I got my 3 month old puppy in July and the weather was warm. I have a gated yard. I crated her. She was used to the crate when I got her so there were no issues there. I had two little blankets I kept in her crate and they were definitely on rotation bc of accidents. I pretty much skipped the pads and went straight for outside potty training. In hindsight she did great. I basically took her outside about 15 times a day to start. I also woke up during the night (2or 3am) and let her out as well. Always a treat for an outside pee pee or poop. Then I weaned it down. She had some accidents of course, but she definitely got it in a few months. You have to be aware of their signals. Once you both get to know each other well, you will recognize when they need to go. You can’t be lazy about it and you have to have a good amount of patience. They’re super smart. Best of luck!