Some dogs go through a fabric lead in a fortnight. A few minutes of idle chewing at the handle end and the webbing is finished, usually somewhere between the car and the park gate. Metal solves that outright, and this lead is a plain iron link chain with a D-ring buckle at the collar end. There is nothing on it to gnaw through, nothing to fray, and nothing that gives way the moment a strong dog lunges at a passing cyclist.

The chain is finished in antique silver or bronze, and you choose the length that matches how you actually walk: 1.5m for close control on pavements and in traffic, 2m for general use, 3m if you want your dog to range a little on open ground. You can also choose it with or without the buckle attachment, so it either clips straight onto a collar or arrives as the chain alone for pairing with hardware you already trust.

• Iron link chain construction throughout
• Lengths of 1.5m, 2m and 3m
• Antique silver and bronze finishes
• Buckle version with a D-ring, or chain only
• Chew-resistant where webbing and rope leads fail
• Eighteen length, colour and fitting combinations

On weight: a chain lead is heavier than webbing, and that weight hangs from your dog's collar for the whole walk. On a strong adult dog it goes unnoticed. On a puppy, a toy breed or a dog with a delicate neck it is genuinely uncomfortable, and a padded fabric lead is the kinder choice. Chain also transmits a jolt rather than absorbing it, so it does not forgive a hard pull the way webbing does.

What the options mean. Sold in sizes from 1.5 m to 3 m — £14.99 to £26.99.

Who it's for: Owners of powerful, mouthy dogs who have replaced one chewed lead too many and want something that simply cannot be bitten through.