All three of my adult dogs use pads. I keep them in the same spots so that they know where to go. Barney is 100% reliable and will leave from one room to another to use his pad. Daisy is 100% reliable with urine but sometimes not as reliable with poop but she has Inflammatory Bowel Disease so sometimes on route to the pad, she leaves a bunny trail. Poor thing. Teddy is getting better every day. His training has been stalled due to his congenital bladder problems, neurological problems, and now his newly identified kidney problems. So I really don't expect him to ever be perfect, but he is pretty good - he goes on his pads, but sometimes he forgets where they are due to his memory problems. We just redirect him and help him get to the right spot. When I'm not home, I sometimes see accidents but he can't help it
I just keep them in my kitchen when not home so it is easy cleanup. They are all good dogs.