17 Indoor Dog Potty Types ; The Ultimate Buying Guide

I’ve had dogs my whole life, and I’m pretty sure that when I was a kid it was “go outside or bust”. I didn’t even HEAR of indoor dog potty options until I was in my 30s.

Now there are tons of indoor dog potties to choose from, some better than others (of course).

Here are 17 different types – so that you can choose the best fit for you and YOUR dog.

BTW…If you want to make your own DIY Porch Potty click here^​. I have a full post with all the details of how to build one AND it includes a super nice set of printable plans.

OK! Let’s get started.

Dog Pee Pads

The first category I’ll look at are dog pee pads.There are an amazing amount of these on the market from different brands a lots of different types to choose from.Typically these are called dog pee pads, puppy pee pads, wee wee pads, or just pee pads.

Dog pee pads make great indoor dog potties – especially if you want something that is easy to clean and easy to deal with.

Here’s what you need to know.

Disposable Pee Pads

There are two basic types of puppy pee pads that are made – disposable and washable. First I’ll take a look at the different disposable types and then the washable types. Both can make effective indoor dog potties – depending on your needs.

And pee pad trays that hold the pee pads can really help to make disposable pee pads work even better. We’ll go over those in this post as well as real grass and artificial turf options.

Dog Pee Pads in Bulk

If your dog will use a basic pee pad and doesn’t need any special features or anything fancy, then buying them in bulk can really make a lot of sense.

You can get small pee pads in bulk for as low as 12 cents  each (USD), compare that to Amazon Basics Pee Pads at about 19 cents each and you’ll be saving a bunch of money by buying in bulk. Most of the time there is also free shipping on this offer.

And while these are puppy training pads, they will work for many small dogs (including mine) and are built pretty well (see image below). They’re also the best price per puppy pad that I’ve found anywhere. So if you’re looking to save money on a disposable pee pad these are a GREAT value.

You can find these bulk puppy pads here: ValuePetSupplies.com

Scented Pee Pads for Dogs

When I first started researching puppy training pads – a product I’ve used occasionally for years – I was ASTOUNDED at how many versions of scented pee pads are on the market.

You can get puppy pads scented with lavender, floral, lemon, and Fabreeze – to name a few.

These types of scented puppy pads work well to help control urine and poo odors in between clean ups.I don’t personally usually buy this type because I really like saving money and they tend to be a bit more expensive – but they are nice if you really want to keep things smelling fresh.

Important note:Most dogs will use these without a problem, but some dogs find the scents off putting and don’t like them at all.  So if you try them for the first time be sure to buy a small pack to see if your dog likes them.

You can find the Febreeze pee pads here: Chewy.com

Odor Eliminating Pee Pads

These are similar to the scented pee pads in that they try to get rid of the smells associated with dogs going, but instead of covering the smells they work to eliminate the scent instead.

I personally like the Nature’s Miracle products (found on Amazon) for odor elimination.They use enzymes that really work to not just cover up the odors, but actually eliminate them.

I’ve used the Nature’s Miracle spray (available on Amazon) on my carpets many times and have been very happy with how well it works to combat odors.

Odor eliminating training pads are a GREAT choice if you aren’t particularly fond of scented products to mask odors and want something that won’t let the smells linger around forever.

You can find the Nature’s Miracle Training Pads Here: Amazon.com

Carbon Pee Pads

Carbon pee pads (found on Amazon) are embedded with activated charcoal to indoor dog potty odors. Activated charcoal is usually made from peat, coconut shell, coal, or petroleum.

The process by which it’s made gives it a large amount of pores or internal spaces that trap odors. By embedding pee pads with this substance the manufacturers create a natural odor absorber that is completely scentless and works well.

You’ll notice that the charcoal pee pads aren’t the normal white color, that because activated charcoal is black, so they are dark grey. I view this as an advantage because while it will still show darker if it’s been peed on, it won’t be as much of that icky pee color.

You can find these charcoal pee pads here: Amazon.com

Puppy Pads with Gel

Puppy training pads that have gel are interesting. They turn the liquid pee into a gel so that it doesn’t run all over the floor, and they can hold more liquid than a traditional dog training pad as well, so you should use fewer.

There are a fair number of choices in gel training pads – including scented (available on Amazon) and unscented (available on Chewy) varieties.

One of the best things about these types of training pads for dogs is that they usually don’t need to be stacked to absorb the liquid, because the gel locks it in fast.

You can get unscented puppy pads with gel here: Chewy.com

Pop Up Pee Pad

When I first saw these I had to giggle. But they do solve a MAJOR problem for some dog owners.

There are some dogs that just have to aim at something and these dog pee pad with a fire hydrant (found on Amazon) solves that problem.

There is a paper “fire hydrant” in the middle of each pee pad that pops up when you open the pad. This gives the aimers something to aim at and keeps the pee directly in the middle of the pad, where it belongs.

If you have a dog that likes to aim, and they can’t manage to hit the training pad, then this might just be the solution you’ve been looking for.

You can find find pop up pee pads here: Amazon.com

Bullseye Dog Pee Pads

The bullseye dog pee pad (these are available on Amazon) is a variation on the pop up pee pad if your dog keeps missing the pee pad, then sometimes all they need is something to aim at.

But there is an even bigger secret. The pheromone attractants that most manufacturers use in their pee pads are concentrated in the center to entice your dog to pee there.

This means no leaky edges and pee that goes right in the middle of the pad. These pads are also odor absorbing as well to control scent.

If your dog misses on a regular basis then this is the pee pad for you to try (seriously – it’s awesome for dogs that like to pee on the edge).

You can find bullseye pee pads here: Amazon.com

Washable Dog Pee Pads

Buying disposable pee pads is convenient, but there is a lot of waste to throw away and they can get expensive – even the bulk type. Washable dog pee pads seek to fix this problem and give you a long lasting alternative for an indoor dog potty.  I recommend that if you go this route you either get a multi-pack or get at least 3 individual training pads so that you have spares when you are washing one. Either way will work.

There are two basic types of these reusable training pads that I’ll go over here.

Leak Proof and Washable Dog Pee Pads

Both types of washable potty pads are designed with multiple layers and moisture wicking technology and have a waterproof and leakproof bottom. The only way your dog will leak through one of these pee pads is if they miss or if you don’t pick it up and wash it.

Most of the time the leak proof reusable type of puppy pad works just fine. And people LOVE them for the amount of money they save and how well they absorb.

It’s important to note that these type of reusable pee pads almost always have an odor blocking fiber core, but they aren’t going to typically block odors as well as a carbon disposable pee pad. So you do need to wash them daily in the washing machine. All pee pads of this type that I’ve ever seen are machine washable.

You can find washable dog pee pads here: Petco.com

Non Slip Reusable Dog Pee Pads

These have all the features of the leak proof reusable dog pee pad, but offer a non slip backing that goes against the floor.

This is particularly useful in areas where you have hard floors and don’t want the reusable pee pad slipping around.

These reusable non-slip puppy pads from Amazon are also machine washable.

Both of these types of reusable training pads consistently get much higher ratings than the disposable type. If you have your own washing machine they can save you a great deal of money as well.

You can find non slip reusable pee pads here: Amazon.com

Pee Pad Holders – Use with Disposable Pee Pads

If you’ve ever used a disposable training pad, you will know that they can get really nasty, really fast. Sometimes they leak, but more often they scrunch up on the floor and just look gross. It doesn’t make for the best indoor dog potty.

If you are going to use disposable pee pads of any type, a pee pad holder can make your life significantly better – the clean up is easier and they are far more aesthetically pleasing than leaving a pee pad on the bare floor.

With any of the pee pad holders, make sure that you are matching the size of the holder with the size of the pad – there are always measurements listed on the packaging for both.

There are four basic types of puppy pee pad holders.

Pee Pad Tray

One of the biggest problems with disposable pee pads is that dogs often will walk in their own pee after going and then track it all over the house. A pee pad tray can solve that problem.

Most dogs will use the grated tray (like this one found on Amazon), and it is much nicer looking than an open, disposable pee pad. However, some dogs don’t like the grate and won’t go on it.  If this is the case then one of the other types will work better for you.

You can find this indoor dog potty tray here: Amazon.com

Silicone Dog Pee Pad Tray

This is the most popular of the pee pad holders, the reviews on these silicone trays are consistently very high – often in the 4.5 star range – which is impressive on any indoor dog potty product.

They can also make buying less expensive bulk pee pads work really well, because they help to make the pee pads work better by keeping them in place and preventing edge leaks.

Silicone pee pad holders also have the benefit of being fairly inexpensive. And if your dog doesn’t like to pee on super hard surfaces, these are soft.

You can find silicone training pad holders here: Chewy.com

Dog Pee Pad Tray with Clips

If you have a dog that really likes to scrunch up pee pads and doesn’t like standing on a grate, this pee pad tray with corner grips might help.

This type of training pad holder will keep your dog from scooching their pee pad across the floor. And the the edges are raised, which means the pee is much more likely to stay put.

It’s easy to set up, but doesn’t get as good reviews as the silicone version or the kind with the grate.

And for some dogs it may be too hard of a surface.  However, if you have a dog who is a vigorous scratcher after peeing it will probably be a good fit.

You can find the dog pee pad tray with clips here: Amazon.com

Puppy Pad Holder with Walls

This is a type of pee pad holder for dogs (you can find them on Amazon by clicking here) that like to hike their legs (or for owners who don’t like to look at the mess). It acts like a covered litter box in a lot of ways, but is only suitable for small or medium sized dogs.

There is no way a Great Dane will fit in this!

However, if you have a dog that prefers to spray your wall instead of hit the pee pad, this covered tray can be a huge BLESSING. It also works well for dogs that don’t like an audience when they go.

This covered training pad holder has inner back and side walls made of plastic as well as the outer cover.

You can find  puppy pad holders with walls here: Amazon.com

Dog Pee Pads – Grass

There are two types of grass indoor dog potties, those with real grass and those with artificial grass.

Many people like the aesthetics of these indoor dog potties better than dog pee pads and they can be used both inside and outside.

Dog Piddle Place – Artificial Grass Indoor Dog Potty

This is a specific name brand of indoor dog potty. The dog piddle place has several unique features including a special Bio+ Treatment that works VERY well to control odors.

The dog urine flows through the porous turf and keeps dog paws from tracking urine all over the house. You just pick up the poo from the surface and empty it out every two to four days (depending on the size of your dog and how much they pee).

I really like that there is a drainage valve, which means you don’t have to flip it over to drain it. The turf is machine washable, and your first order comes with the Bio+ Treatment. You can even get a splash shield for dogs who really like to hike their legs.

Overall this is a solid product.

You can find the Piddle Place here: Chewy.com

Real Grass Indoor Dog Potty

Real grass indoor pee pads have a distinct benefit over all the other types of dog potties we’ve looked at so far – the roots of the grass naturally absorb urine and attract your dog to pee.

These are cardboard boxes filled with real, living hydroponically grown grass (found on Amazon). This type of sod box for dogs will typically last between 1 week and 1 month and are biodegradable and disposable.

Just like all the other indoor dog potty options you have to pick the poop up off the top on a regular basis and flush it down the toilet. Also, some dogs will tear these apart – it’s not common, but it does seem to feel like a chew toy to some animals.

Overall, if you’re looking for an attractive and eco friendly alternative to pee pads and plastic turf potties, this is a good choice.

You can find indoor real grass dog potties here: Amazon.com

Indoor Dog Litter Box

Many people don’t know that most dogs can be litter trained to use a litter box, just like a cat. An indoor dog litter box will typically have higher sides than a cat litter box to catch the pee from dogs that lift their legs.

And most of the time the litter is paper litter rather than the types of litter that cat boxes normally use.

This litter box is great for small and medium sized dogs, but not so good for large dogs. You can use these with litter or with puppy pads.

You can find indoor dog litter boxes here: Petco.com

Indoor Dog Potty Accessories

If you’re setting up an indoor potty area there are a couple of accessories you may want to consider – depending on what kind of dog potty you’re setting up.

Pee Pad Attractant Spray

This works better for some dogs than others, but if you are using an artificial turf pee pad or a reusable pee pad, you might want to try using a spray like this to help your dog know where to go.

Most disposable pee pads already have an attractant built in, so you shouldn’t need it for those.

You can find pee pad attractant spray here: Amazon.com

Diaper Genie for Dogs

If you want to create your indoor dog potty area with disposable pee pads or litter, then a Diaper Genie for dogs is a REALLY good idea to keep the scent down.

You can get almost any diaper pail product (we found this one on Amazon) (it doesn’t have to be the name brand), and it will work to keep the urine and feces odor contained until you take out the trash.

This particular can is one that can be used with regular 13 gallon trash bag and keeps the odors ENCLOSED.

Summary of Indoor Dog Potty Types

Out of these my favorite three are the bulk dog pee pads because they can save you a ton of money, reusable dog pee pads because they are much better for the ecosystem, and the real grass indoor dog potties because they are more aesthetically pleasing (but they can get kind of expensive).

And if you’re handy, please check out my DIY Porch Potty post, which includes a set of printable plans.