Would you have reacted the same or can I do differently in future?

[Doggiemayhem]

So firstly I'm sat here thinking maybe I was wrong in this situation but at the same time fumming with peoples careless attitudes.

Long story short we have a large, bouncy 7 month old pup. He's been quite easy to train and walks well on a lead... And his general commands are fabulous. Until we see another dog, runner etc. we've got a lot better with bikes and joggers, pulling into the side and distracting etc as they pass. so lots of progress.
Today though someone randomly let their dog saunter over to our clearly wild, crazy, jumping up puppy who by the time he had realized the dog was approaching just couldn't be calmed. - we have a training sessions booked in new year for the this- Husband trying to walk off in other direction, but our dog had started to jump up in the air by this point and clearly not a great idea to let another dog approach. Got our 2 children out of the way and placed myself between the 2 dogs firmly saying 'enough'. Other owner comes over in no hurry 'oh stop bothering people (to his dog). Don't worry, he's only young and wants to play and ours is old girl'. I remained calm but firmly said 'yes I know, and that's why I've stepped in the middle, your dog will get hurt. He's absolutely bonkers at the moment and as you can see we are trying to move away so you're dog isn't hurt if he jumps on her'. Guy just walked off.
Id like to say this is the first time this has happened but it's not. I don't want to be rude to people and I do love people who appropriately interact and take the time to help our training, which we've had many and they luckily out way the negatives. (He's also a bit of a conversation starter with the way he looks! And people love to stop and ask what he is etc). But I've got to the point where it's setting us back a lot and I see no end to it. We've tried so many things and he is getting better if the other dogs that just walk past.
He's only been like this since an off lead dog rushed at him (friendly dog but it was chaos).
Any help would be appreciated in what we can do moving forward, I just want to enjoy a walk...

I tend to allow my dog to correct the behaviour of other dogs if safe and appropriate to do so.

My friend’s dog was incredibly irritating as a puppy (cockerpoo!) and would jump up and harass my dog. He was patient and would just keep moving away from him. One day, her puppy progressed to trying to hump my dog, which he did not like at all. He pinned him down and snarled in his face and he has never harassed him since they still play together like a pair of idiots but the younger dog knows when to stop since he was corrected.

OP, I also have an eight-month-old 22kg puppy and he's an idiot. He's a bully with smaller, shyer puppies, because he doesn't understand why they won't play with him (this is acutely embarrassing and potentially terrifying to the puppies, so he's always on lead around younger dogs). But he is absolutely outstanding with dogs his own age and confidence, and with older dogs - even adapting his play style to different breeds. Both of these outcomes I think are for the same reason: he got regular interaction off lead with other dogs every day from the first day he was allowed out. I could afford to do this because we have a very local little dog park and it turned out the same group of dogs and puppies went there at the same time every day. Most of them are very sociable, though others are older, or grumpier, and told him off when he was too boisterous. I actually went to a proper dog trainer's puppy socialisation class, expecting it to be more structured, and it really wasn't anywhere near as good as the dog park for helping him to learn how to read other dogs.

I wondered, reading your post, if there was a way that your pup could spend more time with other dogs, rather than less? Non-reactive dogs are often very resilient - mine used to be absolutely obsessed with a 50kg Akita that would just sit on him. I'd drag him out like Flat Stanley and he'd go back for more. He's happily let himself been bounced on by Boxers, chased and pinned by lurchers, and body-slammed by Labradors, though he's gone off that a bit. Ideally you want dogs his own age or a little bit older, if you happen to know any, or meet similar dogs on regular walks?

That is so sad. I dread this happening, our GSD is great with other dogs but so easily things can change. I am so sorry your boy suffered so much, but testament to you and your loving care that he has come through it albeit with after effects.