I& #39;m fascinated by the idea of offering treats to prod people to leash their dogs. Because of course, it wouldn& #39;t work if people could actually control their dogs, which is the claim of *everyone* with an improperly unleashed dog.

If your dog is under your control, you just tell the dog not to approach the person who& #39;s offering the treat. If the dog doesn& #39;t listen, then the dog also wouldn& #39;t listen if it suddenly decided to run up on a person who happened to be giving treats to their own leashed dog.

If you are alarmed by a stranger offering treats to your dog, that& #39;s a pretty elegant demonstration of the fact that dogs are dogs, and rarely are they completely predictable. That& #39;s why leashes are important. They protect your dog, and other dogs, and other people, and you.

It sometimes surprises people when I tell them that my vet (like, I think, a lot of vets) recommended against dog parks. The risks of unleashed dogs who don& #39;t know each other can be reduced, and managed, and addressed. But they can& #39;t really be eliminated.

I& #39;ve taken B to dog parks, and he loves them. But like daycare, it& #39;s a calculated risk. And it& #39;s not really fair to put that risk on people who haven& #39;t signed up for it.