Willowandporter Reviews 

We purchased the 'at heel' lead at £49.95. It's a premium price and there are some aspects of it I like. The rope is soft to hold and soft on my dog's nose, it looks like a great lead.
We initially had a lot of problems getting our puppy used to the lead, she constantly got the nose band off, leaving a larger loop on her neck that enabled her to escape altogether. We seemed to combat this with additional training sessions for a while but she still attempts to claw the nose band off.
My main issue is with the tri-glide brass ring, it doesn't 'glide' and the only way to move it is by feeding the rope through and pulling from the other side. When we take our puppy to the pub we like to remove the nose part but then have to tighten the neck part by moving the tri glide in order to keep her on leash, this is fiddly.
James was very helpful with training tips and letting me know where I could improve things, but despite trying for many days and weeks we haven't succeeded in getting our puppy used to this lead so are having to purchase a different style.
We weren't eligible for a refund unfortunately as our lead had been used, which I understand.
I can't fault the customer service but I do feel that the lead is difficult to use and we worried particularly about when we have our dog looked after, whether someone else would be able to use the lead properly.

Unfortunately the slip/figure 8 leads appear to be inherently faulty (at least in my experience). The leather tab that should keep the lead tight stretches after minimal use.

Worse is that Willow & Porter themselves seem unable to grasp the possibility that they could have sold a faulty product as apparently the leather stopper tab is "working as intended". It was so loose that at one point my dog was able to get the lead off with a simple flick of the head. I've used several figure 8 leads and never had this issue before.

I suspect that the issues are likely with the materials chosen. The cotton leads appear to expand when exposed to higher levels of moisture (we noticed that it was thicker and spongier on days with a higher humidity, and I'm not even talking about rain) and unfortunately the leather stretches very easily. The leather cap on the handle also became loose after a few days.

If you're looking for a high quality slip or figure 8 lead look at the Mendota Rope Slip Leads sold by Leadingdog.co.uk. Half the price and far better quality. They're also softer than the cotton willow & porter leads and don't expand under higher humidities.

I purchased the Ambassador lead from Willow & Porter, attracted by its design and the promise of a high-quality product for my gun dogs. While the craftsmanship appears commendable at first glance, I’ve encountered a significant safety issue that cannot be overlooked. Despite using the lead as intended—as a figure of 8, fitted snugly behind the ears—it consistently tightens under normal use, often binding and requiring manual intervention to release. This design flaw presents a real risk of injury, especially to dogs that are still training and might pull on the lead.

As an experienced gun dog handler familiar with figure of 8 leads, my concern was not for my own use, but for the potential danger it poses to less experienced handlers and their dogs. Hoping for a constructive dialogue, I reached out to Willow & Porter to share my concerns, providing clear feedback on how a minor modification (a slightly larger ring diameter) could alleviate this safety issue.

Regrettably, the response from James, the company owner, was both dismissive and accusatory. He suggested I was using the product incorrectly, seemingly unwilling to acknowledge any flaw in the design. Our correspondence ended without any recognition of the legitimate safety concern I raised, leaving me disappointed and concerned for other users.

It’s disheartening to write this review, as I genuinely hoped for a resolution that would enhance the safety and usability of what could otherwise be an excellent product. However, the lack of constructive engagement and the apparent disregard for customer feedback on a serious safety issue have compelled me to advise potential buyers to consider these factors seriously. Safety should never be compromised, and customer concerns should always be met with open and respectful communication. Unfortunately, my experience with Willow & Porter has been lacking in both regards.

I have tried that many head collars and figure eight leads that I've lost count. There was always some kind of issue with each one. Some cut into my dogs face, some would tighten and not loosen up, my dog even got his paw caught up in one. I purchased the 3m figure eight from willow and porter and it's fantastic, it's so much softer on my dogs face, it stays in place on his face but also loosens up as he stops pulling. This by far is the best figure eight I've used. I would definitely recommend this product.

Willowandporter sell beautiful leather Dog collars and they were kind enough to donate some Dog collars to our recent fundraising auction at UK-German Shephed Rescue to help us raise much needed funds.