The release command is very common in modern dog training, and acts similar to the clicker. It serves to indicate to your dog that he has carried out an exercise or a command correctly, that he has finished it and most importantly: we are positively reinforcing him for it.
You may be wondering why you need a release order if you are already clicker or treat training. Well, the release command is necessary to remove the clicker or food rewards once your dog knows the obedience exercises, or other exercises that will you have taught If you don't train a release order, you will always be dependent on a third party, which is not recommended.
Keep reading and discover in this article on our site how to use the release command in dog training:
Differences between the use of the clicker and the release command
Although the release command fulfills functions similar to the click of the clicker, it has certain peculiarities that make it different and give it advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of the release command in dog training is that you only need to usewords to communicate with your dog. Therefore, you don't need to carry a clicker everywhere to reinforce your dog's good behaviors.
However, the release command does not provide the same accuracy as the clicker, as it is usually longer than the click and the reaction takes a little longer (some speculate that more muscle movement is required to say the release command than to press the clicker).
Therefore, the release command is ideal for continuing to practice those exercises that your dog already knows and for which he has achieved a determined duration. Instead, the clicker is better for training new exercises.
However, if instead of using a clicker you were using a short word or tongue click, you won't need to train a second release command. You can continue using that word or clicking with your tongue if you wish.
How to teach your dog the release command
To teach your dog the release command, you will need to follow the same process you used for the clicker load. Say the release command (" Good ", " Perfect " or " OK ", for example) and give your dog a little piece of food. Repeat the procedure until your dog associates that command with the reinforcer (food).
You can also take advantage of everyday situations, such as games, to "load" the release order. In another article you will see how to teach your dog to release objects, and at the same time strengthen the release command.
When teaching your dog the release command, you must pronounce it quickly and enthusiastically. Congratulations that lengthen vowels, such as "Muuuuy bieeen," are not good release commands because they take a long time. Although one word will never achieve clicker accuracy, you should try to keep the time it takes you to say the release command short.
Below are a couple of examples of the correct and incorrect use of the release order.
Example 1: Correct use of the release order in dogs
Your dog is perfectly trained and you can now take him off-leash in the park without any risk. So, you take him on a leash to the park and ask him to sit down. He sits down and you take off his leash. Then you say "Go" and your dog runs to play with his friends
In this case, the dog waits until he hears the release command to go play with his friends. Meanwhile he remains seated, an exercise that he learned long ago and that he can maintain for several minutes. Therefore, this is no longer a behavior where you are looking for more precision and you can use the release command instead of the clicker.
Also, in this example, the reinforcer is an everyday life reinforcer, going to play with other dogs. So you don't use food, but Premack's principle, to reinforce your dog's appropriate behaviors.
Example 2: Incorrect use of the release order in dogs
You are teaching your dog to sit. Every time your dog sits down, you say "Sooooo ok," stretching out your vowels. The problem arises when your dog gets up before you finish saying "Sooooo good." Should you give him the little piece of food for sitting down? Or should you withhold food, since your dog got up early?
In this example, the release command is too long and is used in an inappropriate context. To teach your dog a new exercise, it's best to use a clicker or a shorter release command.
Many trainers use "Sooooo ok" or other similar commands (stretching the vowels) as confirmation commands, not release commands. In other words, they use these words to indicate to the dog that what he is doing is okay, but that he should continue doing it. That is a different issue than the release order. Perhaps you have seen or practiced those procedures. They are not wrong. They're just different.
Precautions when using the release order
You must choose as a release order, a short word that is not frequently used in everyday life. Also, you should make sure to pronounce it differently from how you use it or would use it in everyday life, to make sure you don't confuse your dog.
For example, if you use the word "Go" as a release command, it is usually enough to say it quickly and with enthusiasm, since it is not common to pronounce it this way in everyday life. Take care not to say the release order in any circumstance, but only when appropriate.
