SportDOG Rugged Utility Collar

Between my dog, an adventurous cattle dog, and several business clients, I’ve used gear made from all materials: leather, canvas, scuba webbing, cordura, nylon, biothane and more. The leash and collar are both biothane. Biothane excels at shedding water, mud, and brush. It is also excellent at resisting odors whether from the environment or the neighborhood skunk. This leash absolutely sustained here, despite several opportunity-rolls by my ACD, the collar was one rinse away, if it needed one at all. Admittedly I had to personally sink it into the mud and let it sit to come out with anything for a rinse video. Despite those benefits, biothane is rarely my first choice because most of the time biothane products are slick when dry and nearly impossible to grab when wet unless using the loop or a clip. SportDOG has certainly knocked that problem out of the park! The texturing on the collar and lead is head and shoulders better than any other similar product I’ve found! I’m also a fan of the heavy duty hardware which was easy to manipulate in the dark and even with a squirming dog! They’ve also included a “traffic-handle” near the clip for close quarters and a clip ring so you can wrap the leash around your shoulders when your off leash or done for the day. I usually prefer the clip ring in the end of the handle, but that’s a personal preference because of my size, this one is positioned in a good spot for nearly everyone. While I wouldn’t say anyone should drop their collar and leash and get these immediately, I WILL say that they are absolutely excellent for someone who needs a leash and collar and doesn’t want significant upkeep. It’s also great for people who tend to get wed and muddy out and about with their pups!

This is a super durable combo. I love the fact that it doesn’t get all nasty like canvas leashes and collars. They attach super easy and the collar seems to be comfortable to my dog. I would like the leash to be a little longer but other than that it’s almost perfect.

I received this SportDOG Rugged Utility Collar and 6’ Lead for free in exchange for my honest review. As soon as I got my hands on the collar and lead, I was impressed with the material. Soft enough to be comfortable for my dog to wear but also strong and durable enough to stand up to everyday wear and tear in the field. Being waterproof, I know that both the collar and lead will not become waterlogged or pick up any “stink” from those wet days chasing birds. The 6’ lead even features a thoughtfully located heel handle that is comfortable to grab and hold tight for those times you need more control. I have been impressed by both the Rugged Utility Collar and the 6’ Lead and I’m excited to get more use out of both of them this fall.

The collar is super durable. It took a few days to break in and seemed a tad uncomfortable at first. Once it broke in my dog doesn’t even notice it which I think is the goal for all hunting dog gear. Keep the dog working and moving as natural as possible. The material is clearly water proof although I wasn’t able get my Chessie in the water with it yet. Our Chessie is 81 lbs and the large fit him perfectly. It was easy to cut after sizing so it didn’t have a super long tail. It also looks great too. Sport dog is my go to brand already for gun dog e-collars and now they will have my business for regular collars for all my pups.