Puppy pads seem inexpensive until you start going through several every day.

A box here, another box there — and suddenly something that costs only a few cents each can turn into hundreds of dollars a year.

So instead of simply asking which puppy pad is best, we looked at a more useful question:

What is the best-value way to handle indoor puppy accidents in Canada?

The answer depends on whether pads are a temporary part of house training or something your household expects to use long term.

Quick Answer

For short-term puppy training, travel and occasional accidents, disposable puppy pads are still the easiest option.

For regular or long-term indoor use, washable pads can become significantly cheaper over time.

And if your ultimate goal is outdoor toileting and you have reliable outdoor access, frequent trips outside combined with consistent positive reinforcement may reduce how many pads you need in the first place. Edmonton Humane Society recommends consistency and routine for house training and notes that pee pads or grass pads can also be useful, particularly for apartments or when owners are away. 

Our Best-Value Picks

Best for convenience: Disposable pads
Best long-term value: Washable pads
Best for apartments: Grass-pad system
Lowest ongoing supply cost: Primarily outdoor training, where practical

What Do Disposable Puppy Pads Really Cost?

PetSmart Canada currently lists Great Choice Regular Puppy Pads, 150 count, for $49.99. 

That works out to about:

33¢ per pad

That doesn’t sound like much.

But look what happens if they become part of the daily routine:

Pads used	Approx. monthly cost	Approx. yearly cost
2/day	$20	$243
4/day	$41	$487
6/day	$61	$730

Those estimates assume a $49.99 box of 150 and one pad discarded each time.

A puppy that uses four pads every day could therefore go through almost $500 worth of disposable pads in a year.

That’s where alternatives become interesting.

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Option 1: Disposable Puppy Pads

Best for convenience

Disposable pads are hard to beat for simplicity.

Put one down, replace it when needed and throw it away.

They make the most sense for:

• New puppies
• Temporary house training
• Travel
• Occasional backup
• Families that don’t want additional laundry

The downside is obvious: you keep buying them.

For a puppy that quickly transitions outdoors, that may not matter much. For a household using indoor pads indefinitely, it can become a considerable recurring expense.

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Option 2: Washable Puppy Pads

Best long-term value

PetSmart currently lists Top Paw washable dog pads for about $29.99–$34.99 each, depending on size. They have anti-slip backing and multiple layers of leak protection. 

A practical household would probably want more than one so there is always a clean pad available.

If you bought three at $34.99 each, the initial cost would be about:

$105

Compare that with disposable pads costing about 33¢ each.

Ignoring laundry costs, those three washable pads would equal the purchase price of roughly 315 disposable pads.

At:

• 2 disposable pads/day: about 158 days
• 4/day: about 79 days
• 6/day: about 53 days

After that point, the washable pads could start producing meaningful savings — provided they last and you don’t mind washing them.

That was one of the strongest findings in our original research: frequent users reach the washable-pad break-even surprisingly quickly. 

Pet Valu also sells a Pooch Pad reusable potty pad for $64.99 and says it is reusable for 300+ washes, illustrating how much lifespan can differ between reusable products. 

The trade-off

Washable pads save on disposables, but they add:

• Laundry
• Water and electricity
• Detergent
• Storage of dirty pads
• Your time

So they aren’t automatically the right choice for everyone.

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Option 3: Indoor Grass Potty Systems

Best for apartments

A grass-style potty system can make sense when getting outside quickly is difficult — particularly in apartments or high-rises.

PetSmart currently lists its Top Paw Indoor Grass Potty Pad System for $34.99, including artificial grass, a washable pee pad and base tray. 

This can provide a more defined toilet area than simply placing disposable pads around the house.

The biggest considerations aren’t necessarily the purchase price. They’re:

Cleaning, odour and whether your dog will reliably use it.

Edmonton Humane Society specifically notes that indoor pee pads or grass pads can be useful for dogs living in apartments. 

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Option 4: Use Fewer Pads

This sounds obvious, but it may be the biggest saving of all.

If the family’s goal is for the puppy to eventually toilet outside, buying an endless supply of pads may not be the best long-term system.

Successful house training depends heavily on consistency, routine and positive reinforcement. Very young puppies also need much more frequent bathroom breaks than adult dogs. Edmonton Humane Society notes that young puppies may need to eliminate every 30 minutes to an hour in some circumstances. 

That doesn’t mean puppy pads are bad.

It means they should serve the household’s actual training goal.

🍁 Great Canadian Finds Special Tip: Look Beyond the Pet Aisle

If you need disposable pads regularly, don’t search only for “puppy pads.”

Also compare disposable medical underpads or chux-style pads. They are often sold in large cases and can sometimes cost substantially less per pad than products marketed specifically for pets. Compare the dimensions, absorbency and backing before buying, because the cheapest underpad is not necessarily suitable for every dog.

A Great Canadian Finds real-life example: In our own household, a small Havanese uses disposable medical underpads, at the price we checked, about $0.06 per pad, successfully as an indoor potty option. Because she is a small dog, the pad size and absorbency work well for our needs. That does not mean every medical underpad will suit every dog, but it is a good example of why it can pay to shop by function rather than by the “pet” label alone.

Compare the dimensions, absorbency and backing before buying, because the cheapest underpad is not necessarily suitable for every dog.

Which Option Makes the Most Sense?

Your situation	Our starting choice
New puppy being trained outdoors	Disposable pads as temporary backup
Regular long-term indoor use	Washable pads
Apartment/high-rise	Washable or grass system
Travel	Disposable pads
Senior dog needing ongoing protection	Washable pads may offer better long-term value
Easy outdoor access	Prioritize consistent outdoor training

For new or worsening accidents in a previously house-trained dog, don’t simply assume it’s a training issue; Edmonton Humane Society recommends veterinary assessment because sudden house soiling can sometimes have a medical cause. 

🍁 Smart Shopping Tip

Never compare puppy-pad boxes by package price alone.

Calculate:

Box price ÷ number of pads = cost per pad

Then check the dimensions.

A 20¢ pad that is too small and requires two at a time is actually costing you 40¢ per accident.

A slightly more expensive pad that works properly may be the better value.

The Canadian Bottom Line

Disposable puppy pads win on convenience.

Washable pads usually win on long-term value.

And for families whose eventual goal is outdoor toileting, the cheapest long-term strategy may be to use pads as a temporary tool rather than a permanent household expense.

At current pricing, using four basic disposable pads every day could cost close to $500 a year. A small rotation of washable pads costs much more upfront, but frequent users could potentially recover that purchase price in only a few months.

Our recommendation:

Use disposable pads when convenience matters. Consider washable pads when the need is ongoing. And before buying either in bulk, calculate the real cost per usable pad.

Prices were checked online on August 9, 2026. Prices, promotions, sizes, sellers and availability may change.