Are Slip Leads Cruel? The Dog-Walking Debate We Need to Have
Updated: Oct 21
“Slip leads are cruel. Every dog should be walked on a harness.”
You may have heard this from trainers, dog walkers or social media accounts.
And I understand why people have concerns.
A slip lead can absolutely be used badly.
Excessive pressure, repeated corrections, jerking or allowing a dog to continually pull against one can cause discomfort and potentially put unnecessary pressure on the neck.
But is it really as simple as saying slip leads are cruel?
I don’t think it is.
I think we need a much more nuanced conversation about dog-walking equipment.
Not every dog is the same
One of the problems with dog advice is that we sometimes look for one answer that should work for every dog.
“Use a harness.”
But what if the dog doesn’t like wearing one?
What if they find having something around their body uncomfortable or restrictive?
What if a particular harness design doesn’t suit that individual dog?
What if an owner is dealing with a dog who has arthritis or another health issue that makes certain equipment unsuitable?
There isn’t one piece of equipment that is automatically perfect for every dog.
That doesn’t mean harnesses are bad.
It means dogs are individuals.
And our equipment choices should take the individual dog into consideration.
A slip lead isn’t automatically a punishment
A slip lead is a piece of equipment.
It becomes a problem when it is used to apply excessive pressure, punish a dog or physically force them into doing something.
There is a huge difference between a handler using a slip lead carefully, understanding how it works and minimising pressure, and someone constantly tightening, jerking or correcting a dog with it.
The same principle applies to other equipment.
A harness can be used thoughtfully.
A harness can also be badly fitted or used inappropriately.
A collar can be perfectly suitable for some situations.
A collar can also cause problems when a dog is repeatedly pulling hard against it.
The equipment matters, but so does what the person holding the other end of it is doing.
What about gun dogs and working dogs?
There is another part of this conversation that often gets overlooked: working dogs.
Gun dogs are a good example.
For a dog actually working through cover, a harness isn’t always a practical choice.
Think about a Spaniel working through dense undergrowth, brambles, hedges and vegetation. Equipment sitting around the dog’s body has the potential to become caught or snagged.
And this isn’t only relevant to dogs actually working in the field.
Many pet gun dogs still behave like gun dogs.
A pet Spaniel doesn’t necessarily think:
“I’m not working today, so I’ll stay nicely on the path.” 😂
They may head straight into the hedge, disappear into long grass, push through brambles or follow an interesting scent into dense vegetation.
For those dogs, the practicality and safety of equipment has to be considered alongside everything else.
This is one reason slip leads remain popular among some gun-dog owners and handlers.
They can be quick to put on and remove and don’t leave a harness sitting around the dog’s body when the dog is working through cover.
That doesn’t make a slip lead automatically safe.
It doesn’t mean it should be tightened around a dog’s neck or used to repeatedly correct a dog.
And it certainly doesn’t mean every dog should be walked on one.
It means context matters.
A piece of equipment that is practical for a working Spaniel moving through dense cover may not be the same equipment someone would choose for a dog who spends their walks calmly strolling along pavements.
There is no universal answer.
The individual dog, the environment, the activity and the handler all matter.
We shouldn’t ignore the risks of neck pressure
This is where the conversation needs to be balanced.
Just because I don’t believe that every slip lead is inherently cruel doesn’t mean I’m suggesting that pressure around a dog’s neck is harmless.
It isn’t.
Repeated or excessive pressure should never be dismissed.
A dog continually pulling against a lead attached to their collar can put significant force through the neck.
A sudden correction can create a very different force from gentle lead handling.
And this is why how equipment is used matters so much.
We shouldn’t swing from one extreme to another.
We shouldn’t say:
“Slip leads are always cruel.”
But equally, we shouldn’t say:
“It’s only a slip lead, it doesn’t matter how much pressure I put on it.”
Neither position is particularly helpful.
What about long lines and retractable leads?
Here’s another part of the conversation that deserves more attention.
Long lines can be incredibly useful.
I use them as part of recall training because they give dogs freedom to explore while allowing us to maintain a level of safety and control.
But attaching a long line to a collar and allowing a dog to run at speed until they suddenly reach the end isn’t something we should ignore.
The same applies to retractable leads.
A dog can build momentum before reaching the end of the line, creating a sudden jolt.
So when we’re discussing equipment and welfare, we need to consider how the force is generated, not simply what piece of equipment is being used.
It seems strange that we can have passionate debates about whether one piece of equipment is cruel while overlooking how another piece of equipment is actually being used.
Again, nuance matters.
And then there’s car safety
There’s another part of the harness debate that I think deserves much more attention: travelling in the car.
I regularly see dogs travelling loose in cars, sometimes moving around the back seat or even able to climb into the front.
That isn’t something we should simply accept as normal.
The Highway Code’s Rule 57 says that when travelling in a vehicle, dogs should be suitably restrained so they cannot distract the driver or injure themselves or others if the vehicle stops quickly. It gives a seat-belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard as examples of ways to restrain animals in cars.
And this is where choosing the right equipment really matters.
If a dog is travelling on the back seat, a properly designed restraint attached to an appropriate harness is one option.
If the dog travels in the boot of an estate car or hatchback, a properly fitted dog guard separating the dog from the passenger area, or a suitably secured crate, are other options.
What I would not want to see is a dog restrained to a seat-belt attachment by its collar.
In a sudden stop, the restraint can bring the dog’s body to an abrupt halt while placing force through the neck.
That’s a very different situation from calmly walking a dog on a lead.
And again, this comes back to the point of this article:
Equipment cannot be judged without considering how and where it is being used.
The equipment that might be appropriate for a walk isn’t necessarily appropriate for travelling in a vehicle.
A dog loose in a vehicle isn’t simply “free to move around”.
They can also become a distraction to the driver and, in a sudden stop, both the dog and people in the vehicle can be put at risk.
Safety has to come first.
Equipment isn’t training
Perhaps this is the most important part of the whole discussion.
There is no magic piece of equipment that teaches a dog how to walk nicely.
A slip lead isn’t a substitute for training.
A harness isn’t a substitute for training.
A long line isn’t recall training by itself.
A retractable lead doesn’t teach loose-lead walking.
Equipment can help us manage a situation while we’re teaching the behaviour we actually want.
And sometimes management is extremely important.
If you have a young, excitable dog who hasn’t developed a reliable recall yet, using a long line while you train may be the sensible choice.
If your dog is frightened by certain situations, choosing equipment that allows you to keep them safe without adding unnecessary pressure may be important.
If your dog pulls, changing equipment might help with management — but it doesn’t automatically address why they’re pulling.
There are no quick fixes.
So, are slip leads cruel?
Here’s my answer:
A slip lead can be used cruelly.
But that isn’t the same statement as saying every slip lead is inherently cruel.
I think we do dogs a disservice when we turn complicated subjects into simple labels.
“Slip lead = cruel.”
“Harness = kind.”
“Collar = bad.”
“Long line = safe.”
Life with dogs simply isn’t that straightforward.
The more useful questions are:
Does this equipment suit this individual dog?
Is it fitted and used correctly?
Is excessive pressure being applied?
What happens if the dog suddenly reaches the end of the lead?
Is the equipment being used for safety and management, or as a tool for punishment?
Is the environment and activity being taken into account?
And are we actually training the behaviour as well?
These questions give us something much more useful than simply declaring equipment good or bad.
Let’s make the conversation more nuanced
I’m not interested in telling every dog owner that they should use a slip lead.
I’m equally not interested in telling every dog owner that they must use a harness.
I want people to understand what they’re using and why they’re using it.
I want them to understand the potential risks.
I want them to recognise that dogs have individual needs.
And I want them to understand that responsible equipment use and proper training go hand in hand.
Because ultimately, this shouldn’t be about winning an argument over a piece of equipment.
It should be about making sensible, informed choices for the dog standing at the other end of the lead.
Perhaps that’s what has been missing from the debate.
A little less labelling.
A little less “always” and “never”.
And a lot more nuance.
Further reading: Research into collar and slip-lead pressure on the canine neck”
Pauli et al. (2006): Effects of neck pressure from a collar or harness on pressure inside dogs’ eyes
About the author
I’m Maria, founder of Maria Canine Care and a qualified canine behaviour practitioner (Level 6), with years of hands-on experience working with dogs.
I write these blogs to share practical, evidence-informed advice, helping owners better understand their dogs and make informed decisions about their care and training.
Find out more about Maria Canine Care on my About page.
Excellent read, very educational and useful.