Help with house training

[Kanta Toraskar]

Our 6 month old Maltese-Shihtzu dog Toby has still not been toilet trained. He has access to the back yard through a doggy flap, yet chooses to do his business in the house on newspapers. I take him out first thing in the morning, where relieves himself but not after we all leave for work.

We also shut our bedroom doors when we leave for work as I have noticed dog poo under on of my kids' beds in the past.

He plays in the yard all day but when we come home, he has messed up the bathroom.

He also playfully bites us on our ankles as we walk or even when we play with him. How can we stop this?

Please tell us how to ensure he uses only the yard as his toilet.

[kjd]

Hi, Kanta,

Sorry for those sore ankles and smelly piles.

Was your dog paper-trained? It sounds as if he hasn't made the jump from using a paper in the house to going outside. You might want to take a step back and confine him during the day, when nobody is home. Also, make sure there are no newspapers around for him to use, but take him out frequently when you are home.

Good luck,
kjd