[Maximo]

My boys are pad and outdoor trained. They have the pad available to them at all times. The key to any training is praise and reward.

When you are home and able to supervise, she needs to be praised and rewarded for using the pad, otherwise she might not ever be consistent with using it. Praise for outdoor potty too. My boys are 7 years old and I still throw parties for good potties. They love it.

If you are having problems with the soft-sided xpen, then the wire xpen might be better, as long as she is not a climber or jumper. I needed the taller one (4' high?) when Max was a 3 pound puppy because he could jump high.

Being alone for 8 - 10 hours Mon through Friday, ideally I would give her run of your bedroom with the xpen open with the piddle pad in one corner. Having a little more room to move around will make her less likely to want to upset her water and food bowls and other things.

You do have a challenge with perhaps the pad becoming full, or maybe poops discouraging her from being consistent with the pad. My boys expect pads to be cleaned up right away when there is poop. Your girl might be pooping elsewhere to hide it, or she may not want to return to the pad if she does it there. I hope that I am explaining that adequately.

Ideally if you could get her body rhythm on a schedule of pooping before you leave and then later in the evening when you are home, that may help. Walking outdoors often stimulates my boys to do their big business. Good luck!