Hi and Welcome to YT!
You will get a ton of different opinions on this thread.
I feel you need to do what is best for you and your household. Personally, I like having the pads, I have to work so I like knowing my dogs don't have to hold it for 8 hours or more. That is the main reason I went with pads. But growing up with small dogs, there were always problems when it rained, even the best trained ones would simply refuse to go for entire days when the weather was bad. I like that in really bad weather, downpours, freezing temps, etc. we don't have to go out and deal with that. There are many people who do outdoor and pad training, so that the dog goes out most of the time but in an emergency they have the pad.
__________________
 Armani & Chloe |