Advice on soiling the floor

A crate.  You've given her too much freedom too shoon and this isn't alpha behavior, but rather the fact that she isn't totally housetrained.  When you can't give her your total attention, she needs to be in a crate.

 I highly doubt that her going potty inside is because shes trying to be the alpha. Shes not potty trained, at 4 months shes a little baby with a little bladder. When you take her out and she doesn't go bring her back in, crate her for 15 minutes and then take her back outside. Its not playtime, its potty time so use a marker word. I use "potty". Good luck and keep us posted.

When she does go, outside, do you have a PAWTY?  Dance around, clap your hands, and of course give a treat.  If your neighbors and your dogs look at you like you are nuts, you have done it right.  Anything else is not enough celebration.

When she goes in the house, do not scold or hit her.  Clean it up without making eye contact with her.  It is OK to make sounds of disgust (ick, yuckies) but do NOT look at her.  You don't want this to be a way she gets attention from you.

Keep a baggie of small treats in your pocket.  Leave the room (maybe just for a few seconds, not to go do something), return, and treat her for being good - assuming she hasn't pottied.  Keep the treats small, if you find you are dong this alot at first, that is OK, just be sure to reduce her food a bit, you don't want her putting on weight during training.  So you reward the good behavior - not going when you leave the room - and give NO attention when she does go.

Honesty?  This doesn't sound like a behavior issue.  Truly, it sounds like a little one who doesn't always remember.

 Thank you Freedom for the non-judgmental advice.  I have been doing what you say but will amp it up and try the rewards in the house also.  But what none of you are "getting" is that she is extremely assertive and domineering and has taken the alpha role in many ways and many times.  I know that has something to do with this but since no one is offering advice on that (as if it doesn't exist) then I will let that rest.  But please know that I am the one who lives with these two pups and am fully aware of their behavioral differences.  So we will, of course, continue house training and will not assume, which was never done, that she was old enough to have it mastered.  But if anyone would like to offer some advice on how to deal with an alpha, then PLEASE...I'm all ears.  Thank you

Whatever the reason for her housetraining problems, the answer from a behavioral standpoint, is to reward behavior you want and ignore behavior you don't want, in addition to not allowing that behavior to happen. Preventing her from having accidents greatly increases the likelihood that this behavior will be extinguished.  I don't give young dogs the opportunity to have an indoor accident if I can prevent it.  If I take a dog outside to do their business and they don't, it's back inside and straight to a crate.  Even if you have to carry her inside so she has no chance to potty inside, that's what I would do.  It's often counterproductive to start labeling behavior in an attempt to figure out why a dog is doing something we don't want.  I'm not being judgemental as I have no reason to believe or disbelive your assessment. 

jlcjohnson

  But if anyone would like to offer some advice on how to deal with an alpha, then PLEASE...I'm all ears. 

This might be a helpful link.  http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/dominance%20statement.pdf

 Thank you JackieG.  Your advice sounds helpful.  It is hard with sibling pups specifically when one is needing ignored for undesirable behavior and the other deserves your attention.  It's also hard when she has already eliminated outside, you think she has earned your attention and rewards and playtime and then within a minute is going on the floor.  We will continue working with her and hope for the best. 

 Hadn't thought of those things.  She will be going in to be spayed in a few days so I will have her fully checked out.  Thank you!

 I think you might be onto something with the idea of the UTI.  However, I'm going to toss this out as food for thought...My dog had been at the SPCA for several months before I adopted him.  When I first brought him home, I would walk him for what seemed like hours and he just would not poop.  I mean seriously long walks!  We'd come in the door and he'd rush to the kitchen floor and poop. 

It took a week or two for my light bulb to go off.  For months he had gone on the tile floors at SPCA.  He thought he was supposed to go on tile.  He was simply doing what he thought was the right thing to do.  He had become confused.  I finally started picking it up from the floor, carrying it to a specific spot outside where I would take him each time and after just a couple of days, he caught on. After he pooped, we would then go for our walk. Good luck on getting things taken care of. - Susan