As I suggested in the other thread, for walking, a good choice for control would be a type of harness (I've heard good things about the gentle leader and such) or a prong collar.

The elastic on that one looks as though if it were under enough stress/pressure it would break. And your Buddy is a good sound and strong dog. I think this collar would be a good choice if he had a little more obedience under his belt first (ie: no, stay, come, etc).