Adult female still potties in the house...

Question
Dear Labman,
Thank you for taking the time to read my question. I have a Min Pin mix female that is about 14 months old, her name is Zoe. I also own two other dogs (both female), a full bred English Pointer (Molly, 1 1/2 yrs old) and a Huskie/Lab mix (Abby, about 3 years old). I am still having the problem with Zoe going potty in the house. I don't trust her in the house anymore at night, so she stays in a room that has laminate flooring that also has a child's gate so she can't get out. Molly sleeps with her, Abby does sometimes. So the problem is that to this day (but not every day) Zoe is still going potty in that room. What boggles my mind, is that room is also where she sleeps, and has food/water. I thought that dogs don't defecate where they sleep/eat? What's even weirder is that she will pee and/or poop on the blanket she sleeps on! And in the morning, when I find the mess, she's laying on her own mess!! And poor Molly is stuck with a dirty blanket too. I let Zoe out at night, but it's almost like she's too lazy to hold it, or she just really can't hold it. It doesn't happen ALL the time though either, so that's why I'm leaning more towards, "She just doesn't want to hold it". So when she does go potty in the house, I'll point at the mess, and she immediately tucks her tail because she knows it's wrong. I've also noticed that if it's cold outside, she refuses to go...and will eventually just go in the house. I've tried putting her in a kennel, but she cries and cries...and it's very hard to fall asleep when that's all you can hear. When I take her outside, and she goes potty, I praise her to no end. She's my favorite out of the bunch, so I really need some guidance. My fiancee's patience is running thin, and so is mine! Please help.  
Thank you,
Anna

Answer
I am not sure i have the answer to this.  When you take her out at night, walk around.  They can only walk and hold it so long.  When it finally has to go, lavish praise on it.  Better leadership could 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