I'm practicing my swiss dots and I have a question. I'm releasing pressure before I raise the tip and then I am doing a slight swirl motion to leave the dot blunted at the top, but my icing is not "letting go" and is leaving either a peak or a trail. Does this mean my icing is too thick or too thin? I hope that explanation makes sense. Icing consistency is one of the toughest things for me. TIA!

you can use a damp brush to smooth out the peak...can't say if a different consistency would help, I just know I have seen other cake decorators do that to their dots, hth

Yes, i'd say it's too thick. It may take just as little as a teaspoon to make it right.
The other thing is many people *think* they have stopped pressure but they really don't
Once you have stopped pressure, count to 2 before lifting. See if that helps