Your pup is a veritable bundle of joy that fills your days with laughter and that oftentimes can put a smile on your face even in the most stressful of situations. You love him, he loves you, and you just know that your time together will evolve into memories that you will remember fondly for years to come. But there is a catch. As cute and energetic your fluffball is right now, his body is still developing, and therefore, he cannot really have any real control over his bodily functions.

So, at least in the first months of the pet ownership process, you must be prepared to wash your carpets every couple of days and understand that your pup is simply currently unable to suppress his bodily needs. Yes, playing with your pup after a long day at work can feel absolutely amazing, reduce your cortisol levels, and make you forget about the worries associated with daily living. But everything can come flowing back the moment you discover the little bundle of joy that your even greater bundle of joy has left on your favourite carpet.

It's Part of The Job

In the first few months of life, pups are simply physically unable to hold their pee in, and therefore, accidents can and will occasionally happen. It’s part of the job, and it’s one of the small, temporary quirks in taking care of a small but rapidly developing animal companion, which hopefully will transform into your next best friend. Some breeds are easier than others, that’s true, but on average, most small pups, in the first eight weeks of life, can only hold in their pee for around three hours at most.

My small pup, Bubu (which is now a senior citizen by dog standards), used to discard this statistic by soaking pretty much every inch of my carpets approximately twice every ten minutes. I’m pretty sure he was doing it on purpose at some point, only to get a reaction out of me. But alas, it was temporary, and so it will be in your case. Absorbent hydrogel puppy pads are convenient because they act as a designated toilet area for your pup, which can help him get potty trained, as we will associate their scent with a particular potty spot.

Sure, they are not the most elegant of solutions. But what exactly can you do? The alternative is to let your pup soak your floorboard, carpets and make a mess in your home, which probably will not fully come out even with the most in-depth cleaning treatments. High-quality puppy pads are widely available, can be purchased from any online pet store, are useful for odour control and are perfect for people stuck in tight living conditions without direct access to a backyard.

What Puppy Pads Can You Purchase?

Well, here it gets interesting. Most pads available from an online pet store will be of the disposable kind, so they feature a highly-absorbent hydrogel top layer, which will soak up the liquids produced by your pup, and also have efficient anti-odour properties. They are not perfect, that’s true. Sometimes spillage can still happen, and while they reduce bad smells, they cannot really eliminate them completely. That said, when it comes to convenience, you cannot really beat them.

Disposable puppy pads are ridiculously cheap. They can be purchased in advantageous bundles that are available either in your local shop or in any online pet store, and are perfect if you are looking for a quick cleanup with no other processes involved. That said, if you are looking for an alternative, you can always go for reusable pads, which can absorb, in most cases, even greater quantities of liquids than disposable ones while also being machine-washable. They are more cost-friendly than conventional pads, as you don’t have to buy them as often. But, of course, washing them can be a chore, and it will not exactly be the most pleasant of undertakings.

But just like I was, you probably just want this whole potty-training process to be over. Does he really need to pee indoors once every hour? Puppy training pads are a convenient way to keep your house clean and odour-free. That said, relying on them for too long can also increase the duration it takes for your pup to be fully potty trained. Reusable, grass-mimicking training pads can mitigate this effect and actually speed up your pup’s training process. With all that being said, even in the most optimistic of scenarios, your pup will take full control of its bladder only after a year or so.

You Just Need to Let It Pass

Your pup will have accidents. You can’t hold it against him, after all, he is still learning. But what you can do, however, is to take measures so this situation doesn’t repeat again in the future, or at least minimise the incidence of such small accidents. Puppy pads, for any modern pet owner, are not really a convenience as much as they’re a mandatory purchase. Can you afford to replace your floorboards if they get stained? Do you want to buy a new carpet or step into your pup’s lovely delights? Probably not, and when considering how cheap online pet store-available dog pads are, their purchase becomes a veritable no-brainer.

Should you purchase these training pads from your local pet shop? Well, ultimately that’s up to you. Your local pet store more than likely will have a wide variety of items to choose from and will stock training pads from different manufacturers, including some that are machine washable. That said, going for the online route and getting your pads from an online pet store can, in most cases, be more convenient, as you will likely obtain discounts for products purchased in bulk, and believe me, no matter how many puppies pads you buy now, you will wish you purchased more when you realize just how much your bundle of joy can act as a veritable garden hose.