Toilet training a puppy is partly a numbers game. You need a pad down before the puppy needs it, in more than one room, changed often, and that adds up faster than anyone expects. These are bamboo-charcoal training pads with a soft cotton-feel top sheet, an absorbent polymer core that turns liquid to gel, and a leak-proof backing, sold in several pack options.

Each layer does one job. The top sheet feels dry underfoot within seconds, which matters, because a puppy who stands in a wet pad learns to avoid pads altogether. The polymer core locks liquid into a gel so nothing runs to the edges when the pad is lifted. The charcoal layer takes the edge off the ammonia smell that otherwise builds up in a small flat. The backing keeps all of it off the floor underneath.

• Bamboo charcoal layer to help control odour
• Soft cotton-feel top sheet
• Absorbent polymer core that gels the liquid
• Leak-proof backing
• Four pack options across sizes S, M, L and XL
• Also useful for older dogs and for lining a crate

Who it's for: Households training a puppy indoors, and anyone caring for an older dog who no longer reliably makes it through the night.