Holiday Dog Collars and Leashes for the Season's Photos

Every dog on our block ends up in at least one photo by a fireplace or a tree in December, and Ella is no exception, she has posed in front of the garage's string lights more times than the red car has been washed this year. A holiday collar and leash do a lot of the visual work in those photos without asking anything extra of the dog, and 2 Hounds Design has built a wide enough range of winter patterns that there is rarely a reason to settle for a plain buckle collar in the background.

What "holiday" actually covers in this line

The seasonal patterns run from classic winter plaids in cream, green and a darker midnight tone, through dedicated Christmas prints like patchwork, stripes and poinsettia, to a brighter graffiti style print built on the recycled EarthStyle webbing. Some of these are velvet, in either an Essential build with velvet on one side or an Elite build with velvet worked into both sides, and some are the flatter EarthStyle nylon-style webbing. Both hold color well in photos, they just read differently up close: velvet has more texture and catches light, EarthStyle patterns sit flatter and read cleaner from a distance.

Matching the whole set for photos

Most of the seasonal patterns are available across a buckle collar, a martingale collar and a leash, and several also come as a Freedom no-pull harness, so a full matching set is possible in one pattern rather than piecing colors together. Hardware comes in brass or silver, and for a plaid or patchwork print, sticking with one hardware color across the collar and leash keeps a busy pattern from looking cluttered in a photo. A plainer pattern like a solid stripe or a two-tone holiday velvet can carry a bit more hardware contrast without looking off.

Picking a pattern that will not fight the background

A busy plaid can disappear into a busy sweater or a cluttered mantel just as easily as it can stand out, so it helps to think about where the photo is actually happening before picking a print. A solid two-tone holiday velvet, in a green and red or a blue and silver combination, tends to read clearly against most indoor backgrounds and does not compete with wrapping paper or ornaments the way a dense plaid can. Outdoors against snow or bare trees, the bolder plaids and the EarthStyle graffiti print both have enough contrast to hold up in a wider shot.

After the photos, everyday wear

A holiday pattern does not have to live in a drawer the rest of the year. The velvet styles take the same care as any other velvet collar in our lineup: a cool rinse, a little mild soap if needed, and air drying out of direct sun so the color holds. The EarthStyle patterns, being a flatter webbing, wipe down easily with a damp cloth. Either way, there is no reason a collar bought for December photos cannot keep going through the rest of a Pennsylvania winter, plaid included.

In the Gear aisle

See the current holiday dog collars and leashes in our Gear section. 2 Hounds Design ships these directly from Indian Trail, North Carolina through Shopify Collective, with its own tracking, and Sniff and Shift never touches the box.

A good sit-and-stay for the camera deserves a reward right after the shutter clicks. Our freeze-dried dog treats are small enough to keep in a coat pocket for exactly that moment.

Questions

Are the holiday patterns only in velvet?

No. Some, like the classic winter plaids and Christmas prints, are velvet in either the Essential or Elite build, while others, like the graffiti and patchwork prints, are on the flatter EarthStyle webbing. Both are available across collar and leash styles.

Can I get a matching collar, leash and harness in a holiday print?

Several patterns in this line are available as a buckle collar, a martingale collar, a leash and a Freedom no-pull harness, so a full matching set in one pattern is possible, though not every pattern covers every style.

Will a holiday collar work outside the holidays?

Yes. Nothing about the construction is seasonal, it is only the pattern that reads as festive. A plaid or patchwork print holds up to ordinary wear the same as any other collar in the line.