Hi, am new to this forum but have found it very helpful being a new dog owner. I have a five and a half month old mini schnauzer boy who is, I think, pretty good in most areas (housetrained in 2 weeks with no accidents since (yet!), hasn't chewed anything in the house other than his chew toys, sits and lies down on command with or without a treat and is good natured and generally a pleasure to have in the house).

However he gets incredibly excited around other dogs to the point that he just does not listen to us when we try to recall him when on walks (he'll generally come back if there are no other dogs). We have tried getting his attention and running off so he can chase us (usually works when no other dogs about, he loves hide and seek etc) but he totally ignores us leading (quite rightly) to a bit of verbal from some dog owners who don't want a pup jumping on their dog's head. He seems to have no fear at all of any dog and so far we've been lucky that he hasn't gone up to a bad natured dog (or indeed one who doesn't appreciate a young pup wanting to play).

Any advice would be appreciated. We have tried long line training etc for recall, using treats etc and will continue to do so. AT the moment we only let him off the lead when it's quiet but I'm worried that he'll go backwards in terms of socialisation if we stop him meeting other dogs off the lead. He's only 5 and a half months and I know he's young but is this something he'll get better at as we continue with the training (which are dedicated to)? I dearly want to let him off the lead so he can enjoy his freedom but at the moment I'm worried he's going to end up getting bitten.

Thanks in advance!

Hi
I think you need to be a little more vigilant when out walking and try to pre-emp his rushing of to say hello to every other dog. Always carry some very high value treats with you and keep a very close eye on what is approaching, then before he sees it call him and treat him and put him on the lead. Ask the other owner if he can say Hi and try to make him sit nicely to greet the other dog. Once he realizes he can still say hello he will learn to make his greeting a little less excitable. If the other owner is happy them you can reward him by letting him off to have a play. Good luck
Aileen

My 14 mth old ridgeback girl is like this and I simply cannot let her off around dogs we do not know and who we have not met and know to be ok with her playing.
I have to walk her on a headcollar as she gets that excited, despite that we have a 6 mth old girl too whose recall is excellent and her life involves most walks being off lead.
We found isolated off road walks where likelihood of meeting other dogs was near to nil. Visibility was great so we could be vigilant and spot anyone early, I also used a long line.
since doing the off lead off road walks, her recall has improved massively as we can practice it loads.
But I have accepted that as far as it goes she is juts one of those dogs that may never be fully able to be trusted not to run after dogs, so on the lead she stays.
Our girl refuses treats even liver on walks.

I have to be VERY vigilant to correct the behaviour before it happens too.

She has improved a lot as she has grown up though so she is easier now
And I showed her so she has always been well socialised.
Good luck!

i agree with the other posts ie catching his attention before things get too exciting.
i would also enroll in a good training class where your dog can train and meet other dogs in a safe enviroment and learn good manners.
this will enable you to get good control over him and also the more dogs he meets and learns to stay calm the better.
on of my dogs is a min schnauzer and she gets very excited easily but she does listen to me and responds really well to training. they are very bright dogs and love to play and train so if you find the right class to join your dog will love it and you will build up a really close bond with him, hence hopefully he will start listening a bit more.
don't forget he's only a baby still so it will take time for him to learn what you expect from him and that other dogs want all like him jumping on them.  
From my experience schnauzers respond very well to positive training but can have a will of their own. great fun though as they keep you on your toes.    

I'd say don't allow your dog to make a mistake, which basically means pre-empting when he might rush off to other dogs. You say you've been using a long line for recall, if that's the case why isn't he on a long line when out? Or are you just using the long line purely for training?
I'd have him on a long line when out walking, at least you've got control of him and if he doesn't respond immediately to a recall command you've at least got the opportunity to 'reel' him in, don't let him start to think it's ok to ignore a recall! If he hasn't got a recall then he shouldn't be off lead ... distractions might be in the form of another dog, or it may be worse ... an interesting pussy cat just the other side of the hedge where there also happens to be a road.
He is young and perseverance does pay off, just don't be too keen to give him his freedom. Make sure his recall is 100% perfect where there are no other distractions.
As other posters have suggested, training classes can be really good. Go and watch one first, without your dog, just to see if you like what's going on. Even now, with all my training experience, I still take my youngsters to training class, they get to meet other dogs and it gives you the chance to work through such problems where other dogs are a distraction but in a controlled environment.
Good luck, it WILL come!

Thanks everyone. We have taken him to puppy classes and are looking to take him to  training classes in the summer. We're keeping him on his lead now unless we can be 100% sure there are no other dogs about and practicing recall over and over....am hoping with plenty of patience and lots of training we'll get there. He's a clever boy and responds really well to everything....until he sees another dog ;-)