stopping puppy leaping at other dogs

Question
Hi I have a 38k, 10 month old german shepherd Puppy whom I've had since he was about 4 months old.
We live in a small village so socialising him has always been a problem but for the last few weeks due to ill health for me and him,he has not been able to go out as much as i would of liked.
Now everytime he sees another dog, he jumps up and tries to launch himself at them, which is scary for the other dogs as he is very much bigger than them. A friend suggested DISTRACTING him which i try with food (home made iver cake which he usually adores) and toys but all he is interested in is getting to the other dog. I do not think he would be aggressive towards the other dog but the sheer size of him is making most of the dog owners in the village very wary, probably not helping me with his socialisation. (they either pick up thier small dogs or cross the road)
Socialising/training classes are not an option as we live about 8=10 miles away from the nearest class, do not drive and have no bus service after 7pm.
Would be most grateful for any help
SHARON

Answer
You must obedience train him.  If you can't attend a class, work out of a book. Having a good pack structure reduces such problems.  The dogs see all the
people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in
the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members
outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by
reading some books. A good obedience book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  Once you have obedience trained, make him sit and try to have the other person let their dog approach.  A quietly sitting dog is much less threatening.