We are new at this too, but here is what has worked for us. Penny is 7 months old and came home to live with us 2 weeks ago today. She did not get the pad thing either and she has to be an indoor only dog.
Thanks to all the wonderful advice here, she is 99.99% trained to use the pad in my office that is a converted carport with berber carpet in it.
We tried the pad in different places, and then realized that animals like corners better than open areas. So we moved the pad to the end corner of the room and put an office chair pad under it in case she missed.
Along with all the pad location work, we also made sure she only ate in the morning and night and drank morning, afternoon and night. We don't let her have any food or water 3.5 hours before bedtime so that she will make it through the night comfortably. (She sleeps and eats in her crate.)
We also found out that she will eat all her food when locked in her crate for meal times if we feed her either before or after we eat. If we are eating, she just wants out to see what we are doing. (She has never, ever been fed table food, so it is not to beg that she wants out.)
Oh, when we started giving treats for every time she goes on the pad, along with praise, she became much more dependable. Now she does what Thor does, she fakes going on the pad, or just does a dribble, to get her treat.
I will stop, I think I am going on and on and on! Sorry.