Private labelling a washable pad comes down to one early choice: re-configure a pad that already works, or build one to a specification you own. The choice decides which documents exist, what a sample must prove, and how many rounds you pay for before the first order.
The short answer
Route A applies your changes to a stocked pad — size selection, face and binding colour, logo method and retail packaging — on a construction that is already proven. Route B builds the pad to your own spec sheet, where dimensions, layer stack and edge construction are yours to set; the sheet is written before a sample is cut. Both start from 200 pcs per model, with samples at US$25–40 prepared in 5 days and credited back in full against your first order.
Route A and Route B, side by side
The routes differ in what the sample must prove: your configuration on a known construction, or a specification that has never run.
| Route A: configure a stocked pad | Route B: built to spec | |
|---|---|---|
| What you change | Size selection, face and binding colour, logo, packing | Dimensions, layer stack, edge construction and size break-out — plus everything in Route A |
| What it starts with | Your brief and a quotation | A draft spec sheet that comes to you to mark up |
| What the sample proves | That your configuration is applied as agreed | That the specification performs — fit, absorbency, drying |
| Choose it when | You want your brand on a proven performer, fast. | A failure you can name, or a shelf position no stocked pad fills. |
The practical difference is rounds: Route B usually takes an extra sample or two, because every correction changes the specification itself. If you are still weighing route models, start with private label versus white label.
What a pad lets you private label
The menu is shorter than it looks, and every line on it is a buyer decision:
- The size range you stock. Which steps you carry and where each starts and ends — proposed around your market, confirmed on your spec sheet.
- The face. The fabric against the dog, named by construction and weight, colour approved against a Pantone reference, not a screen.
- The edge. Binding colour is a shelf decision, edge construction a performance decision; both sit on one line of the sheet.
- The backing. The layer that keeps the floor dry and helps the pad hold position, confirmed per model.
- Your mark. A sewn label, a print or embroidery, compared in logo and label options.
- The pack and barcode. Polybag with header card, retail box or a multipack count — and each count needs its own barcode, which you supply.
What to settle at enquiry, not at sampling
Five things make the first reply specific: the pad size you are considering, your market, your channel, the quantity in mind and your in-market date. Add the packaging idea if you have one — pack structure changes cartons, and cartons change freight.
The reply comes within one business day with model options, the sample fee and the questions that decide the prototype; the full sequence is in enquiry to approved sample. The pad-specific part is which decisions lock when: dimensions before sampling, colour and edge at approval, pack artwork last.
From the approved sample to the first order
Approving a pad is a measuring job. Check the dimensions against the sheet, use the pad as the end buyer will — pour, wait, press — wash it if it claims washing, and study the edge and backing. The signed piece, held against its spec sheet version, becomes the inspection reference.
Keep the first order narrow: one model, one size break-out, one pack format, from 200 pcs per model — one model’s quantity, not a container. The balance is released after you have seen inspection photos, so set your listing date around that checkpoint, not the ship date alone.
Where pad private label orders lose time and money
- Committing to a custom edge before you have returns data. If nothing about a stocked edge is failing, spend the customisation on face colour and the pack.
- Designing the pack before dimensions are frozen. Artwork, dielines and cartons all inherit the pad’s measurements, so a late change to the pad invalidates the pack.
- Treating two colourways as one decision. Colourways are counted against order quantity on your quotation — ask how your combination is counted before you commit.
- Approving an impression instead of lines. Sign off numbers: dimensions, face named with weight, Pantone references, edge construction, pack count.
Questions we get asked
What is the minimum order for private label washable dog pads?
From 200 pcs per model, with samples at US$25–40 prepared in 5 days and credited back in full against the first order. That quantity covers one model — the size break-out and a second colourway are reorder decisions, not first-order requirements.
Route A or Route B — which should I start with?
Start with Route A when the goal is your brand on a pad that already performs and your attention is on the shelf. Move to Route B when something specific is failing or missing — a size your channel needs, an edge that does not hold, a drying time your market complains about.
Can I put my logo and packaging on a stocked pad without changing the construction?
Yes, and it is the fastest route. Logo method and placement are confirmed on the sample, pack artwork is built against frozen dimensions, and the Pantone references for both go into the spec sheet. Change the pad’s dimensions later and the pack artwork has to follow.
What has to be decided before the sample is made?
The dimensions, the face and edge you are specifying, the pack count, and the label text if it is being checked at approval. Pantone references should arrive with the enquiry. Anything still moving when the sample is booked becomes the next round.
Send the pad size you have in mind, your market and your channel, and we will come back with the route we would take and what the sample would test. Start from the washable leak-guard dog pad range, or reach us through the contact page — one business day for a reply.