Tutorial: DIY Dog Training Pads

And the Toby saga continues....

So, after The Chocolate Incident, Toby began sucking down water like a camel, except for the retaining-it-in-a-hump-for-later part.  Yay! More carpet steam-cleaning! My floors are so clean right now! This is not why I took vacation time. However.

After a few hours at the vet the day after Christmas, Toby was diagnosed with diabetes.  Not sure if that was the chicken or the egg with regards to The Chocolate Incident, but now he is receiving insulin shots twice a day (not too bad, except that he is very furry).  Unfortunately he is a on a strict 12-hour feeding/shot schedule (which doesn't seem too bad in theory, but the practice of it is a little more difficult) and we are still working on the proper dosage.  Which means he is still peeing everywhere.  And since this apparently what I am going to be spending my vacation days on, I decided to upcycle some of the zillions of the empty grain bags sitting in our barn and make some of my own doggy training pads for him. 

The Tutorial is below.  There is one for a large pad and one for a smaller pad.

You will need:

• Absorbent fabric (fleece, old towels, flannel).  I used 2 layers per pad, but you can use as few or many as you want.
• Empty grain bags (you can rinse them out and let them dry beforehand).  This will be used for the bottom, water-proof layer, so a waterproof fabric may be used for a substitute.
• A sewing machine
• Thread
• Scissors
• A measuring device

Instructions (large pad):

Large-sized dog training pad.

• Measure the length and width of the grain bag (leave it folded in half to provide extra protection).  The ones I used measured 19"x 36".
• Cut the fabric layers to measure 19"x36" if you are using fleece (I highly recommend this as you do not need to worry about finishing the edges of fleece).  If you are using another fabric, you can serge-over the edge or add 1" around each of the edges and sew under prior to putting on top of the grain bag.

The flannel has been cut to 19"x36".

The edges of the flannel have been stitched.

• Layer your fabrics, like a sandwich, and pin in place.  Because fleece is stretchy, you can usually overlap a little over the edge and fold in place.

The underside of the training pad, with the fleece pinned in place and ready for stitching.

• Sew around the outside edges. I used a zig-zag stitch.
• Sew a line down the center of the shortest side (in this case, at the 18" line).  Sew two additional lines at 9" and 27".  This will help hold the fabric in place.

The training pad has been stitched down in thirds, to help hold the fabric in place.

Instructions (small pad):

Small-sized dog training pad with a 2-inch plastic border.

• Measure the length and width of the grain bag (leave it folded in half to provide extra protection).  The ones I used measured 19"x 36".
• Cut the fabric layers to measure 15"x32" if you are using fleece (I highly recommend this as you do not need to worry about finishing the edges of fleece).  If you are using another fabric, you can serge-over the edge or add 1" around each of the edges and sew under prior to putting on top of the grain bag.  This size will allow a 2" plastic border for the edge at the end.
• Once you have your fabrics cut and the edges finished as needed, layer them and center them on the pad.  Pin in place for stitching.
• Stitch down the center (at 18") and the two "thirds" (approximately 8" off each side from the center) to hold the layers in place.  You may also stitch around the edges prior to folding the plastic edges up if so desired.
• Fold up the plastic edges.  Pin and sew in place.

Washing recommendations: Soak in cold/lukewarm water with detergent prior to washing.  Wash on a delicate cycle in cold/water water.  Line dry, DO NOT put in dryer.