Importance of a Release Cue

The Importance of a Release Cue

By LukEli K-9, Dog Training and Behavior Modification Professionals

Probably one of the most common training questions we at LukEli get asked is how to teach a dog to reliable stay in a position (sit, down, stand) or a place for extended periods of time and distances. Many owners are successful in teaching their dog to sit or down but have problems when trying to get the dog to stay in that position.  

How many dog owners have you heard do this; “Fido, sit. Good sit. Now stay, staay, staaaaaayy, staaaaaaaaayyy.” In most cases the dog will probably staaaaaaaayyy in the position asked of him as long as the owner is watching and repeating the word stay over and over again. How great would it be if you could give the “sit” command and walk away from Fido without another word or backwards glance?

You can achieve that goal through the use of a release cue. The problem of dogs not staying in place arises when, during the acquisition phase of learning, the dog is learning how to perform certain behaviors but has not been taught a release cue to tell him when he is finished performing that behavior.

What do I mean by teaching a release cue?

A release cue is a specific word, a hand signal, a touch, etc., something that the dog associates with being released from performing a certain task. It should be something clear and easily defined, make sure that the dog very easily understands it. I recommend using a word AND a touch, this will become important if you ask your dog to sit and your release word accidently gets said by anyone in the dogs surroundings. The most important thing however, is that there is a release cue, and you are 100% consistent in always giving the release cue before the dog breaks the behavior.

Without teaching the dog a release cue the dog never knows when he is allowed to stop doing the required behavior. For example, the dog is asked to sit. The dog sits, then immediately jumps right back up. The dog did what was asked of him. Dogs do not just “know” to sit still until released they have to be taught what it is we want. If he was not properly taught to stay until released how is he to know how long he should stay in any position?

Some dog owners and trainers alike teach a “stay” command. This will work in teaching your dog to stay where he is, but it is not necessarily teaching him to stay in any certain position. The stay command also requires more work from me as a handler. I not only have to teach the dog sit, I now also have to teach stay. By using a release cue from the beginning each and every command has an implied stay associated with it. This is also referred to as a sit/stay, down/stay, stand/stay, etcetera.

How do you go about teaching a release cue?

Assuming you will be using food lures for teaching a new behavior, (this is by far the quickest, easiest, and least stressful way to train, as previously mentioned in prior blogs) start out using your chosen release cue from the very beginning. At LukEli we use the word “OK” AND a touch on the head.

1.     Lure the dog into a sit. Place the treat in your hand, allow the dog to sniff it. Slowly move your hand with the treat inside of it from the dogs nose up and back towards his hind end. The dog will naturally lower their back end and eventually sit. As soon as their rump hits the ground use a marker word like “good” or “yes” if not using a clicker to mark the exact moment of the correct behavior.

2.     Give the dog the treat.

3.     As soon as the treat is given, give your release cue (OK with the touch on the head)

At first the dog will not have any understanding as to what the release word means. In following along with the four stages of learning, as the dog becomes fluent in sitting when asked to do so with an 80% accuracy, begin lengthening the time between the dog sitting and you giving him the release cue. Once this is mastered you can begin taking steps away from him between him sitting and giving him the release cue. Remember to only work on one thing at a time, and expect slight confusion from your dog when you change the rules on him.

When teaching a release cue to a dog who may have already gone through obedience training, you will have to take a few steps backwards in order to teach a really reliable release cue. In some cases it is best to start completely over and teach the sit/stay using a different word for sit. If you remember from our reliable recall blog, this is sometimes best for dogs who have already formed negative associations with performing a specific behavior.

If you are unsure where to start with training your dog a release cue, be sure to contact a dog training professional for advice.

Once you have moved through all four stages of learning using the release cue, you may want to teach another separate release word for your dog that excuses them from performing any more tasks. Working dogs used for assignments such as herding or protection almost always have a release cue  when they are done doing their job. “That’ll Do” and “All Done” are some examples of frequently used released from duty cues. I use the word “Free” along with a swooping hand motion to release my dogs from duty.

Teaching another release is not necessary but is something to think about if you plan on later training your dog off leash or if you frequently visit dog parks, or other off leash areas with your dog. 

Click on the picture below to see a short video of my dogs Luke and Eli practicing both recall and their two release cues. Notice when they are given the OK release they still stay close to me, once I give them the Free cue they are now allowed to wander as they please. 

With consistency in ALWAYS giving the release cue BEFORE the dog breaks the required behavior, the dog will learn fairly quickly that he is not done with any given task until the release word is given. When your dog knows precisely what to expect from you every time you ask him to perform a certain behavior, he will much more reliably perform the task in the long run.

If you need have questions or need advice in how to go about teaching your dog a release cue or would like to learn more about our off leash programs, be sure to contact LukEli K-9 today!