Pressure is the thing people forget about collars on big dogs. A narrow band on a heavy dog concentrates every pull into a thin line across the neck, and thick padding is what spreads that load back out again. This collar is built around that idea: a generously padded band, a soft lining against the coat, and a pin buckle rather than a plastic clip, because a pin buckle is the fastening that does not eventually give up under a heavy dog.

The nameplate slides onto the webbing and lies flat against it, and we engrave it with your dog's name, date of birth and a contact number before it ships. That is three lines rather than the usual one, which is considerably more use to whoever ends up holding your dog by the collar. Reflective detailing runs along the band for early starts and dark evenings, and twenty variants cover sizes S to XL across five colours.

• Thickly padded nylon with a soft lining
• Slide-on metal nameplate engraved with name, date of birth and number
• Pin buckle fastening rather than a plastic clip
• Reflective detailing for low-light walks
• Sizes S to XL
• Five colours: dark blue, forest green, sky blue, black and purple

On engraving. Once the plate is cut it cannot be changed, so check the spelling and the phone number carefully at the order stage rather than afterwards. And a collar is for identification and everyday walking: if your dog pulls hard enough to make you brace, the lead belongs on a harness instead.

Who it's for: Owners of larger or heavier dogs who want padding, a metal pin buckle and permanent ID on one collar.