I have used the Koehler method for training my dogs. The method has gone out of style in current society. I know a lady who traveled several hundred miles every week to attend a class I was in. If you watch older movies like Swiss Family Robinson those dogs were trained by William Koehler who was the primary dog trainer for Disney back then. It is a ten week course and after it - if done correctly - ones dog will no longer need a leash. They can be chasing a deer and will stop on a dime with one command. It is often seen as harsh by some, but my dogs not only love me but also respect me. In my town police dogs, humane society, and dogs for handicap people go through and are sometime required to take the class. The Koehler class in my area is attended by three to four hundred dogs a year.
Ask my friend how much my dog likes me and you will see the nifty little scar on his arm from when the dog thought he was trying to hurt me

after the dog was restrained they still got me duck taped and into the car though.
I have known hundreds of dogs that have been trained using choke collars (What an unfair name). You can use choke collars in the wrong way but it is not hard to use them in the right way. As mentioned above they are used by hundreds of dogs a year in that class alone.
- The running part of the chain should go through the ring and over the neck. (Exactly how it is done depends weather you heal on the left or the right.)
- Take off the choke chain when not training
Once the behavior is established the dog is weaned off of the choke collar, and if you so choose you can wean the dog off of a collar completely.
You can jerk on a choke collar till a dogs neck is raw (If this is the case you are training wrong but the point is you will not cause permanent damage). I have seen dogs fly in the air from being jerked so hard (Again wrong thing to do). You will not hurt a normal healthy dog around the size of a small lab. Just use common sense, do not yank your Chihuahua as hard as I had to jerk my Great Danes.
This should go with out saying:
Tailor your method to the dog. My lab will role over and pee if she gets a dirty look, she never needed a wap. I had a Great Dane that required a few. It just depends on the dog, and probably most importantly what you established as a puppy.
About causing your dog pain and it being inhumane, cruel, and animal abuse. I think you will have trouble finding someone to arrest me as multiple police officers have been required to train there dog using the Koehler method. Also the class is regularly attended/taken by people from the humane society. EDIT: I forgot to mention the multiple vets that have taken and recomend the class.
Sincerely,
zoink