Gone backwards rather than forwards :(

So Lanta is almost 15 weeks and we thought she was doing really well but this past week her recall has deteriorated and when we call her on her walks its as if she cant here us, shes so intrigued with every fly, leaf or person that she doesn't respond to our calls. Shes on a retractable lead at the moment as we haven't got the nerve to let her off but would really love too! We are going to training lessons in Jan but she will 20 weeks then, is this too late? We couldn't get her on an earlier course due to Christmas.
Thanks for the help,

Never too late and at 20 weeks this is a good age to start, we just started with Tommy at 7 months and he is being very receptive. Lanta is a pup and will be interested in every single thing out there, try a training line instead of a retractable and look for higher value treats

no its not too late if you have an extending lead let her walk off then stop dead and call her. Make sure when she comes back you make her sit and give a treat. If you repeat this 20 times every walk she will learn to come back when called. Make sure before you go out the house that she knows you have treats in your pocket

20 weeks is not too late, it's a great age to start. I will be starting Steff in Jan too and I find her more receptive the older she gets

Please take a step back & remember that your pup is still only 4 months old! Her obedience isn't going to be absolutely perfect for some while yet!

Consistency is the key.

Ah, she's probably just decided to take advantage of the freedom to explore properly. It's never too late for classes to help you out, just be consistent and patient and her recall will keep improving

Never to late , i use Cracker Jack treats from PAH Duke loves them , start your pup of by sitting for a treat hold the treat up about your head level in between your finger and thumb , once this is complete put some in your pocket on walks , let him pull on the long lead then stop , hold the treat up as you would at home , he will as sure as eggs are eggs come running straight to you .

they go through several periods as a growing puppy, some more than once. sometimes youll get igored for a week and they will become super dog and follow every command only to ignore you again in a months time.
One thing to remember is that they grow from baby to teenager in approx 1 year. as humans we have 13+ years to spread the changes life and growing up throws at us. With dogs its a relentless barrage of new situations, growth and hormounes giving them quite distinct periods of puppyhood. You'll know what I mean when you hit your first fear period and carrier bags blowing in the wind become the most dangerouse thing on the planet.
As Caryl said, being consistant is the best thing and dont doubt yourself should things seem to slide backwards a little for no reason.

In the first 5 months I was forever making progress with Hugo only to be let down a week later, it's been only these last few weeks he actually listens to me.

Sorry to say but you will have a few more bumps in this ride, just ride it out it will be worth it.

make sure your treats for recall are the tastiest treats ever, cheese, sausage something they dont normally get, they will come back but every now and again they tend to think b****r it, this is more fun lol. Tash is great at recall until she sees something that is way more tasty. She is getting so much better with that though but now is starting to pull. Its one step forward, 2 steps back as the song says

My pup's been off the lead since she was 11 weeks she's 8 months now and always comes when called. You have to trust your pup will come back and don't just call her at the end of the walk make sure you do it throughout and give her a treat every time she comes back. It's also best to practise when your at home or in the garden until she gets the hang of it.

We're very fortunate to live on the edge of a huge safe open piece of countryside so Bacchus has been going off-lead pretty much since day one. His recall is great until he sees another dog/person, then forget it. But he's barely 5 months so I'm not overly worried yet. But I am considering a training line in the near future.