Pudding on the pad = poop?
Is your boy neutered? Does he have quick, easy access to the pad throughout the day? When a dog has to travel too far, they may be more tempted to potty where they shouldn't.
I disagree with your book that boys are harder to train. My boys are both pad trained and they were easy. I believe the key to our success was very close supervision and over-the-top praise. We still throw parties for each trip to the pad and Max is 2 and Teddy is 1.5 years old. Same when they potty outside.
As suggested above, if you cannot supervise at all times, I would restrict his freedom in your home to either an xpen or one small room until he is fully trained.