Opinion on best whelping box
So, since I knew relatively early on that Sidney was only having one puppy last time, I kept her in a round pen in the kitchen. Someone was home 90% of the time and she only had the one so I was confident she wouldn't sit on him. Obviously she won't fit in a pug-sized whelping box so I am ready to build one (very optimistic this go around). Any recommendations? Will 4x4 be large enough for a reg. sized litter or should I go 5x5? lol My house is rather tiny (1100 sq. ft.) so I know she and the pups will def. be occupying a large portion. I am hoping that once they are a little bigger, I can bring them outside in good weather or into the garage if bad weather a couple times a day for exercise. They'll def. be sleeping in the house (most likely the kitchen again). Is it sad that my son thinks it is normal to have a dog/cat area in the kitchen rather than a table?  We use a card table for easy moving! |
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villarose wrote: Is it sad that my son thinks it is normal to have a dog/cat area in the kitchen rather than a table?
We use a card table for easy moving!I dont know sounds OK to me! 
I wont mention some of my friends who are freaked out about the dogs on the couch and the cat on the island bar though.  
Good luck with the whelping box project, I'm no help there. |
| My friend's whelping box that I saw last weekend (Samoyed pups) was a 5x5 box. It seemed the right size.
I grew up with Brittanys and they are smaller - so a smaller box worked well. |
| My boxes are 4x4 and 2 feet tall. Seems to work out fine. |
Willowsprite wrote: My boxes are 4x4 and 2 feet tall. Seems to work out fine.
I was gonna say 5 x 5 seems generous, Then again, it does make more room for human to get in there and be part of puppy pile Either should work.
Kristine |
| Mines 4 x 4 too with crush rails that can be removed later on.
Also heated underneath with thermostat controll that you set to the required temp and just keeps it at that setting. Even though I did not need the heater part, used it once only due to a summer litter. 
That her in the box with the pups with the crush rails removed when they were older. Plenty of room to lie down to feed the pack.
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| I looked back at some pictures I took of Ruby and her puppies last weekend - the box seems somewhere between 4-5 feet on a side.
The rails are permanent, and that area looks to be about 4X4. |
| Wow Lisa! That whelping box looks amazing!!! Did you buy or build it yourself? |
| No I usually borrow a friends one but this time she was having a litter about 2 weeks after mine was due.
Looked at building one but the costs worked out better buying this one. Loved the anti bite guards on the edge of the whelping box, when the little darlings get those toothy pegs happening they can sure munch on the edges. 
And better then the older wooden one I previously used as way easier to clean up with poopie pee pee pups. Cleaned up so much easier.
After use, packed away still like brand new with no chunks taken out of the top of it with teething puppers. 
Also has two stages to the door in and out of the box as they grow you can increase the height to keep the little darlings in the box. Later on I put a puppy play pen in front of it and opened the slip doors completely so they had an area to play in and walk in and out of the box easily till older
So if building one, just take into account if easy and cheaper by the time you buy the materials to build one, or would paying a smidge more be a better way to go for a whelping box. I love mine especially the heating underneath that you just set to a certain temp if needed no worrying about if it is too hot or not warm enough, just clicks on and off to keep it at what temp you set it at. |
| The heating option is what got me too! It would be nice not to heat my house to 90 in the midst of winter. lol My ex-husband hated our other litters b/c I would raise the heat to mid-high 80s and had heating pads. Our electric bill was through the roof!
Is the builder of the whelping box online? Or are they only Aus. based? While I'd like to think of myself as handy, I imagine trying to use a saw with my three year old running around... 
Are all sheepie pups pirahnas? Ikoka chewed everything and everyone. Since he didn't have siblings, he had no idea how hard he bit and anyone around him wound up bleeding (except for the three year old). I'm hoping he was an exception! While pug puppies chew, never did they break skin. I am super-impressed by your whelping box. I am also amazed that it can be disassembled. I was wondering where I'd store mine during non-breeding times.  |
| I had mine made and love it too. It is wood, and we do have the piggy rails in it as well and the double layered door. I think mine is 4 x 4.
I LOVE the idea of heating underneath! Lisa how is that done? Please expand on that for me (us) here ! Ali |
| Built into the unit in between the base so I think heated coils as there not exposed even underneath the base. Dial that you set the temp too and it keeps it at that, very safe as no heating pad that puppies can maybe chew and nothing exposed all in the unit at the base.
Here is the link to see the temperature setting on the side of the box, you just plug it in and turn the dial to what temp you need
Best new mordern fangdangle thing after using the old wooden one which was a pain to wipe out and many years of munching puppies putting chew chunks in to top of it and also just perfect with the inbuilt heat setting, beats a hot water bottle or a heating pad and forever wondering are they too hot or not warm enough
Worked out a smidge more in price then if I were to buy the materials to build one. Also the older one you could not remove the crush rails as the pups got older so love this one as gives more room for mum and bubs as the puppers get bigger. And just one screw each side of the box to remove the rails, way easy it was
http://www.kenolenterprises.com/ Click on the whelping box picture and it will take you to the info on it. |
| That's very cool that you can set the temp. Temp can be so dangerous to pups, I keep a heating pad covered in flannel at the side when pups are being born in case I need to move a wet pup out of the way for mum for a few minutes but other than that I never use a heat source such as lamps or unsupervised heating pads etc. Overheating is just as dangerous as chilling.
I just keep the room hot for the first week and then lower the temp to normal over a few days. |
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