Christina,
I am more blunt or direct than is wise, too, too often.
I have used, though very briefly, halties and similar such mechanisms designed to improve the behavior of a dog, and found such devices wanting. They seem to do more to distract the dog, seem uncomfortable, and didn't fit into my vision of how a dog should be managed, forget corrected.
I depend more on a good dog collar or prong collar to aid in conditioning because it seems to me, that when properly used, the dog self corrects much more than I use the device to correct.
Some of the hardest rescue dogs that have come through here adapted well and responded well to the good dog collar, which is nothing other than a variation of a prong collar.
The biggest problem most first time users of a prong collar experience is over use. The collar, as with any collar, can be used to punish the dog instead of train. It has to be used with restraint and purpose, if it is to be used at all.
I worked with a lady last week who used a harness to try to control a three year old male, all white, rescued GSD with pretty good drive. She described a constant effort to maintain control on walks.
She had a prong collar but didn't know how to use it. So I showed her, put the collar on the dog, walked the dog, and it self corrected, and after about five minutes it was walking quite nicely. More work to do but the dog was more attentive, the tail was wagging, the bond was growing, and follow up chats have been quite positive. Of course, as with any device, abundance of praise accompanies any training.
She noted she considered using a haltie she had, and my advice was to try the prong, and the results were immediate and positive. The dog is a good one, and a rescue. Very impressive dog with energy and very tuned in to learning stuff.
Of course, the person training has to be purposeful and consistent, and can't use the prong as a mechanism for revenge or out of frustration. It is wise to learn all about a prong before it us used.
As an aside, my bride has been known to walk four of the GSDs at one time, all wearing a good dog collar, with little issue, given that they were all conditioned to wear it. Pretty impressive to see a person walking four GSDs down the street without pulling and tugging and yanking or overly concerned with distractions. But that comes after the training of the trainer and the dog.
People would stop and chat with her, and the dogs were all sitting confidently and attentively.
Long. The punch line is that if you want control, an effective approach is a good dog collar or prong collar.
Two cents worth of opinion.
Mike A.
"I wouldn't touch that dog, son. He don't take to pettin." Hondo, played by John Wayne