[alaskayorkie]

I had the same experience when I started out in obedience 7 years ago with Eddie. The biggest training center in the city advocated choke chains or pronged collars. They even specifically said Eddie should be on a pronged collar because he was pulling.

I was new to training, but it just didn't seem right. I switched schools, and they allowed me to use a harness and emphasized treat or toy rewards. His improvement was immediate.

I do understand the idea behind corrections, but for my little dog, it didn't work. My feeling is many little dogs are naturally afraid of things, and you have to do everything you can to make training fun -- and corrections aren't fun.

That said, I do let my dogs self-correct when walking on harness. If they're pulling, I'll stop and they'll get a self-induced tug on the harness. That's all I've needed.

Interestingly, or sadly I should say, the AKC requires dogs to wear a neck collar when taking the Canine Good Citizen test. To use a harness, you have to get a note from your vet saying the dog has a "severe" neck injury and would be harmed if using a neck collar. Absolutely ridiculous in this day and age. My dogs have passed the Delta Society therapy dog test on harnesses, but I refuse to test them in a neck collar for the much-easier Canine Good Citizen test.

Good luck. I hope you can find a new trainer that uses more modern techniques.