This thread essentially duplicates mine about hunting (4 yr old started hunting) so with thanks to those who replied there, I'll just use this one from now on.
Some good advice, which I tried to take on board, but after this mornings walk I feel very disheartened and unsure what to do next.
Armed with sausages and tennis balls, which had lead to a bit of an improvement in behaviour in the last few days, this morning was aaaaaggghhhh... . He was gone almost straight away and, although probably never more than 50 yards away in the undergrowth (I could see the ferns moving!) he was totally deaf. I carried on walking and looking back I could see his head appearing occasionally to check on me but even then he generally ignored my calls and whistle. A couple of times he saw me shouting and just turned straight round back into the bushes. In his own time, he did catch me up a few times but I was reluctant to reach to grab him and slip his lead on (in case I missed and he would be even more wary next time) until near the end of the walk.
Having had time to reflect and calm down a bit, I think the earlier reply which talked about boredom is probably very relevant and I also realise that my own performance has been badly lacking, his recall is clearly not good enough. As I said in my original thread, unfortunately due to illness I cannot drive now so we can usually only streetwalk round the village or walk in the local woods, hence his familiarity and probable boredom with them as we're there every day.
I also generally play ball in the garden with him every day so that holds no real attraction when we're out, which I hadn't thought about until now as he had also been keen on playing in the woods where I could at least try and get the ball to divert off a tree or into the undergrowth so he had to work rather than just run.
Sorry for rambling on but I am not really sure what to do next, so any further thoughts or advice very welcome. There was an apparently excellent gun dog trainer in the area but I understand she has recently moved away, which is a shame. What the breeder told me about show cockers not having a hunting instinct was perhaps less than the absolute truth!
Thanks, Kevin