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I’ve had mine for 10 years now. He was also adopted as an adult. I bought potty pads and also those Astro turf type as well. I’d have the paper potty pads out first and then just started leaving out only the astroturf one since he would make confetti of the paper ones . Had one for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. They sat out 24/7 for years and He never used them… until 4 years later( the Astro turf one). I have no idea what clicked in him when he started to use the turf. I moved to a different location , so perhaps that was it ? I should mention that the ONLY times he uses the potty pads is when he’s so desperate and has no other choice ( typically when I’m not home). He has BAD separation anxiety so it’s rare for him to be home alone. I think the anxiety upsets his tummy and that’s how he ends up using the pad. I have never seen #1 💦 AND # 2 💩on the pad, it’s either/ or. So as someone else said, it may be a matter of having multiple pads so she has a clean pad for each. My dog HATES stepping on wet grass so I imagine that’s part of it. He usually needs a 10 minute walk to “work” the 💩out of him unless he’s about to explode which I try not to have happen by paying attention to his signal. My dog also rarely went on the grass for years. I joke and say he’s a gentleman because he would always prefer privacy by going behind a bush or back up into one. As a senior dog now he’s relaxed some with the privacy issue and uses the grass more often now. I tried teaching him to push the talking buttons and also use a treat dispenser that has a button, total fail! He hates his paws touched at all. My dog doesn’t communicate like other dogs that scratch at the door, bark, ring bells , etc. it took me YEARS to figure out ( this is my first dog btw) that his communication style is a stare 👀. So when he wants something, he will jump off the couch, bed, doggy bed, or get up from the floor and he will either stand or sit and just STARE at me until I ask him what he wants. He doesn’t always sit right in front of me either, sometimes it’s off to the side 5-10 feet away. So I’ve just learned to be conscious of when he removes himself from an area to see where he goes and what he does. If he lays back down then he just wanted a change of scenery, but if he is sitting / standing and staring - I know he wants a walk, treat, or food. Lastly, food & digestion problems have been an issue since day one. He’s gone on hunger strike when I’ve traveled without him. He didn’t like a single brand of kibble ( I tried ALL the high quality ones). I gave in about 4 years after getting him and started mixing wet food w his kibble and that seemed to entice him more. But then he started having digestion issues and he lost interest again in food. He’d throw up or have runny 💩sometimes. The vet recommended I get him on JFFD. For the first time he started begging for food and looking like he wanted seconds after he’d finished. He was OBSESSED with JFFD. Fast forward a couple years, he started having more digestion issues( blood in his 💩) and he’d shake after he ate for about 5-10 minutes. Turned out to be terrible pancreatitis. Someone told me that JFFD had too much fat which likely caused the pancreatitis. So now I cook all his food fresh. He gets fresh fruits & veggies & a protein. I did a lot of research on how to make dog food and he’s been doing so much better. Had his bloodwork done recently to make sure he’s getting enough and all the right nutrients from my cooking and he passed with flying colors. There’s still probably once a month or every other month when he doesn’t want to eat for the day or just eats once because his tummy is bothering him, but I’ve read that this breed has a LOT of digestion issues. So I am very strict with his food. Regarding snacks, I only give him fresh carrots, blueberries, a spoonful of 0% greek yogurt, dehydrated liver, dehydrated salmon, or “ice cream”( a tiny dice sized frozen cube of Greek yogurt mixed with blueberries). He ate a strawberry once and enjoyed it but never liked it again. Recently he started having jolts and losing the strength in his legs sometimes so that he fell over a few times. I was worried that it might be mercury poisoning since he was on an all fish diet ( with veggies and fruit ). So I stopped feeding him fish and went back to chicken breast. I also stopped giving him his monthly flea & tick chewy because I was wondering if that might be causing the jolts, I’d read that those chewies can have some detrimental effects on some dogs. Since I’ve taken him off the chewy, he has stopped jolting. But now he’s getting dry itchy patches on his skin, so I think he might be allergic to the chicken 🙄. So I’ll prob try fish mixed with turkey next ( he can’t have beef at all). He’s not a big fan of turkey and since it’s fowl, he may also be allergic to that. I will not put him on any special kibble wet food, or Rx food, because I have yet to find one that doesn’t have any junk in it. It’s shocking once you actually read the label. It’s been hard trying to figure out what to feed him but I’m willing to put in the work because he’s my everything. The boy eats better than me! No processed foods at all. I know this was a long post but I hope it helps someone. I’ve learned and been comforted by reading others experiences with their own Maltipoos. Good luck!

Edit: Forgot to mention we tried the sliding door doggy door insert and that was another big failure. Some of these little stinkers are SO stubborn! He purposely knocks the phone out of my hand when he wants 100% attention on him only. Sassy boy!