5 Best Eco-Friendly Products For Puppy Training 

Having a puppy certainly involves cuteness overload –but having a puppy also involves certain responsibilities, too. If you want a well-behaved, well-socialized dog, you need to start training your puppy ASAP. 

Whether you outsource your puppy training or DIY, you still need a few handy products around the house to make your life and your pup’s life easier as you set foundations that will make the transition from puppy to a dog go a lot more smoothly.

What if we told you that the products you buy to train your puppy could benefit both your pup and the planet? One of the best ways to start offsetting your puppy’s impact on the planet is by investing in eco-friendly products, specifically, eco-friendly products for puppy training.

Below you’ll find out favorite eco-friendly products for puppy training including pee pads, collars, leashes, poop bags, chew toys, and treats so you can start reducing your puppy’s eco pawprint right from the start.

Puppy training pads

Everyone wants a dog that is housebroken. Potty training your puppy is one of the first things puppy owners start training first. We’re not going to lie, training your puppy to pee outside is a journey. A journey that usually involves plenty of pee pads. 

You don’t want to be cleaning up your pup’s mess for the rest of their life, and puppy pads help you avoid the mess as you slowly convince your pup that doing their business outside is best.

Traditional puppy training pads aren’t exactly great for the environment. Most pee pads are made with synthetic fragrances, plastic backing, and non-recycled, bleached material –all of which aren’t good for your puppy or the environment. These puppy potty pads end up straight in the landfill like baby diapers and even senior doggy diapers. 

Now, it’s pretty hard to find puppy pads without plastic or that don’t cost a pretty penny. So while these eco-friendly products aren't perfect, they are a much better option than what you can find in the big-chain pet stores.

• Max & Neo Washable Reusable Dog Pee Pads (reusable!)
• The Green Pet Shop Bamboo Training Pads (no artificial fragrances or chemicals)
• Bark Potty (more natural, reusable, and easy to change out)
• DIY a crate tray with real grass pads (absorbs odor & liquids and it’s environmentally-friendly)
• Use some goold old-fashioned newspaper!

Puppy Collar

Puppies have a tendency to roam and if you aren’t watching or aren’t careful, your puppy can get lost in the blink of an eye. Making sure your puppy wears a collar can prevent lost puppies from staying lost. Although microchipping is now very common and an easy way to relocate your pup, when someone finds a lost dog, they naturally look to their collar first to find a name and phone number found on the collar itself or on identity tags. 

Since collars are a necessary product for your new puppy, why not make the eco-friendly choice? Here are a few great environmentally friendly collars to consider for your pup. 

• The Good Dog Company Hemp Corduroy Dog Collar (best for puppies and made from hemp and certified organic cotton)
• Cycle Dog Bottle Opener Dog Collar (made from discarded bike inner tubes)
• LupinePet Eco Dog Collar (made by hand from recycled plastic bottles)

Puppy Leash

If you want to take training walks with your new puppy, a good leash is a must-have. Leashes can be used to communicate with your pup and reign in their desires to chase the endless distractions that occur on walks (think squirrels, rabbits, bikes, etc). 

Keep in mind, your puppy will probably try chewing their leash at some point, so making sure it’s non-toxic is essential. Here are our favorite puppy leash brands.

• Leashboss Long Dog Training Leash (made from high-quality nylon, which is durable and long-lasting)
• LupinePet Eco Recycled Dog Leash (made from recycled plastic bottles)
• Mountain Dog Original Clip Leash (made from recycled climbing rope which is durable and comes with a lifetime warranty)

Puppy Chew Toys

You’re probably not surprised to learn that teething puppies are big on chewing. It comes with the territory, right? Puppies are full of curiosity and the desire to test out the edibility of almost anything they can reach. But if you want to keep their chewing desire away from your furniture and your shoes, give them eco-friendly chew toys as an alternative distraction. 

• Green & Wilds Olivewood Chew Toy (made from solid olive wood that is sustainably sourced and soaked in olive oil. Olive wood doesn’t splinter, it mulches which is great for teething puppies)
• West Paw Tizzi Dog Toy (BPA Free, Latex Free & FDA Compliant)

Puppy Treats

When you’re teaching your new pup commands or want to reinforce certain behaviors or practice recall, yummy treats always help! Since a lot of treats might be necessary (at least at the start of puppy training), you deiniftly want smaller size options so you aren’t overloading them with tons of extra calories. 

But you also want to make sure these puppy training treats are delicious, nutritious, sustainably sourced, and eco-friendly! To help you out, here are our favorite treats for pups and brands that make products that benefit the planet and your new puppy.

• Bocce’s Bakery Training Treats (wheat-free, low calorie, and 100% natural ingredients)
• Chippin Dog Treats (made from eco-friendly protein sources and packaged in post-consumer recycled materials)

Puppy Poop Bags

We know, poop bags aren’t exactly used in the puppy training process, but you will inevitably need them during those seemingly never-ending training days. 

Now, we actually have an entire blog post dedicated to the real truth behind dog waste bags, why we use them, and what “greenwashing” jargon to watch out for, but for the purpose of this post, we’re highlighting our favorite eco-friendly puppy poop bag brands so you know who to choose when it comes to cleaning up your puppy waste. 

• BioBag Pet Waste Bag (corn-based bags that meets high biodegradable and composting standards)
• K9 Clean’s Eco Poop Scoop Bags (contain zero-plastic and can be consumed entirely by microorganisms)
• Earth Rated PoopBag (vegetable-based and BPI certified compostable)

Did you know that Pure Earth Pets has a Puppy Box!? Get everything you need for your new puppy that is natural and sustainably made! Note: it’s not a subscription box (since your puppy won’t be a puppy forever, *sad eyes*). 

If you’re still interested in learning how you can make your puppy (and soon to be full-grown dog) more environmentally friendly contributor to the planet, we have a few great posts on How to go more sustainable with your dog, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with your Dog, and How having dogs benefit the planet’s ecosystem.