Thank you so much to all who gave me advice on how to "reconnect" with my dog, Ruby. Thanks to you all, it is going really well and I feel like I have my lovely puppy back :)
We are continuing with the clicker training which seems to be going well. She is also walking to heel beautifully on a nice loose leash. When she goes too far ahead is often correcting herself too without the command :). She only pulls a lot when we go somewhere new - which, given she is still just 9 months old, I can understand so I have been putting her on the halti so that I can control her without getting into a big fight with her!
I am alternating treats on walks so that she doesn't get bored. I only use the biscuit Coachie things at home now as they weren't enough to keep her excited about recall out in the field. Also, we are doing a walk in the morning where she gets to go bonkers across the fields and woods and run like a loon :o coupled with a leash walk in the afternoon on footpaths and pavements. She is definitely responding well to this - could not have envisaged attempting this with the amount of pulling she was doing before - and seems to really enjoy her "meet and greet" around the village!
Thanks again for all your support. It is making such a big difference and I have definitely refound the joy of dog ownership :)