This is not exactly an educational matter, but we have been toilet training our nine-week-old puppy on newspaper. I was sitting on the floor half-heartedly playing with him while reading TES. Suddenly, he stopped playing and came running up to me. He placed himself in the middle of the page, emptied his bladder and trotted off proudly.

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry as he is obviously learning, but hasn’t yet grasped the concept that he should not use papers that people are reading as a toilet. I am starting my primary PGCE this month and I’m wondering: how would an experienced teacher deal with this situation? PS. Please could you make the pages of TES slightly more absorbent, as when I picked it up the wee rolled on to the carpet.

Holly Simms, Thaxted, Essex.