Good Leash Walking Question

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Hi guys!  Long time, no see!

I have a question regarding good leash habits.  Ludo (will be 2 in August) is an EXCELLENT leash walker most of the time.  He walks loose leash next to me and has great manners.  However, there are a few dogs in the neighborhood that he will pull to see, very rarely adding any barking or anything, but usually pulling.

I've been trying to correct this by rewarding him for good leash walking past dogs using treats. This has probably been for the last couple of months and I've seen some improvement, but not 100%.  When he pulls to see them, his tail is up and wagging and it feels friendly to me, like he wants to see them.  On the occasions that someone asks if they can greet each other, he interacts with the other dog appropriately and we go on our way. 

Does anyone have any next-step ideas to stop the pulling towards other dogs?

I also have a second question and I wanted to see if you felt it is a cause for concern. This morning on our morning walk, an off-leash pit bull ran at us.  I saw it coming and scooped Ludo up and held him and yelled for the owner.  The owner came to get him, I put Ludo down and we continued on but the pit bull ran at us again.  It happened faster this time and Ludo growl barked (did not sound friendly) and I was able to scoop him up again, though not as gracefully).  The owner apologized and I carried Ludo the rest of the way down the street (and at 42 pounds, my arms were tired by the end!!).  

In my mind, an unknown dog is running at you, a growly bark seems like an appropriate response, would you agree?  Ludo goes to daycare and does just fine with other dogs there, but for some reason, I've always felt (even since he was a puppy) that I need to keep my eye out for any sign of aggression.  So, I guess, would that be considered an appropriate response on Ludo's part?

As always, I appreciate all your thoughts!

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Thanks Karen!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I often put my dogs in a sit stay to watch whatever I think they are going to react to whether it's a noisy truck rumbling by or a yappy dog. If we are walking and there is a loud noise, I usually jump :-) as well as they do but we continue walking. I might quietly say it's okay or good heel as we continue on our way , but I think it reinforces that we are moving on.