!ADVICE! required before tomorrow

If there are aggressive dogs on your street, and loose dogs as well you have no business taking your dog out there at all. There is no point in setting yourself up for disaster.

It sounds like you've worked very hard with him and I hate to be negative, but from the sound of it, I think you're pushing a little too hard by taking him on a walk through the situation you describe - many loose dogs, many aggressive dogs - at this stage. Until he can control his yearning to run at the other dogs - and I know what it's like, my dog's a herding breed too, and her holy grail is motion, especially dog motion - taking him out on walks in such a distraction-rich environment is tantamount to teasing him.

Unless you have a yard, you may need to exercise him in public, but I'd be cautious about when and where. If you feel he absolutely needs some off-leash time, please be very careful in choosing a place and time, and remain alert to trouble while he's free. I don't know if he's truly aggressive, or just highly reactive to other dogs, but if he runs at them, it's a) dangerous and scary for the target and b) potentially deadly for him if he chooses a badder dog.

Personally, I think you'd be better off really working on his attention to you and his obedience, while staying in a space where he feels comfortable, such as the house or yard. Distractions are a good test of training, but you have to give the dog a reasonable chance to establish the routine of paying attention to you and obeying your commands.

Good luck!

Ditto!

i've *been* through this with my dog. we had an unfenced yard with a schnauzer next door who'd charge the fence whenever he saw us (or charge the back window if he was inside). he wasn't always there, but that made it even more of a reinforcement (that whole slot machine scenario). if i took my dog out to potty in the back, the dog might be there. if i took her out the front, the dog might be there. no matter what direction i went on the street, there were dogs behind fences running and barking. (she flipped out at dogs on leashes, but dogs behind fences were and continue to be her biggest trigger.)

and luce would wig out every single time. it sucked. a lot. so i know exactly where you're coming from. my stupidhead dog broke my finger wigging out at another dog.

it took a LOT of work in empty fields, in empty parkinglots, in multiple obedience classes with a trainer who understood what i was working on and who didn't mind if we stepped out of the group until she could calm down, and then eventually moving closer and closer to trigger situations. it took a long time. she's still not "fixed" but she's usually acceptable in public.

it takes patience, lots of good treats, and starting somewhere that your dog is not too spazzed to pay attention to you. it's a gradual process. it's frustrating sometimes that the movement is so slow, but sticking with it, setting your dog up to succeed again and again and again, is the only way you're going to get where you want to be.