Paracord Dog Collar Instructions – Fun & Easy Step-by-step Tutorial

Paracord Dog Collar - DIY Guide

These paracord dog collar instructions will help you create and personalize your own dog collar. Paracord is well-known in the market for its durability as well as the variety of utilities that it can provide to its owner. What is also good about this material is that it does not cost much so you can make it even on a tight budget.

The simplicity of the instructions that is needed to create the collar allows almost anyone to make one. So if you are one of those owners who want to know how to make paracord dog collars then this article is for you.

Usually, paracord collars are mostly preferred by dog owners who love to spend their time with their pets outdoors. Paracord bracelets or collars are known to be of great importance for basic survival in the wild especially if you have to build your own shelter and catch your own food.

Dog-with-paracord-unique-collar

But today, paracord has also been recognized for its aesthetic beauty as well as its durability when used as a pet collar.

So even if you are not an outdoor type of person, you can make use of one. You can create your own designs and aside from that, you can also pick your own color all without sacrificing quality of materials.

What Kinds of Uses Does Paracord Provide?

Paracord was originally used in the military specifically in military parachutes. It is composed of a nylon sheath composed of 32 strands as well as inner core made of 7 pieces yarn, each bearing 2 strands. As you can see from its construction it is a very sturdy piece of cord indeed. It is so strong that a single piece of cord can carry up to 550 pounds of weight.

You can also get the type III military specs containing 9 pieces of inner core composed of 3 yarns each. Being made of nylon, it can stand moisture of humidity as well as almost any type of weather making them last longer than other types of cords.

6_Uses_Paracord_Infographic

Now that you know what it is made of, you can now guess which types of purposes it can serve. As a pet owner, you can use it as a leash when you don’t have a spare. But if you happen to be in an emergency situation in the wilderness, your dog’s collar can serve you a lot of purposes.

You can use the whole cord to tie down tree branches and make a temporary shelter; you can use it to make a trap; and you can also use the inner cores to create a net or a fishing line. So by using a paracord to make a dog collar, you will be adding utility to a regular dog accessory.

Black-Dog-collar

A paracord will also serve some aesthetic purpose to your dog collar. It comes in such a wide range of colors that you can definitely personalize the look of your pet collar. It also comes in glow-in-dark designs that will make it easy for you to spot your dog in the dark. Dog collar designs come in a variety of styles that you can choose from.

The patterns come with a variety of strengths as well so you can make stronger ones for large dogs and smaller or thinner ones for small dogs. This way, you don’t have to worry about getting a wrong fit for your dog.

What Types of Designs Can You Make With Paracord?

There are different ways of making your own paracord dog collar: you can use your pet’s collar and then weave the paracord around it or you can create the paracord as the base itself. In some ways, there are advantages in using a dog collar together with the paracord. It helps to strengthen the structure of the collar and it also provides a basis for the size of the collar.

You can also add different tools and accessories to the collar especially if it is quite wide. But the pure paracord collar also has its own benefits. It is lighter so it does not cause a lot of discomfort for your pet and it also lets air through much better than with a dog collar.

Paracord-dog-collar-infographic

Here are several patterns or designs that you can use for these two different types of paracord collars:

Cobra Stitch – This is one of the easiest paracord designs that you can make while still giving you that durability and strength for your dog. It has one basic step which is to loop the cords in a certain manner and repeat it until you reach the end of the collar. You can do this using the paracord only or you can also make use of your pet’s collar.

Materials:

  • Tape measure
  • Paracord (You will need about 1 to 1 ½ feet of cord per inch of your dog’s collar.)
  • Plastic or metal side-release buckle
  • D ring
  • Lighter or a candle
  • Scissors

The first step in making this type of dog collar is to measure the size that would fit around your dog’s neck. It should have at least an inch or more of allowance so as to lessen the risk of it choking your dog. Simply put the tape measure around your dog’s neck quite loosely and then add an inch to the measurement. This will be the size of the collar.

So to get the measurement for the length of paracord needed, just multiply it to 1 or 1.5 feet. You can use a single color or two colors for the border and the main color. If you will be using two colors of paracord, divide the overall length by two and then cut the resulting length for each piece of paracord. Then, burn one end of each piece and combine them to make one cord.

Making-a-Cobra-Stitch

The next step is to attach the paracord to the female part of the buckle. This is the part that has two holes on the sides. Make a loop out of the cord by folding the cord into two. Then, push the loop upwards through the hole at the edge of the frame.

When the loop is partway through, take the two ends and let them through the hole to create a cow hitch. Insert the D ring on the paracord strands and then push it up to the buckle.

Measure the length that you will need for the collar and push the ends through the holes on the edge of the frame of the male buckle. Make a hitch with each paracord by looping it around itself and then pulling the cord through the loop and tightening it. Make sure that you maintain the length of the cord all throughout.

The third step involves making the knots for the cobra stitch of the paracord. If you are using two colors of paracords, select which one will serve as the main color of the collar and which one will serve as the border.

To make the stitch simply put the main color over the two core strands which you have hitched and then under the border strand. Take the end of the border strand and then pull it through the loop made by the main strand.

Pull the main cord and the border cord until creates a knot and then push the knot upwards until towards the end of the buckle. Adjust the knot according to your preference although a looser knot could create problems for the collar.

Cobra-Stitch-dog-collar

Then, pull the main cord over the core strands again and under the border cord although this time the main cord will be on the opposite side. Repeat the process until you reach the end of the collar.

If you have excess lengths of paracord, just trim the excess and burn the ends to prevent it from fraying. Make sure that you don’t burn the other paracords as it will loosen the collar strands. You can also opt to put the D ring at the end of the last knot.

Wide Solomon Bar – The Wide Solomon is an ideal design that can be used for a paracord collar. The only thing that you would have to worry about when making this type of pattern is that it is more complicated than other regular knots.

The width of this pattern makes it more comfortable for your dog and it also gives you more cordage so you can find a lot of materials to use in case you encounter an emergency requiring the paracord.

The materials that you will need are similar to those indicated above with the only difference being that you need three pieces of cords instead of two and you will also be using a wider buckle about an inch wide or a large O ring.

This design requires three pieces of cords: as mentioned above and to get the required lengths of the three cords just multiply 2 paracords by 12 and the other one by 24.

So if you need a 10 inch collar, multiply it by 12 to get 120 inches for the two cords and then to 24 to get 240 inches for the third cord. You can use two to three colors of paracords so you can see the design more clearly.

wide-solomon-bar-dog-collar

The first step is to make a cow hitch for each of the cords on the female buckle. You can also use a large O ring that can accommodate the width of the cords. Make sure that the longest one is on the middle of the two other paracords.

So now you can see that you have six strands of paracords. Divide these into two so that you have three pieces for each side. These will create the two basic Solomon designs which shall then be combined or joined together by using a cross-over technique.

Start with the set on the right by putting the leftmost cord over the middle cord and under the rightmost cord. Then pull the end of the rightmost cord through the loop made by the left cord.

This is similar to the steps in the cobra knot but you will only have one core strand instead of two. Repeat the same steps using the same color to go over the core strand. Do these steps on the other set as well starting from the rightmost paracord going to the left. Make sure that you do this knot twice.

After you have finished the second knot of the left set, use the rightmost cord from the left set to create the knot on the right set. Pull it over the middle cord and under the rightmost cord of the set and make the knot by pulling the rightmost cord on the loop.

Do the same with the left set by making use of the leftmost cord of the right set. Repeat this process until you reach your desired length of collar.

Remember to always cross the leftmost and rightmost strands or cords and you will be on your way to making a beautiful Wide Solomon dog collar. You can also attach the D ring at the beginning or at the end of your collar close to the buckles.

This will make your collar tougher for your dog to pull and it will also make it easier to locate the buckles if you want to remove the collar. Here is a video that can help you with the process:

You can make your own dog collar by using one of the toughest materials in the market: paracord. These military-spec cords are not only durable but are also weather-proof and can serve a variety of purposes in times of emergency. What’s more, paracord collars also do not cost a lot since the materials are really affordable.

You can also use these as a substitute leash for your dog in case you destroy what you have brought along the trip. With the variety of colors and designs in which these cords are available, you can surely make your own personalized dog collar.

We reviewed the strongest dog shock collars if you need something more secure.