I always felt like I had better control, without putting pressure in a bad place. Harnesses worked especially well for our last dog. He was a retired guard dog and had aggression issues when we got him.
There was an instance at the park when we were on our daily hour long walk when a guy allowed his little dogs to be off leash (it wasn't a dog park and leashes are the rule there). His dogs raced toward my dog and my dog went into full aggression mode. I picked his front end off of the ground, using the harness as sort of a handle. I really don't know where I found the strength to lift and hold him up like that, but it pretty much rendered him helpless until the jerk grabbed his dogs. When the whole episode was over, he looked at me with complete awe. I know that's the day I became his "alpha". He was a great dog for me after I got him trained. I never ever used any kind of physical punishment with him. I just don't believe in it. Love is the key. In the beginning, we'd sometimes stand in one place for a LONG time until he realized we were doing things my way. It really didn't take long for our walks to become sheer joy for both of us.
Oh, and the next day I gave the jerk who didn't leash his dogs a piece of my mind. I told him his dogs were almost my dog's lunch. I never saw him again after that day, so either he went somewhere else, or chose another time of day.
Anyway, kudos to you for wanting to use what's best for your little pup. I know harnesses aren't for everyone, but I bet it'll work great for you.
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