Product Review: Ruff Puppies Hollywood Collar

The Ruff Puppies Hollywood Collar is a leather buckle collar with nickel hardware and Swarovski crystal decorations. It is made from California latigo leather with strong hardware. At 1/2" wide, this collar is made for very small dogs. It is available in four different leather finishes, with twelve color options for the crystals.

Photo by Erin Koski

I found this collar at Dog. Dog. Cat. in Tahoe. It is definitely the nicest collar Ru has. I was worried that the 1/2" would be too wide, but it really fits him well. Plus it's purple. And sparkly.

It's not terribly important for a teeny tiny collar, but I like that Ruff Puppies uses cast D-rings on their collars instead of welded ones. This makes them much stronger. 

This is a very sturdy collar, but it's not too heavy for little Ru. The quality is really evident, I have zero concerns about the decorations falling off. The corners of the leather are shaped so there's no stiff edge to rub on his coat. I'm basically expecting this collar to last forever, which is good because Ru's expected lifespan is around 18 years.

Pros: Very durable, made with care. Small enough for delicate little necks. Comfortable for extended wear. Sparkly, but not overdone.

Cons: Still rubs hair off the front of Ru's delicate little neck like every buckle collar, so I can't leave it on him for days at a time.

Bottom Line: So fancy! Need to get a big one for Briz.

Product Review: WoofWear Collars

WoofWear collars are decorative leather flat buckle collars that come in an enormous variety of sizes and styles to fit dogs with 7-24" necks. The company also makes matching leashes and cat collars.

Photo by Erin Koski

WoofWear collars are pretty freaking fancy, and they last forever. Guaranteed to make your dog look like a million bucks, the fancier collars come with an equally fancy price tag. I have two Woofwear dog collars that I bought for my dearly departed cocker spaniel more than ten years ago. One of these is currently sitting on the tin that contains her ashes, as a little memorial to my very first dog. The other is big enough for Brisbane, so he gets to wear it now and then.

This collar graced the neck of my beloved Oakley for well over a year before I replaced it with a lighter and thinner collar of the same design. Briz has worn it on and off for his entire life, and it still look fantastic if slightly broken in. I see these on dogs at work all the time too, and they seem to handle water and wear remarkably well. My only complaint is that eventually the lighter pink collars begin to look a bit dirty. My stupidest cat is currently wearing a darker pink PuddyTat by WoofWear collar though, and it still looks amazing.

Brisbane's Classic Heart collar is about as plain as WoofWear gets. All of their designs come in 24 different suede, metallic, cowhide, and leather colors. Classic Collars come in four different widths and 26 different designs that start with a simple row of hearts/bones/paws/dogs/conchos/Texas stars/buffalo nickles and range to heavy combinations of studs, spikes, studs, and grommets.WoofWear Bling Collars combine all of the above with swarovski crystals for a very fancy look. Some styles incorporate pearls and moonstones. WoofWear's TinyWide collars are incredibly fancy 1.5" wide selections for small dogs with 8-12" necks. Mega Collars are 2-4" wide spiked affairs for dogs with 18-32" necks.

Pros: These collars last forever and are of outstanding quality, I have never seen one missing a stud or crystal. They have some very unique designs and a ton of options for a perfectly customized creation. WoofWear products are also widely available, I have seen them in many different stores.

Cons: Holy price tag shock Batman! A crystal-studded Tiny Diva collar for Ru would cost $120, which is why Ru does not have a crystal-studded Tiny Diva collar. Also, not all colors age the same. I have seen some very tired-looking pastel pink and lavender collars. It is important to measure carefully for fit because these are traditional buckle collars and each size only adjusts a couple of inches. I have found the WoofWear leashes to be far too stiff and heavy for my tastes.

Bottom Line: I would have a ton of these if they weren't so danged expensive. I'm slowly outfitting my cats with them because they are amazing for constant wear. If I had to pick just one collar to put on each of my dogs and leave on them all the time, I would definitely pick these.