"I want to go out"....

So Bella obviously knows tapping at the door means "I want to go out".

She used to go do her business then have a mooch around, and come in. I enjoyed sitting out in the garden with her, and she definitely loves being outside.
Problem is, now she digs up my entire garden. I have holes everywhere...!
I have been going out to supervise when she wee's, however now she has started thinking its play time out there.

My main concern is she is constantly tapping the door to go out. She will go crazy as if a poo is about to fall out there and then (sorry for the detail!) so i get up to let her out, and she just runs around / digs / plays.

How can I get her to understand we go out just to wee and come in. And more importantly - is this fair?

She taps at the door every 20 minutes or so, and it is driving me insane!!

I have today started putting her on her lead, but because she only wears a collar for walks, she thinks when the collar/lead comes out its walkies time.

Any suggestions will be great

This is one of the reasons I never teach my dogs to "tell" me when they want to go out.

They go out when I let them out.

I have no intention of being their butler.

So, if I was you, I would just make access to the outside contingent on your terms and not respond to requests.

As SB says;

I would take the dog out often enough so you know the toilet needs are met.

I would ignore pawing at the door so she learns it doesn't get what she wants.

After toileting if you wish to let her out to play (when she hasn't asked) you could do.

As my dog goes out on the lead she has never learned to ask and that works fine with me, I just take her out enough. If she really needs she seems to stand near the door but that's about it...

Mine have learned not to ask to go out........because if they do I let them out and then completely forget, fall asleep and they end out all night!

Perhaps you could try more mental stimulation so that she is tired and not wanting to run around? Or train her to dig in a certain area only and use digging as a reinforcer in training if she really loves it? One of mine does some cracking heelwork based on letting him dig as a reward!

As for digging, create a digging pit, put goodies in there every day, so there is no reason for her to dig anywhere else as the pit is where the treasure it..........

Agree with the others, I let them tell me when they need to go out when they are puppies but as they get older and try and ask just to go out to play then I stop letting them out - they get plenty walks and out when I have time

We have friends that own a dog that paws at the door to be let out. I have sat there and watched them going up and down like a fiddlers elbow to let the dog out.

It is most irritating to watch and half the time they don't seem to realise they are doing it.

better than a dog peeing on the kitchen floor

Exactly!!!
Gosh! To not allow a dog to request to go
And spend seems quite harsh to
be honest!
My dogs have a fenced area of patio ( about ten by twelve foot) which is directly outside of the bac door. They toilet in there and only get on the rest of the garden when we allow it. They rattle the keys to let us know they need to go out.

It is important with fosters that they have some way of alerting us, most have thankfully, it doesn't
take long to pick up on signals. Current girly 'yips' at the door!

Never had a dog pee on the floor.

When I was a nanny and a mother, I did not wait for toddlers to tell me when they needed the toilet, I took them to the potty at regular times.

It is just simple, good animal husbandry to identify when your dogs need to go out before they tell us.

Harsh?

Well my dogs have always been very happy with this arrangement.

There are many ways to be a successful pet owner and to raise healthy, happy, content and fulfilled dogs.