To be more specific I do of course mean tennis balls!  Tennis balls are great.  Why are they great I hear you ask? Well a lot of the dogs that I've walked over the years are simply obsessed with them and you can use that to your advantage. 
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As well as being a great deal of fun for a spot of human/dog interaction I often use a tennis ball as a distraction tool when I really need to keep a dog focused on me.

I walk 2 or 3 dogs who are really lovely with dogs they know but not overly keen on the ones they don't and they have a tendency to bark and/or lunge towards random dogs that we'll inevitably cross paths with.

When we're approaching someone walking their dog I whip out the tennis ball and immediately the dog's focus is on me or rather it's on the tennis ball which I happen to have control of.  This generally allows up safe passage past the dog we're walking towards without any of the kerfuffle that would have occurred had I been without my trusty tennis ball.

This has been a revelation for me and is a top tip that you should try if you have a dog who doesn't mix well with others.  If sticks or treats are your dogs favourite thing then they might just be the answer for your looking for.  It's a good idea give your dog a reward once you're safely past the other hound to praise and reinforce their good behaviour.