Yellow lab refuses to potty train

Question
I have an 18 month old yellow lab who STILL has potty accidents. One of our main problems is that when she gets upstairs (which is normally blocked off by baby gates) she will poop or pee. She doesn't have an "I have to go potty" que, but I believe most of these accidents are shows of dominance...she has gone downstairs a few times since we got a new dog...is there anything I can do....I am at my wits end!!  

Answer
Yes it sounds like a pack status issue.  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

And try to remember to close the gate.  We back up our gate by keeping all the doors upstairs closed.