Teaching the Release Command

What it means:

Free puppy. It is now OK to do whatever you want (within reasonable limits).

• Verbal Command: “Perfect!” 
• Tone of voice: Happy, excited
• Hand Signal: None

Body Language:

Move forward with your puppy in a happy, thankful, “I’m proud of you!” way.

Enforcing the command:

Clap your hands, pet your puppy, bring your puppy out of position in a positive rewarding manner.

Alternative Command Words:

You can choose whatever word you’d like to use for the release. I like the word “Perfect” because it inspires me to expect perfection from my puppy, and it’s not a word that I use a lot in daily conversation. If you prefer, you can use, “Thank You!” or “Wowsers!” or “Super” or any other word or phrase. Some training methods use “Okay” as a release command. The most important thing is to be consistent with your use of this word.

Do’s and Don’ts:

Be consistent with this command. This is very important, and I cannot stress it enough: Do not allow your puppy to break from any command without this release. This command is a form of praise, and the happy tone of voice is very important, as is the movement forward, and plenty of praise afterwards.

What your puppy learns:

How to please you; how to wait; and that self control is not a ‘forever’ command, and therefore not impossible.

Written by: Shirley Gibson

Note:

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