Old dog housetraining

Question
I have a new 5 yr old Maltese that will not stop going in the house. He will ask to go out if we are with him but as soon as we leave him alone or go to bed/fall asleep he goes in the house! I have rubbed his nose in it, spanked him, and locked him in his cage after every incident. He knows that what is did was wrong cause he runs when I show him his mess. I'm tired of spanking him, he just doesn't get it. I dont know what else to do.

Answer
As you have learned, harsh, abusive methods don't work.  When you are around you need to keep a close eye on the dog. Use closed doors or gates to keep it in the same room as you are, and perhaps as I do, a short chain fastened to the computer desk. If you catch it in the act, give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and take it out. When you can't watch it, crate it.

Better leadership may help too.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm