Release cue

How it works

It closes a behavior that has a duration, such as a sit, a down or a stay, which otherwise has no defined ending. Without one the dog decides when the position is over, and what gets practiced is the dog leaving on their own judgment. The word itself is arbitrary, and free and okay are both in common use, though a word that turns up constantly in ordinary conversation is harder for a dog to pick out. It is usually taught alongside the position rather than added afterwards, because a position learned without an ending has to be retaught with one.

What it looks like

A handler asks for a sit, marks it, feeds the dog, then says the release word and takes a step so the dog stands and moves with them. The sit lasted four seconds. What ended it was the word, not the dog deciding they were done.

Commonly confused with

Marker word

A marker word says the behavior earned something and that payment is coming. A release cue says the behavior is over. A dog who reads the marker as a release stands up every time they are paid, which is why the two are given different words.

Cue

A cue asks for a behavior. A release cue ends one. Both are cues in the technical sense, which is how the release comes to be left out of training plans that list only the behaviors being asked for.

Related terms

Where this comes up