Center spike his pulse collar - collar by Ruff doggie styles - review by glassdoll

After having worked with dog collars from pet stores, I figured I'd give a 'human' collar a try in hopes it would be more comfortable or durable. The Center Spike His Pulse Collar certainly doesn't look like any dog collar I've owned or seen and is incredibly classy in either black or white. The collar arrived in a simple sleeve of plastic and with a paper tag advertisement attached to it describing the company and collar. The tag calls the collar a 'take me now doggie collar' but it is the exact same item as the Center Spike His Pulse Collar. Both are shown to be by Ruff Doggie Styles, Inc. The front of the collar is made of white leather with 7 holes for adjustment. The center has six spikes surrounding a small O-ring. These spikes are not dulled at all so be careful and don't jab your hand on them by accident. The O-ring is easily accessible and a leash is not impeded by the spikes at all. The buckle itself is simple although moves stiffly in the leather. The whole piece of leather is stiff in fact, which caused some rubbing when it was worn. The back of the collar is covered in black suede although the bolts that hold the spikes to the collar can be seen, presumably both for holding the materials together and for easy access to tightening the screws.

The total length of this collar is 17.5". At it's smallest tightening, it is 12.5" around and at it's largest hole it is 15.5" around. I found it to be too small for a larger lady like myself. However, it does fit around my smaller partner's neck although only in the first or second hole. Otherwise, this collar is much to small. After wearing the collar for an hour or two while simply lounging, my partner complained the leather was much too stiff and hurting his neck. After taking the collar off, it was noted that it did leave a few rub marks on his skin. The distinct smell of leather also clung to my partner's neck after wearing it (though he enjoys that). We hope that wearing it more and more will help the leather become more supple.

Cleaning the Center Spike His Pulse Collar should be done with some caution. Suede shouldn't be soaked so simply wipe down the leather front with a damp cloth rather than dumping the collar in a sink. The stitching on the white collar is also white so be aware that that can also get grungy when touched or handled too much.

My partner and I were very excited about receiving the Center Spike His Pulse Collar for play. We were originally concerned the collar was going to be too large for him since many collars have been in the past. The collar was absolutely gorgeous to touch and play with although we immediately noticed the smell of leather (again, not an unpleasant smell in the least for my partner). We weren't too concerned and were eager to put it on and play with it. The shock was when the first hole was the perfect size for my partner. For us, this isn't too big of a deal since I never plan to wear the collar but I could see how this might be an issue for others. Anyways, we decided to play some video games and relax while he wore it for a while. After a few hours, he complained that it was bothering his neck so we took it off. Giving him a hug, I noticed he smelled strongly of leather and that there were a few red marks from where the collar had been rubbing on him. We tried again later, same issue of the stiff leather bothering his neck after an hour or so. We're hoping that wearing the collar more will help soften the leather.