a great alternative for traditional slip collars/leashes! I also think the adjustment buckle is great! There’s no loose leather hanging which makes it look very sleek!
DuifC (verified owner) –
Our quickest way to a walk! Normally for service dog work he would wear a head harness, but once there was a break in the pandemic and we started using paratransit again, I was concerned about handing that lead to the paratransit driver. And if he wore a harness, he couldn’t also wear his service dog cape.
I had been using the atlas cross body lead and a harness for regular fun walks, but that was a lot of work to put on.
So one day the service dog trainer suggested trying a Martingale collar [Fastener-Free Collar] just because it would be easier for me to put on him. We got this one with the extra handle loop option and it’s amazingly easy to put on and take off. And he is really comfortable in it. So now when we are just going for a fun walk, we just slip this one on. No harness needed. And if we are going to be taking paratransit, I can use this collar with a regular traffic leash and give that to the paratransit driver and everything works well.
He wears his regular ID collar as well, and he seems to be very comfortable with both. Of course he’s a golden retriever with a thick mane, I don’t know if a short hair dog would be less comfortable. But this works very well for us.
I should note that he was already well trained to keep position next to the wheelchair, so I don’t know how this would have worked if he tended to pull. Our reason for getting it was so that it would be easier for me To put on and off him, and it works very well for that.
I keep this hooked to the crossbody Leash when we store it since that’s the way we most often use it. I wasn’t sure I would be able to get it on him when I was wearing the atlas, but it works fine. He’s happy to stick his head through the loop since he knows we’re going for a walk, and there’s plenty of length to make that work. so I only need to unhook it if I want to use it with the traffic leash instead. So now for our regular routine I just take it out of the drawer, slip the leash over my shoulder, and hold out the loop so he can put his head through it. And we’re off!
All in all, a really nice addition to our equipment.
pohtaytoe (verified owner) –
I’ve been drooling over this collar for a long time and decided to buy it when the recent design change happened. My dog has a lot of loose skin on her neck but underneath has a twig for a neck so collars were either being lost to the wilds of the scruff or could fly off her head in a light breeze. Enter this beauty. The leather is absolutely gorgeous and strong. The limited slip does exactly as it is supposed to and restricts/lengthens as needed. Minor complaint is that I ordered a medium for my dog who wears a flat collar at 18″ and this collar was HUGE. I had to cut 3.5 inches off the end for it to be able to tighten enough around her neck when the slip was engaged to not be able to slip off her head on the tightest hole. I don’t know if that was by design or if I got the wrong size since the directions say cutting off parts of the end is an option, but it was just gigantic. However, after cutting the end off it fits perfectly where my dog’s neck scruff is undisturbed in its resting position and when taut the collar portion is right at very snug but not choking. Exactly what I wanted! Yay!
s. kim (verified owner) –
i saved up and purchased this beautifully made collar for my dog, and am so thrilled to have it. he is extremely furry, kind of like the “burt reynolds of dogs,” and the clasp on his former collar always caught some of his chest and neck fur in it when i put it on him. the golden tan fastener free collar looks so lovely against his black fur. i will only buy leads and collars from bold lead designs now. it is money well spent to last a lifetime. thank you for a classic, handsome and thoughtful product!
Sarah Farsad –
This is my favorite Bold collar. I am so happy with this product and it is super easy to use. I have a young dog who is a rescue and she is great and happy go lucky but not too patient when it comes to getting a collar or leash on. This collar is fast to get on – no buckles or fasteners and what is even better – my dog can’t back out of it. She is an escape artist but not with this collar and it doesn’t hurt her. I am more confident when walking her and I love the products. thanks so much! sarah and Khora
Karen B (verified owner) –
This was the perfect answer for my service dog and myself. He has to be sleeping within hearing range (his, for my call), but the tags on his collar drove me nuts in the middle of the night. Removing his regular collar was easy, as he helped by pulling and twisting his head out, but fastening it back on in the morning was difficult. Now he puts his head into the collar while I hold it up. It is so well made, and I love the adjustability to get it fitted just right.
Debbie (verified owner) –
I have one of these in tan, well it was tan but now is getting closer to a dark brown…so rich and classy looking. At first I didn’t like that the braid sticks out the one side, but one day when my boy was off leash and I had to grab him right away, that braid made it super easy to snatch him. Additionally, it became a very short leash, almost like a grab tab. The braid makes it easy to grip. It also came to me already super soft, no aging necessary. I’m very tempted to buy one of their slip collars to use as a tag holder because of how nice this collar is.
Christi P. (verified owner) –
This collar is absolutely a lifesaver for me! Not only is is easy to put on, but right after I got the shipment my dog’s old collar broke! This collar I don’t have to worry about the snaps breaking or the D ring falling off. This collar is very sturdy and even if I am having trouble with clasps am able to just slide it on and walk out the door without having to fudge around with anything extra.
Jenn M. (verified owner) –
“I received Aspen’s Fastener Free collar, and the 8-Way Leads today. Once again, I couldn’t be more impressed with the quality and craftsmanship of your pieces! Aspen was very curious about his new collar, and kept trying to crane his head and neck around to get a better sniff of it. Just like Lilly though, he visibly looks *so* much more comfortable in your collar than he did in his nylon one. I can’t tell you how much I love this collar for my special needs babies! Your design is beautiful, durable, comfortable, safe and humane. The Fastener Free collar is THE Perfect Collar, in my humble opinion. It the dog couture equivalent of a little black dress that can be worn out on the town, and still be comfy enough to wear at home everyday =) Honestly though, having two sensory-impaired dogs who are far more sensitive to touch and tactile sensations made finding a safe and non-irritating collar a necessity. Lilly, who is both blind and deaf, extremely sensitive to touch, and who was forever digging at her collar (she is part Shar Pei, with chunky little neck wrinkles), almost never itches now (unless she’s having an allergic reaction to yet another food), has no broken/matted hair where her collar sits, and her collar still looks like new despite having been through rigorous months of adventures and hijinx. Thank you so much for all that you do! We will continue to tell everyone about BLD, and Katrina’s awesome gear!”
Jenn (verified owner) –
I just wanted to take a moment to let you know just how much Lilly and I LOVE her new Fastener Free Collar and custom harness. Not only are they absolutely beautiful, and buttery soft to the touch, but the quality, care and craftsmanship radiate from every stitch and braid. I didn’t think it was possible to find this level of quality anywhere anymore. These two pieces of gear have been game changers for our daily outings, and I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to discuss our specific concerns and needs, and for crafting exactly what we needed!
You have given me the means to ensure that Lilly is comfortable and safe; and her self-confidence continues to flourish. Her happiness means the world to me, and I can’t begin to thank you enough!!