Well, he is nicely pad trained. I used to have two different pee pad areas, one in the bedroom and one in the living area. When I thought she was fully trained I thought I would remove the bedroom one. I was amazed to find she continued to pee where the pad had once been. I had to slowly move it a few inches every few days until I got it to the location of the other pad area.
I got Gracie to pee outside by taking her for walks. She would seem to find areas where she smelled other animals and would want to pee there. At first she seemed to think she was doing a bad thing, she would do it so fast. I would tell her she was a good girl when she would potty outside and now it is natural for her. I think it is harder to get a dog to pee in it's own yard because dogs tend to want their own areas clean. You can take a peed on pee pad out to a particular spot in the yard and give a pee command and WAIT. It is a waiting game. You need to find his timing and be totally involved in his potty habits if you want to change what you have already taught him. If he has an accident it is because he is doing what he was taught.
As a dog matures they usually have to pee less but conditions like heat and how much they drink can change that.
I still keep a pee pad in a pee pad frame in the house for Gracie. As long as we go on regular walks she does not use it very often. When I have to be away she may use it or sometimes at night she may get up and use it. I'm grateful to have the pee pads. It's good for her bladder not to have to wait for me and it's good for me in that if I get involved in something else she can potty anyway.