Jealous looking out the window

As usual I'm sitting at my office window and looking longingly and with a huge amount of jealously at the dog walkers. Their dogs are walking a few steps away from them having a sniff and a look around. 

We had a particularly difficult walk today. I let her off the lead and she was away. I stood in the street calling her back to me to no avail. I had recently been given the advice that I should go and get her and bring her by the scruff of her neck (it doesn't hurt) back to the spot I was. Once there I should get her to sit and give her a treat like she did it all on her own. 

Mmmmmm this may work if your dog doesn't run away every time you get close to her thinking you are playing a game. 

So today was a particularly long walk as I had to retrieve my retriever and then doubled back a number of times. The final straw came for both me and her when I called her and she didn't come back. We were a little later on our route than normal due to the recall difficulties and she was lured by the barking of the dog. She stepped onto their territory and got a very frosty reception with double the trouble and suddenly she couldn't come back to me quick enough. 

Back on the lead she walked along very nicely but I long for the day I can let her off the lead without a quickening of the heart rate and looking a complete idiot in the street calling a dog that takes no heed at all.