We used the pinch collars after we heard and read from many different sources that choke collars can damage the dog's esophogas (sp??? and me a teacher of science!! lol). I've tried the pinch collar on myself (yes, I'm a weirdo) and it hurt a lot less than a choke did...it really just was a little annoying. It made a world of difference when we tried it with Jazzy (one of the Danes)...she walks like a regular lady when she has it on and a holy terror when she doesn't. I've heard wonderful things about the Gentle Leader too, but then my mom got one for Eddie (the terror little Jack Russell) and she had to return it 3 times because it's just made of plastic and the clasp kept breaking, and those things are too darn expensive not to return them. I just discovered a choke collar though, that we have on Smokey (the pit) that is made of cloth and is a lot less intrusive and doesn't hurt the throat area and he does very well with it. Ok, I'm done babbling now...Good Luck and keep us informed as to what miracle you come up with to solve the dreaded pulling dog syndrom.