diff --git a/model2vec/model.py b/model2vec/model.py
index a55dfdb..4e56589 100644
--- a/model2vec/model.py
+++ b/model2vec/model.py
@@ -80,11 +80,7 @@ def __init__(
         self.token_mapping: np.ndarray | None = token_mapping
 
         self.tokenizer = copy.deepcopy(tokenizer)
-        padding = self.tokenizer.padding
-        if padding is not None:
-            self.tokenizer.enable_padding(
-                pad_id=padding["pad_id"], pad_token=padding["pad_token"], pad_type_id=padding["pad_type_id"], length=0
-            )
+        _disable_padding(self.tokenizer)
         self.unk_token_id = _get_unk_token_id(self.tokenizer)
 
         self.median_token_length = int(np.median([len(token) for token in self.tokens]))
@@ -615,6 +611,15 @@ def _loading_helper(
     )
 
 
+def _disable_padding(tokenizer: Tokenizer) -> None:
+    """Stop the tokenizer from padding, while keeping its pad token."""
+    padding = tokenizer.padding
+    if padding is not None:
+        tokenizer.enable_padding(
+            pad_id=padding["pad_id"], pad_token=padding["pad_token"], pad_type_id=padding["pad_type_id"], length=0
+        )
+
+
 def _get_unk_token_id(tokenizer: Tokenizer) -> int | None:
     """Get the unk token id."""
     model = tokenizer.model
diff --git a/model2vec/train/base.py b/model2vec/train/base.py
index 04fff14..2d7aa8b 100644
--- a/model2vec/train/base.py
+++ b/model2vec/train/base.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 from tqdm import trange
 
 from model2vec.inference import StaticModelPipeline
-from model2vec.model import DEFAULT_MAX_LENGTH, PathLike, StaticModel, _get_unk_token_id
+from model2vec.model import DEFAULT_MAX_LENGTH, PathLike, StaticModel, _disable_padding, _get_unk_token_id
 from model2vec.train.dataset import PairDataset, TextDataset
 from model2vec.train.trainer import MetricsFn, default_metrics, resolve_device, run_training_loop
 from model2vec.train.utils import (
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ def __init__(
         # Truncation happens here through `max_length`; a StaticModel's tokenizer carries its own setting.
         self.tokenizer = copy.deepcopy(tokenizer)
         self.tokenizer.no_truncation()
+        _disable_padding(self.tokenizer)
         self.unk_token_id = _get_unk_token_id(self.tokenizer)
 
     def _remove_unk(self, token_ids: list[int]) -> list[int]:
diff --git a/tests/test_trainable.py b/tests/test_trainable.py
index e039e67..3ada3d4 100644
--- a/tests/test_trainable.py
+++ b/tests/test_trainable.py
@@ -53,6 +53,16 @@ def test_init_base_class(mock_vectors: np.ndarray, mock_tokenizer: Tokenizer) ->
     assert head[0].in_features == mock_vectors.shape[1]
 
 
+def test_trainable_tokenizer_does_not_pad(mock_trained_pair_similarity_pipeline: StaticModelForPairSimilarity) -> None:
+    """The tokenizer of a trainable model keeps its pad token, but doesn't pad."""
+    model = mock_trained_pair_similarity_pipeline
+    assert model.tokenizer.padding is not None
+    assert (
+        model._tokenize_texts(["word1 word2", "word2"], max_length=None)[1]
+        == model._tokenize_texts(["word2"], max_length=None)[0]
+    )
+
+
 def test_empty_texts_have_finite_gradients(mock_vectors: np.ndarray, mock_tokenizer: Tokenizer) -> None:
     """Texts without any tokens encode to zero vectors and don't produce NaN gradients."""
     torch.manual_seed(0)