How can I train my dog to walk and not pull without its halty on?

[Vivi]

My dog was rescued a over a year ago now when she was only 4 months old. Right from the start she pulled on the lead and was very dominant so a trainer recommended the halty. She dislikes it but is so good when she has it on. I would love to stop using it but she goes right back to square one when I leave it off. She also like to jump up on strangers coming in which I also think is a dominance/excitement thing and occasionally will nip at your hands. I try so hard with training but when she is excited she seems to not listen.

[skoolwiz89]

if it works then leave it on. keep using it, the fact that she dislikes it means it works. it may seem mean, but if you allow her to get away with things, then it'll just make things worse. as for the jumping on people, what you can do is have a friend a come over and as your friend approaches the dog, firmly make the dog sit and hold her there while the friend pets her, all the while complimenting her and telling her what a good dog she is. after every time give her a treat. if it feels like after doing this for a while, she is fighting you less and less, take it to the next level. instead of holding her in a sitting/laying position, stand next to her and tell her to sit. if she goes to jump on the friend, quickly reprimand her and tell her no jumping, do not be afraid to use light force to get her attention, such as a light smack. if you trained her to sit by forcing her behind down, then when she goes to jump on the stranger, smack her butt and force her down.
the way i've taught my dog not to jump on people is to show her how uncomfortable it can be. when she goes to jump on me i will grab both of her front paws and lift them as high as i think is reasonable. this forces my dog to stretch her body out into a somewhat uncomfortable position for her. now she connects jumping on people to something that is uncomfortable for her. even when we are rough housing, she will go to jump on me but in the middle of the process she will stop.
as for the dominance issue, that is the biggest issue. you must make her realize that she is below you in the order of the pack, and by doing so she will aim to please you as much as possible. one way you can do this is to force her onto her back. while she is on her back stand over her in a threatening way and stare into her eyes. if she tries to avoid your eyes, follow hers with yours. you will know when you have succeeded because her body should become somewhat limp and she should bare her throat completely to you, with her head thrown all the way back. the more times you do this, the more reinforced the message becomes that you are the pack leader.
for the nipping, if it becomes a problem you can get a muzzle. i know that sounds mean, but dogs really hate muzzles and you can use that to your advantage. when ever she nips at your hands, reprimand her and put the muzzle on her. after doing this long enough she should start to realize that nipping is a bad thing and equate nipping with the muzzle.