A slip lead is the lead you own for the times you have not got a lead. It goes over the head in one movement and needs no collar to clip onto, which is why one lives in the boot of the car, in the pocket of a walking coat, and behind the door of every vet practice in the country.

This one is soft rope rather than the thin nylon cord the design usually comes in, finished with premium full grain leather tabs and a metal slider. The slider is the part that matters: it sets how far the loop is able to close, so the lead tightens down to a stop rather than continuing to draw in. It is 60 inches long, which is generous for a slip — enough to shorten around your hand or to leave long on a dog that is walking nicely.

• 60 inches long
• Soft rope construction
• Premium full grain leather tabs
• Metal slider, fitted to stop the loop closing indefinitely
• Black
• Goes over the head, so no collar is needed

On the slider, because it only works if you set it. The stop is a moving part. It has to be positioned on the rope for your dog's neck before the walk starts, and a slider left wide open leaves you holding an ordinary slip lead. Hemm and Boo publish no rope diameter, no breaking strain and no weight or size guidance either, so this is a lead for a dog that already walks reasonably rather than one that throws itself to the end of it — and a slip lead of any kind is not the tool for teaching a hard puller to stop.

Who it's for: owners who want a smart spare for the car or the yard, people walking a dog that is steady on the lead already, and anyone who has spent years putting a collar on and off at the boot.