Hi Mark,
Thank you for sharing this knowledge.
Our boy is just coming up for 5 months old and does country walks with us off-lead entirely thanks to following the advice you have given. WE also use the gambling technique, which definitely keeps him very keen. ( Gambling = sometimes no reward, sometimes a small reward, and occasionally a huge reward)
Recall is now 99.9%..... There's always room for improvement isn't there!
Yesterday we had our first big test of recall when he bolted into a hedgerow around 75m away from us in hot pursuit of a field hare. Five sharp recall pips were immediately rewarded by crashing and bashing in the hedge, and the emergence of our little brown devil running at full tilt, ears a flapping back to me. No hesitation, no think-time, just immediate and correct reaction. This is the first time in more than 17 years of cocker ownership that we've had this level of control. Its amazing.
Again, a BIG THANK YOU both the three of us, not least Barnaby who, with this skill imprinted, will lead a life with far greater off-lead freedom than his adorable predecessor.