Thanks again I will try that.  Been using retractable lead and tons of practice on basic stuff sit , come , down etc.  will keep you up to date on how we get on.  big hugs and licks and wags from Diesel!

If you are following this strictly then only Diesel at first, but you could adapt it later or have someone else working with Misha too. OK, here goes;

Meet & greet Part A ; as taught to me in puppy class using clickers. Set up in advance with other dog owner - preferably dog not in his pack. Stand at opposite ends of an imaginary line, side on to each other with dogs in front of you in a sit, at a distance not reacting to other dog. Keep dog 100% focused on you with high vslue treats/ toy/clicker.Step to the side, get dog to sit, repeat. The goal is to eventually have the 2 dogs pass one another without so much as a sniff. Then you can do it again, allow dogs one quick sniff, then move on. If all OK can try brief normal greeting on lead, but they must move on as soon as you want.

Part B, if you are still bearing with me This is adapted by me to unscheduled meetings in the real world. I haven't got very far with it yet, my dogs DA is pretty bad. You should know what distance your dog is comfortable with.Keep his attention as before, either by moving away from the other dog and getting him to sit for a treat, or walking by it, keeping the attention on you with a treat in the heel postion. Watch both dogs body language, if anything other than completely calm and unbothered or all soft and waggy then avoid.

Off lead I have no experience of , but  just a suggestion, keep him on a long line at first with known friendly dogs, keep it very brief, get him used to play being interrupted ("time out" ) and then let off again by command. Always have a distraction/ treat for him to hand and practice recall till blue in the face. And if you find an easier way let me know! Seriously thoough I don't think you really need all this.

RE: reading his signals...this is difficult as I am only going by my dog. The signs can be very subtle. MOre obvious ones are walking stiffly, staring fixedly , head up /ears pricked/ tail up. Charging towards another dog in an excited way/ rough play. MIght also seem nervous-trotting along quickly looking around constantly, licking lips, hiding next to your legs, overly submissive to other dogs.

You can't blame yourself and say you need training- these things can happen very quiuckly and it is impossible to be 100% focused on your dog every second.

However, if you want to try a training technique  I can suggest "meet and greet" since you know people with friendly dogs, moving on to short off lead plays step by step. It might help you regain confidence even if your dog doesn't need it- just give me a shout if you want me to explain this.

Well my dog is DA, yours may not be, just a one off -but introduce him to other dogs carefully and on a lead until you are confident he is back to himself. You can let him run around on a long line if you are not sure how he will react to the sudden appearance of a strange dog.

My personal opinion based on my dog is that Staffies are extremely tuned in to their owners and react very very quickly- he would have been reacting to your feelings about the approaching walker as well as the situation with the lab. HTH