Pull on a dog and the dog pulls back. Beaphar make that point themselves — dogs of every size lean into a collar or a harness because pressure triggers an instinct to push against it, which is why a walk with a puller tends to get worse the harder both ends try.

The Gentle Leader is a head collar rather than a neck one, and its patented design answers that instinct in three ways at once. The one Beaphar spell out is the gentle pressure it transfers to the back of the neck, which they say stimulates a relaxation response. It was designed in the USA by a veterinary surgeon working with a past president of the National Association of Dog Trainers, and Beaphar position it as a training aid for basic obedience as much as an anti-pull device. It comes in black, in three sizes.

• Head collar, not a neck collar or a harness
• Patented triple-action design
• Transfers gentle pressure to the back of the neck
• Three sizes: small, medium and large
• Black
• Sold as a training aid for lead work and basic obedience

The breed list never arrived. Beaphar's own sizing text on this line stops mid-sentence at "The large size Gentle Leader is suitable for the following breeds" — and then nothing. No neck measurement, no muzzle circumference and no weight band is published for small, medium or large. That is the single most useful specification on a head collar, because one that is too big rides up towards the eyes and one too small clamps the muzzle. Message us with your dog's breed and muzzle measurement before choosing, and give any head collar a slow introduction rather than clipping it on and setting off.

Who it's for: the owner of a strong dog who has run out of patience with a harness, and who is prepared to spend a fortnight teaching the dog to accept something on its face.