Two dogs on two leads become a plaited rope within about thirty seconds of leaving the house, and untangling it in the rain with both of them pulling is the reason a lot of people give up walking them together. A single lead that splits at a swivel removes the mechanism entirely, because the dogs can cross behind each other as often as they like and the swivel simply turns to follow them.

Every size is 250cm long, which looks excessive until you see what the length is for. It is what allows the lead to run diagonally across your body or over a shoulder, and what leaves each dog enough independent rope once the splitter has taken half of it. Rope thickness scales with the size rather than the length, at 8mm on the small, 10mm on the medium and 12mm on the large. The handle is padded, which you notice on the days when both dogs spot the same squirrel.

• 250cm long in every size
• 360-degree swivel splitter stops the two leads twisting
• Rope thickness: 8mm small, 10mm medium, 12mm large
• Two sturdy metal clips for collars or harnesses
• Padded handle for grip with two dogs pulling
• Converts to a single lead, or a shoulder or diagonal carry
• Several colourways, including plain black and flower prints

On matching your dogs. A coupler works well when two dogs are of similar size and walk at a similar pace, and badly when they are not, since a large puller paired with a small dog will simply drag them along. Pick the rope thickness for the stronger of the two. A splitter also gives you one point of control for two animals, so if either dog is unreliable on a lead, keep them separate.

Who it's for: Two-dog households where both dogs walk decently and the tangling is the only thing spoiling the walk.