PANAMA69 has done an outstanding job with her methods. I too used the ex-pen attached to the front of the wire crate. Had one wee-wee pad down and attached a water bottle to the pen. Gave safe chewy toys and also took them outside every hour, so they would be outside trained as well as pad trained. Now when we can't take them we leave them in the kitchen breakfast area with a pad down, but they haven't needed it since they were just about a year old. I also covered the crate with a blanket to make it more den like, and made a soft bed for the inside. When Zada had knee surgery I put a 2" thick foam pad down so it would be easier on her knees. Here is a picture of that.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...3June06001.jpg