I totally understand. We've been down the exact same slope. We took our Obedience 1 course in a certain facility with an old fashioned trainer and (I am very ashamed to say) ended up with a prong collar on a 7 month old shy Sheltie... I'm glad to say that 2 weeks later (after bawling my eyes out after one class, feeling like I was failing/hurting my smart sensitive dog) I quit that course, got informed and am now only for 100% positive methods. Now my boyfriend and I are working to erase the damage that was done during those weeks.
The plan is to be able to overcome Kyara's reactivity problems and maybe one day become a 100% positive dog trainer to help other people not go down the same road we took.
I am so sorry you had to go through that experience, how rotten, when you thinking you're trusting a professional... That dog training stuff needs to be regulated, what can I say... but anyhow I digress...In reality one can see those of us who have started with punishment and corrections are having to untrain what we ourselves have previously knowingly or unknowingly conditioned our dogs to do!!! We get reactive dogs to be MORE reactive and frustrated... If nothing else I would like new Sheltie owners to consider this before they trust so called professionals who are SO behind the times!