Here at Tactipup, we pride ourselves on making high-quality, long lasting gear for your pup. Our "Over-built Dog Gear" slogan is no joke. We truly do build dog gear with the intention of it lasting a lifetime and longer. Even though we build our dog collars with a severe attention to quality and craftsmanship, how you treat your dogs gear also can make a huge difference. We can't tell you what to do with your dogs collar, but here are some things we do NOT recommend: 

1. Throwing it in a wood chipper
2. Running it over with a semi-truck (they actually do quite well with regular cars - 4Runner tested)
3. Using it to tow your massive Yacht 
4. Tossing it into a box of fireworks just after lighting the fuse
5. Serving it on a platter for your Malinois puppy, with perfectly cooked bacon on the side

BUILT TO LAST.

All jokes aside - to put this theory into perspective, a dog collar that is worn lounging on the couch every day will generally last longer than a collar that is being trekked through mud, sand, and waves often. If cleaned thoroughly (or even just rinsed with clean water) after a long beach day, even that well-beaten Tactipup dog collarwill last ages.However, just because your pup prefers a day in over a day on the trails doesn't mean you don't need to maintain proper care of their collar. Think of it this way - let's say you wear the same shirt every day for a year. When you remove it, it surely doesn't smell very good. It is also no doubt discolored and faded, especially in well-worn zones. Unfortunately we simply cannot expect a $60-$80 shirt (or nearly anything) to last a full year without ever being washed or changed. 

WASHING YOUR PUPS COLLAR.

When it comes to washing your dogs collar, we don't expect you to give a full wash each time you go to the lake/beach/pool, especially if that's part of your daily routine. However, after the collar (or leash, or harness) is exposed to water, sand, mud, or other elements - we do recommend at least rinsing it off with clean water to remove any dirt/grime from the collar, and then letting it air dry before placing it back on your pup. Letting your dogs collar air dry might be one of the most important things we recommend here, because not only does a wet dog collar + wet fur = one stinky pup, but metal will rust if not properly cared for.

You can view our cleaning how-to video here for an easy cleaning method that won't damage your pups collar. 

RUST ON YOUR DOGS COLLAR.

Tactipup dog gear does hold up well with water and definitely canbe in & out of water often with no issues if you take good care it, especially the Cobra buckle, d-ring/v-ring, and metal tri-glide. That being said, the metal hardware on your dogs collar, leash, or harness should not remain wet for an extended period of time. Wiping the hardware dry after being soaked will prevent rusting, and letting it air dry off of your pup is going to keep the metal hardware in tip top shape.

Saltwater will corrode and rust metal quicker than freshwater, and although our black Cobra buckles have a black oxidizedHPC coating in order to protect against that, being exposed to a damp, humid environment (being immersed in wet fur for hours) will not do you any favors. It's the same reason why boats in saltwater will have corrosion/rust on them a lot quicker than a freshwater boat. Our silver edition buckles are polished and do not have an extra coating, so they do require a bit more care. If the black HPC coating is scraped off of the Cobra buckle on your dogs collar (can happen by dog tags hitting against it or the leash hardware when pulling), metal underneath will be exposed and will also require extra care when it comes to water. 

If you are looking for ways to prevent any further rusting/get rid of any current rust on your dogs collar or other dog gear - here are a few home remedies that are cheap, easy and not harmful to the product: 

• Mix baking soda with water or white vinegar, and take a cloth pad and wipe the metal hardware to remove current rust. 

• Once the rust is removed, wipe again to prevent any further issues. 

HARDWARE VS. SALTWATER

MIL-SPEC NYLON WEBBING.

Our dog collars are made of double-layered Nylon webbing that is military grade and has a tensile strength of over 2,000 lbs. The Nylon webbing is abrasion resistant and will not tear or rip unless cut or punctured first. However, once a tooth goes through the fabric or cuts the edge, it will continue to fray from there. It will remain strong, however the 2,000 lb integrity goes out the window. Over time, this can lead to the dog collar ripping. Although we build our collars with the best webbing available (made in the USA), dogs teeth are designed to chew through bone, and they can get through almost anything with the willpower to do so. As much as we wish we could make Tactipup collars indestructible, aside from metal, there's not many chew-proof material options out there. 

ARE OUR COLLARS CHEWPROOF?

DAMAGE BY DOG.

Let's talk some more about chewing. Preferably, it's done with bones, chew toys, and other things that we specifically give to our dogs to chew on. However, we know dogs can act impulsively sometimes, and even older pups can revert to their old ways. Whether they're bored, need attention, are anxious, or simply experience a feral lack of self-control when it comes to that brand new collar sitting on top of the crate... Mistakes happen.

If your dogs are anything like mine, they play rough. They topple over one another, (I've watched Hazel do one-too-many somersaults, over and under Traeger), and they play-bite at each others legs nonstop during a session of playtime. If given the opportunity, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they tore an "indestructible" toy in half during a game of tug-of-war. Although we don't see tears or fraying very often, with any type of fabric it is unfortunately a possibility - even super strong military grade nylon webbing. 

WHAT IF YOUR DOGS COLLAR IS DAMAGED?

As dog people, we're inclined to forgive your pup immediately and help you out in getting a replacement. For our Extreme models, we can re-use the metal hardware and completely remake your pups collar at a discounted price. For Basic models, we will offer to completely remake the collar for a discounted price, no hardware necessary as the metal hardware is the most expensive component used for our collars. In cases of dog-caused damage, we always recommend upgrading to one of our Extreme models (those come with a metal Cobra buckle) to avoid any issues with the plastic buckle in the future! Feel free to email our support desk for assistance with replacements.