I have two release cues. One is "OK then!", which means you can move from the position you're in, but stick around and keep your full attention on me. Then I have "Go play!", which completely releases them to go and have a hooley. This works really well for me, but recently Shadow has been often ignoring his "go play" cue. During our walks, he regularly offers an off-lead heel, and seems quite content to trot along there for several minutes at a time. I've rewarded him for this, quite heavily. In the past, telling him to "go play" would send him back out for a mooch, but in the last week or so, he's ignored me to stay by my side. I'm not sure whether I should be concerned or not. He does seem to understand that it's a release because he does respond to it when he's released if I've actually cued a heel when he'd rather be doing something else. But, if I'm telling him he can do what he wants and his choice is to stay with me, is that a bad thing? Should I want him to "obey" my "command" to go and play?
Obi is the same and I don't worry about it. He also heels spontaneously and spends most of our time at the dog park sitting and gazing at me (#problemsalotofpeoplewouldlovetohave). He does it because I too have heavily rewarded spontaneous heeling and attention. At times I'd really like him to leave me alone and go and play, but that's the only downside and it's not much of a downside. Having said that he still does his fair share of going deaf and running off to eat a dead bird/other unmentionable thing whenever he feels like it....
Jeez....#problemsalotofpeoplewouldlovetohave.... Seriously, Charlie will spontaneously heel for treats until the cows come home - until he is at gundog class.... or in similar levels of excitement. His pet dog environment doesn't provide those levels of excitement. Well, in normal times, anyway - we are not quite normal just yet. I don't care that he ignores a "go free" cue (and I never repeat it, and never follow it by a reward for staying close). I expect him to move on a "release" though, that is important because I reward the movement after a stay/wait.
It's great that he wants to stay Juno tends to be the same when we're out by ourselves but if no treats are forthcoming she moves away a bit for sniffs. I would scale down the treats and see how he is.
I am wondering if all the effort to make yourself seriously interesting, had paid off, a bit too well! In that your "go play" cue is relating to "stay close" as where Shadow wants to be is by your side. It would be interesting to see how your "go play" cue works in a more stimulating situation, such as other energetic dogs racing around. There could also be a very strong association with treats, and that is a very strong motivator for Shadow, I agree with MaccieD and maybe reduce treats for "staying close" and see what happens
When out on our weekly "balade educative" with our trainer Juno has no problem with "go play" with her friends around . After a good romp they all tend to come and walk close to see if any treats are on offer for being good . The good part about the walks as well is a couple of calls and usually all the dogs come running - who needs names or specific commands
Oh, he has no problem going to play when there's stimulating things around. That's how I know he understands the release. It's not something that bothers me in the slightest; it's nice to have my little man trotting by my side, especially if that's what he's choosing to do. He's always been a lot less adventurous than Willow and is a lot less distracted by his environment - unless there happens to be a nice fresh cow pat that just has to be rolled in... I was just checking that I shouldn't be getting hung up on the fact that he's not responding to my words; I wouldn't want it to make him think he can ignore other cues. But, then, there's a distinction between a cue to do something I want, a release from a position, and a complete release to do what he wants. As long as he understands that distinction, then we should be OK? I'm still treating quite heavily for checking in when we're in new or exciting places, but on our normal routes, I don't really do this anymore unless there are unusual distractions. Instead, when they come back, I ask them to give me a specific behaviour and they get a treat for that. So, it's still rewarding to be with me, but the parameters are a lot higher than simply looking at me, or being in my vicinity.
A release cue isn't always a cue to 'go and play'. It can mean 'do what you want'. He's not disobeying a cue. He's just doing what he wants (as he's been told) and what he wants is to stay with you. Seriously, I would not worry about or try to change this behaviour. He's happy being by your side, so let him be
That's what I wanted to hear! That's how I was interpreting it, but I suddenly had a panic that I was going to break him from doing something wrong
