Small or Medium Gap? How to Pick the Right Potty Tray for Your Litter

I think this is the question we get more than any other. Small gap tray or Medium gap tray? It's a fair question because the two trays look almost the same in photos. The only difference is the size of the openings in the grate on top.

Short answer: If your puppies are under 3 lbs at 4 weeks old, we recommend the Small 0.35" gap tray. For puppies over 3 lbs at 4 weeks, the Medium 0.55" gap tray is the better fit. That's about 9 mm for the Small gap and about 14 mm for the Medium.

How do I know which gap size my puppies need?

It's just a matter of how much they weigh at 4 weeks old.

If they weigh under 3 lbs then you'll want to get the Small tray. That has a 0.35 inch gap, about 9 mm.

If they weigh over 3 lbs then you'll want to get the Medium tray. That has a 0.55 inch gap, about 14 mm.

Why does the gap size matter?

It has to be small enough that little paws don't slip through, but big enough that waste falls through to the pad underneath. The Medium tray came first. Another breeder asked us for a tighter gap for very small puppies, so we made the Small tray. Its bars sit closer together, which keeps tiny puppies from stepping through.

Is everything else about the two trays the same?

They're the same in every other way. They're both 22 by 22 inches, they both have a lift-off metal grate with a baked-on non-stick coating, and they both hold a 21 by 21 inch pad under the grate. Both are sold as a single tray for $105 or as a 4 pack for $400.

Does the tray work for adult dogs?

Yes, for small dogs. The Small gap suits dogs that will be about 4 to 8 lbs full grown, and the Medium gap suits dogs up to about 15 lbs. The tray can hold a dog up to 100 lbs, but stool from larger dogs may not drop through the gaps. We hear from breeders of big breeds like Great Danes and Great Pyrenees who would like a larger gap, and we don't make one today.

What if I pick the wrong size?

Email us at info@littlewolves.com. Clean the tray and pack it back in its original box, and we'll send you a prepaid return label. We ship the trays you want once you've dropped off the return.

Raising a litter? Here's how we potty train a whole litter, from four trays around the bed down to two.

You can pick your gap size on the Little Wolves Potty Tray page.