As Mr. Rodrigues stated in his review before me, please consider a different leash to use with your dogs, especially if they are a powerful breed. There is a major design (i presume) and construction (for sure) flaw in the leash he obtained, and in mine as well. Indeed, mine is somewhat worse than his. Let me explain. A premium leather leash (or human belt) is made from one piece of full grain, or near full grain cowhide for the entire length of the leash (or belt). To get those long lengths, the strap must traverse the length of the cow, being sliced from some of the more expensive sections of the leather. If done this way, not only will the leather be very durable, with reasonable care, but it will be very strong. I have a leather leash that was made this way, is now used with the third consecutive dog (so, for over 25 years), and it is better than new, being more water resistant and pliable from many conditionings. I see no reason it won't go another 10 years, maybe much longer. The Rawlings leather leash is a mockery of the sort of leash I describe above. First, I don't even know for sure what kind of leather it is beyond Rawlings stamped assurance that is is "genuine leather." Whatever the source of the leather, it is dry and of poor quality. It is not made of a single piece of leather, but 4. The 3/4 inch wide inside and outside layers are thin and are stitched together with thread that rides on the surface of the leather. Such stitches are exposed to abrasion, compared to quality construction where the stitching is run in a groove the sets the stitching slightly below the surface, thus protecting it. There is nothing to suggest that the thread itself is of any special manufacture that would make it more abrasion resistant. But the very worst aspect of this leash is that the length of it is composed of two pieces, joined near the middle with a single row of stitches. The in and outer side joints are displaced less than a half inch. Even the earlier reviewer has more overlap than that. So you have this inherently very weak joint attached with weak thread and a smidgon of glue. Any strong breed, such as an Akita or Rottweiler will much sooner than later pull this leash apart at this joint. In the previous reviewer's case, it only took four uses. My leash will never be used that many times--probably never. Relying on a leash of this poor quality to control your dog is asking for failure when you need it most. I am following this with the comments I made in assessing the matching leash. Just keep in mind, when reading the following, that the leash is far less acceptable than the collar. It is a 25% narrower, and pieced together. It is not even worth the cost of applying leather conditioner. Rawlings prominently states it "is a manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods in the United States.” Imagine my surprise when the collar comes today and I find "INDIA" printed on the inside surface of the collar. My surprise expands as I consider that " leather" is being processed in India where cows are sacred. Now usually leather, when not otherwise specified, is considered to be cowhide. We do know, that this is not just any leather but "Genuine Leather" is printed on the collar. Rawlings assures us that their name "represents the highest quality of leather goods." This collar does NOT represent "the highest quality of leather good." The collar is made up of two strips of thin hide sewn (and likely glued) around it's periphery to simulate a single piece strap. On my harness, the leather is dry and badly needs oiling. The two rivets used to attached ID tags are through riveted and creat two weak points where the leather may tear in the future. The buckle and attachment loop are of small but likely adequate gauge, the tongue is not. It is apt to bend, if not break, under heavy use. If you decide to purchase and keep this collar, then saturate it with leather conditioner until it will soak up no more--as mine came (and likely that of the reviewer who said her leash tore apart after 4 uses) the leather is very dry and prone to cracking. Do what you can to prevent this from ever happening--which will require infusing the fibers with conditioning oils and allowing a long time for them to soak in and soften. I use Griot's leather conditioner, but Lexol and others make comparable products. You don't want a wax, you want a conditioner that will load in deeply. I am supposed to get my matching leash tomorrow; I expect it will arrive in the same condition--but I hope not. After I get these properly nourished, and feel I can use them without premature damage, I will return to this review and describe more about these products.
