Stalking other dogs

[StepOnTheGas]

Hello everyone, not been on this site much, but if there's anyone that could give me some advice, or share your knowledge with an amateur, it wouldn't be wasted!

Sorry for the long post.

I have a huskyxlab; I have a lot of experience with Labs, NONE with huskies, and my little hellhound definitely has many husky attributes! He's sixteen months old, and he came to us from another family at ten months.

He was very mouthy at first, excitable, stubborn, all of that has settled down. On walks, when he meets other dogs he's a big, bouncy excitable dunce. Not sure what his previous owners did in terms of socialising him, but he showed a lot of signs of 'bad manners'. Not being able to read other dogs body language etc. 

The last month or so, he started stalking other dogs. He's always on leash so he can't get very far. Usually when he starts doing it I do a u-turn and go the opposite way. I'm currently working on 'watch me' and impulse control, but this is no where  good enough to be able to walk him past another dog without him going crazy. With dogs he's familiar with, he's all play bows, tail wagging, very obvious 'I'M HERE! LETS PLAY!' behaviour. unfamiliar dogs, I'm not going to risk it yet.

Today we were approaching a familiar dog that he was lright with. We got within a few feet and suddenly he started stalking, and then shot out of his harness and attacked the other dog. All teeth and growling. Fortunately there were no injuries, but I cannot let this happen again. If it weren't for him being so close when he dropped down to stalk, I would've hustled him in a different direction. I've never seen anything like it, and I'm at a loss for what to do next.

If anyone has anything, I'd be extremely grateful. 

[haydenadams]

My boy is sibe/am staff and does the same approach, a creepy, focused low stalkey thing. Its a super bad look and puts the other dogs at the park on edge. I've had Duke since he was 3, he had an "out the backyard and ignored" life and wasn't even groomed so the adjustment from lunging aggressively at joggers to being able to walk off lead under the right conditions has been rewarding, but it takes dedication, consistency. I dont have the answer to why the stalking, I manage my expectations and accept most dogs will have some quirky behavior and I for one think thats a good thing. Being unpredictable is something else tho and I know how disillusioning it feels. Mate it sounds like your being smart about your training and you want the best outcome. The one thing I can say I had to figure out myself that was just important as routine, consistancy, strong leadership and all the stuff you already know was making sure he knew he was loved and wanted, the sooner he understands your a totally safe bet to invest 100% trust in the faster a strong bond is formed. Once you got that your golden. Its a really cool thing when that happens.