Dog Leash Holsters

Every day I walk my dog Boots out into the wild. Once we get out there a ways I like to let him off leash and sniff around to his heart’s desire. He teaches me to take it easy and take notice of everything around me. Generally it’ll take us around 1 hour to make it almost 2 miles. That’s not the slickest pace around, but what’s the rush? I find that I am usually carrying his leash wound up in my hand, and I decided to make a holster to carry it instead.

So, today I went to work in the leather shop and threw together a quick sketch of what might work for this scenario. This is a version of what is called a Pancake style holster. Typically the belt loops  are just holes punched into the sides, but I wanted to try a different approach that would allow me to take this on and off without removing my belt. I used ‘pull the dot’ style snaps that only release from one direction, making things extra secure. Time will tell if this was a good idea or not.

It is both machine and hand stitched. I couldn’t get the machine to work around the snaps on the backside, so I left myself extra lengths of thread and completed each end by hand.  I then wet molded the shape of the leash into the leather by dunking the entire sheath in water for a minute or so, then wedging the leash in and forming the leather around it. It took about a day and a half to dry completely and, due the soaking, had become quite firm – a quality I like in a holster. The edges have been dyed with my shop-made vinegroon, and then burnished and slicked smooth. Lastly I dunked this into my large vat of natural oil/wax mixture. It’s a hot wax dip method I am perfecting for leather goods that involves no chemicals to condition and preserve leather goods. It’s working so well, that you may not have to re-oil for many many years later. The true benefit is chemical free leatherwork though!

The test fitting went well and I think I am ready to take Mr. Boots out for another walk shortly. If y’all are interested in a sheath like this for yourself – make sure to get in touch via the contact page here. I will need to have your leash in the shop for the correct fit, or I can also make you one of my own from the shop out of premium Latigo Leather. Well, time to get back out there – see ya in a bit.