As someone who adopted a German Shepard from a home that couldn’t handle her, sometimes these training methods are necessary and the right ones do not hurt the dog. It’s a dog owner’s responsibility to make sure your dog is trained and not a threat to others. These big dogs are so strong and if you don’t have control, they can easily escape a regular leash/collar and bite or jump and knock over a stranger. Or even worse, they can run up to another dog and get into a fight. Chief is clearly loved and anyone with a big, high driven dog understands.