Ever since we were attacked (loose dog) last month I have been selective where we take our walks. I have a nice long walking trail we go on, It has people walking, bike riding, jogging and dog walking. Its a good place for me to get Zeus some distractions and see his reactions. He has done well (he's dog aggresive) with staying calm and he is focusing on me more when there are distractions. My question is when we are passing dogs I can keep him calm but the other dogs are jumpy (pulling owner no real control) and this gets Zeus to react. Since he is reacting to the other dog getting wild how should I correct or do I correct? I normaly would give a leash correction (with prong) if he showed aggresion (I try to correct him before he reacts) It seems the other dog is getting him to react. I also noticed when we were passing the dogs Zeus walked closer to my body, is he trying to protect me (dominance issue) or leaning into me for protection as pack leader?

I think the leaning indicates his lack of confidence in that situation. It may be from the other dog and being attacked in the past or it could be he doesnt know what exactly he is supposed to do (react? ignore?)

I would try doing something like having him sit when they pass by or putting yourself inbetween him and the threat (dog). If he doesnt react badly that way, it may be that he is just on the offensive and would be perfectly happy not showing aggression. In that case it seems like just building trust might be enough.
If he is activly seeking a fight (showing aggression) no matter where he is, then I think that correcting him would help establish that youve deemed aggression a taboo
thats just my opinion,Though

Make sure that when you see the other dog coming, you are not tensing up, shortening the lead or in any other way "getting ready" for Zeus to react. Even the smallest change in your body posture or language could be making him react as well.

Stay clam, relaxed and confident and he will feed off of that.

John,
Is Zeus actually leaning into and on you, or just notably closer, but straight and upright?
One could mean looking for protection, the other could be territory and possessive reactions.
If my dog isn't learning, I doing something wrong.
Randy

Thanks for the replies, Zeus is reacting to the other dogs reaction. When we pass a calmer, uninterested dog he's fine. These couple of dogs got antsy and one even lunged in his direction (we were about 6 feet from them) Is this something I should correct (him reaction to a excited/aggresive dog) Is the dog doing wrong reacting defensivly? I would have sat him but the one dog owner looked scared and could barely handle her dog. I wanted to pass.

He just came closer to my body, not leaning. His ears were up and attentive but there was slack in the leash and he kept stride. I thought about positioning my self between but that would mean putting Zeus on my right (defintly alerting him to a change) but it would be difficult to issue a correction on the wrong side.

So this is a first time one time thing, John?

You didn't say exactly what Zeus' reaction is. What does he do? You wanted to know if you should correct for it but didn't say what it was.

I've had something very similar with Teagan. From what you've said my thoughts are Zeus could be a bit unsure as to his position and who should be deciding how to deal with the oncoming dogs/people.

The most important thing I changed was ensuring I am between Teagan and the person/dog everytime, even if it means asking the oncoming person to move. I usually say "Would you mind moving over so I can keep me between you and my dog?"
Normally does the trick.

The thing is to do it early - I use "Close" to get her to walk near to me (not a full Heel) and give an early correction if she starts focussing on the other party, and keep walking.

After a few times doing the she realised I was in control and settled right down.

I also discovered that getting her to 'sit' as other dogs passed wasn't always the best idea, especially when the other dogs were not under as much control as they should be.

I'd say don't worry or focus too much on the behaviour. Be positive, keep your position between them and keep moving confidently forwards.

HTH

"So this is a first time one time thing, John?"

Its the first time I noticed it happen, I live in Chicago and we are getting over a bad winter so its been a while since I really encountered others on our walks, I walk regardless of weather. First time since he was attacked by the loose dog.

"You didn't say exactly what Zeus' reaction is. What does he do? You wanted to know if you should correct for it but didn't say what it was."

He was fine until the other dog reacted, then he lost his composure got a little jumpy and barked (at the one that lunged and seemed aggresive) another seemed more playful, he reacted less, just turned his head. I just don't want to correct wrong and amp him up into a bad place.

The walking trail we were on is very wide, when I see people or dogs on the other side, I step off the trail on the grass keep walking and like carol said try to pass with little distraction and keep moving. I watch Zeus for any reactions.

That's the feeling I got, John, that Zeus wasn't being aggressive, but acting unsure just as Rob said. I don't see correction involved in that, unless he does start barking (something that could trigger the other aggressive dog). It's more of a guidance situation on your part toward Zeus, it seems.

I second Rob's suggestion on how to handle it, including keeping you between the other dog and Zeus. I know that with my dog, walking him right next to another on-leash dog is asking for trouble. Even if my dog might not do anything (I know he would), I don't want him that close to the other dog who might take the initiative. Just keep walking and keep calm as Carol said.