Thank You Cindy.
Now just one question. How should this have been corrected and what should I have done afterwards?

If you don't have a leash or ecollar on the dog, I don't know about corrections. I might have hollered at my dog, but in the heat of an altercation that doesn't always register with them.

Grabbing the dog may have gotten you bitten.

Correcting the dog after the fact doesn't accomplish much except maybe make us feel better. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I do know that I would have put the dog on a line and worked some obedience and given him a little wake up call to pay attention to me. Fast sits, downs, come front, heel, anything he knows how to do. I wouldn't have put him in proximity of the other dog as you described doing.

dogs can (and do in many cases) get in a scuffle one minute and go about their business ignoring the other dog the next BUT I think putting your dog on leash and forcing him up to the other dog was a mistake and luckily it didn't turn out in another display of aggression.

I would from now on, be very aware of your dog's body language and focus when he is with you so maybe the next situation can be averted before there is any contact. Breaking the focus of the dog on a potential situation is much easier than trying to get him to listen once his body is in motion.

I am sure he showed a split second of "intent" right before he latched on to the other dog. Typically they close their mouth (if they were panting) and get a very concentrated look on their face right before they go after the other dog (or cat or kid or whatever). Recognizing this is something that comes with experience.

Reading a dog correctly IS the key to successful training and understanding of our canine partners and friends.

prepare yourself for a possibility of this happening again, and then hopefully you will nip it in the bud before it escalates into any display of aggression at all. If it does progress, then you have your tools ready to correct your dog.

Thank you for the words of advice Cindy.

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So far I have had one rude woman give her expert opinion

Was that me? I didn't mean my 'blah blah blah' to be rude. I meant them to be that, stating that though I may naturally make excuses when my dog behave badly, the real focus needs to be on the BEHAVIOR and making sure it doesn't happen again. Not on my excuse (which was the blah blah blah).

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Bravo Mike. Ladies and gentlemen. I asked what I thought was a relatively straight forward question. So far I have had one rude woman give her expert opinion and then I am reading posts about dogs in ghettos with relation to dogs in "Well to do neighborhoods" When realy what I would have liked to have seen was some emails offering FRIENDLY or just plain polite advice, thoughts, and opinions. I am almost sorry that I posted.

And though I think some of us did wander a bit with the ghetto reference, you got TONS of great suggestions that GENERALLY all agree. Situations like this need to be managed ahead of time (possibly no sticks allowed in group dog situations) and a leadership role from the owner/handler is a must so our dogs look to us for guidance rather than just reacting.

Cindy, I love how you described that split second of "intent". I have never known how to describe it, only that I see a stiffening or a look in the eye & know if I don't "untilt" it, FAST, there will be a crash! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I kind of dragged us into the gutter or was it the ghetto? Sorry Adriaan <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> But look at the bright side, your questions ended up getting answered nicely, and for a little bit the attention of what you did wrong was distracted from <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Good luck with your dog <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thank you everyone for all of your input. Every day is a new day for my dog and I as we both learn about the other. It is a road that I love to travel. Thanks. There are no apologies needed here as there are no hard feelings.