This may sound dumb, but I've put the pinch on myself to see how painful it is. And unless you're yanking hard it doesn't really hurt. (which you're not suppose to do anyway. Should be a quick small pop and release) It's just suppose to pinch. That being said, I'll never use one on Clover. I used one on 2 of my other dogs and they became more excited and growling at other dogs as they got older. I doubt it's the pinch honestly, probably me being nervous. However, Clover is reacting very well to positive training, it just takes SO much more work then a pinch collar. I think if you want to use the pinch, then that's fine. A lot of people use them, but maybe take a training class with him to learn how to use it properly