Indoor Dog Toilet Tray - Grate Top with Pee Post for Small Dogs

Most indoor dog toilets are a flat tray. That's fine for a female dog, who squats - and close to useless for a male dog, who lifts a leg and aims at something vertical. Put a flat tray in front of a leg-lifter and he'll use the nearest table leg instead.

This one has a raised post moulded into the centre of the grate. Your dog gets something to aim at, the urine runs down into the tray beneath, and your skirting boards stay dry.

The Grate Is The Other Half Of It

A grid sits over the collection tray, so your dog stands on a dry surface while everything drains through. Paws stay clean, nothing gets tracked across the floor afterwards, and your dog isn't standing in a puddle - which is the main reason some dogs stop using pee pads.

The grate lifts off with snap fittings. Empty the tray, rinse both parts, click it back together.

Against Pee Pads

It doesn't run out. Pads are an ongoing cost that never stops. This is bought once.

It doesn't get shredded. Puppies find pads irresistible as toys, and a shredded pad is both a mess and a swallowing risk.

It doesn't slide. Pads move underfoot, dogs miss the edges, and the floor gets it anyway.

Paws stay dry. No wet pad underfoot, no damp prints down the hallway.

The honest counterpoint: a pad gets thrown away and a tray gets washed. If daily rinsing sounds worse to you than buying pads, buy pads.

When People Use One

• Flats and high-rise living, where "outside" means a lift and a five-minute walk
• Puppies before vaccinations are complete, when the ground outdoors is off limits
• Bad weather - small dogs and heavy rain are a poor combination
• Senior dogs who can't hold on as long as they used to
• Long working hours, where nobody's home for nine hours
• Recovery after surgery, when stairs or long walks aren't allowed
• Overnight, so nobody's up at three in the morning

Sizes

This is a small-dog product. Even the L size suits toy and small breeds - Chihuahuas, Yorkshire Terriers, Pomeranians, Maltese, Toy Poodles, Miniature Dachshunds and similar. Your dog needs to stand comfortably on the grate with all four feet and room to turn, so measure them against the usable width rather than the outer footprint.

The raised sides contain splashing, which matters more with a leg-lifter than most people anticipate.

Getting Your Dog To Use It

Dogs don't work out what a tray is for by looking at it. A week of deliberate setup saves a month of accidents.

1. Put it where they already go. If they've been using pads in the kitchen corner, that's where the tray goes - not where it looks tidiest.
2. Transitioning from pads? Put a used pad on top of the grate for the first few days so the scent is right, then remove it once they're using the tray reliably.
3. Take them to it after meals, after naps and after play - the three moments a dog most reliably needs to go.
4. Reward immediately, while they're still standing on it. A treat thirty seconds later teaches nothing.
5. Clean accidents with an enzymatic cleaner. Ordinary detergent leaves scent traces your dog can still smell, and those traces are an invitation to use the same spot again.
6. Never tell them off for going in the wrong place. Dogs who get scolded learn to hide where they go, which is a far harder problem.

Specifications

Care

Empty and rinse daily. Urine left sitting is what makes a tray smell, and a tray that smells is a tray your dog will start avoiding.

Unclip the grate and wash both parts with warm water and unscented soap. Avoid bleach and ammonia - ammonia smells like urine to a dog and encourages them to keep marking the spot, while bleach fumes are unpleasant enough to put some dogs off entirely. A little white vinegar in the rinse handles lingering odour without either problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will it work for a female dog?
Yes. She'll squat on the grate and ignore the post, which changes nothing about how it works.

Does it handle solid waste?
It'll catch it, but it's designed around urine draining through a grate. Solids sit on top and need picking off - which is easier than off a carpet, but it isn't self-cleaning.

Will my dog use it?
Most small dogs take to it within a week with the setup above, particularly if they've already used pads. A few never accept a grate underfoot - dogs have strong preferences about surfaces, and that's worth knowing before you buy.

Does it smell?
Not if it's emptied daily. Left for two or three days, any indoor toilet will.

Will using it stop my puppy learning to go outside?
It can slow things down, yes. A puppy who can always go indoors has less reason to wait. Use it as a safety net for the vaccination period, nights and long absences, and keep taking them outside as the main routine.

Is it big enough for a medium dog?
No. Even the L size is built for small breeds. A Cocker Spaniel or anything larger needs a different solution.

Are pads or liners needed?
No - the tray collects and you rinse it. Some owners put a pad underneath the grate during a transition, but it isn't necessary long term.

A Note On Measurements And Colour

Dimensions are measured by hand and may vary slightly. Colours can appear different across phone and monitor screens depending on lighting and calibration - the item itself is the accurate reference.

Find toilet training essentials and everyday gear in our Dogs collection.