HELP... Advice on whelping VERY high energy female - Page 3

jettasmom you might be the only person thats ever had working dogs "if you do" that's made a decision and then 2nd guessed your self !
Im just trying to learn from "others" who have a very hard high drive female like mine, THANK'S FOR YOUR IMPUT !

I have a 7X7 pen off the floor in the basement. 4' high sides (2' paneling/2' lattes), withi a swing door and I don't care what my females' temperament is, once labor starts, down to the pen we go and I'm THERE with my pillow and blanket on one side of the pen. They're usually OK after the first couple of pups for me to walk away, but I check on her at least every 30 minutes or so. *helicopter mom*

I'm confused by this. You think she harmed the pups by being active before you knew she was pregnant? You didn't know she was pregnant? Was this an oops? Or...?

If you bred the dog then why didn't you restrict her activity from the start?

My advice is to find a person local to you with a lot of experience and get their help with whelping the litter.

Unbelievable.... you need to re-read my question/post ..... your confused jillmissal, actually don’t worry about it.. I’ve already received the good advice I needed already from others in here.

You said you let the dog be nuts "before [you] knew she was in fact pregnant." If you bred her, you should have known she might have been pregnant. But you seem surprised by this situation, and in dearth of experience and knowledge. So yeah. You confuse me. Find an experienced person to take care of your dog because whelping is no joke.

Whelping can be quite challenging. I remember having to nearly stick my forearm in (that's what it seemed like!) to turn pups because 2 were fighting to be the next one out ;-)

Even though the garage is heated and there is linoleum floor in at least part of the garage, the floor could get get cold and suck the heat right out of the puppies if you don't insulate between the floor and whelping box, especially if the whelping box has no floor. Think about the cold damp concrete in a basement. Walk around barefoot, even when the air is warm. The concrete floor will likely be cool or cold, especially if it's cold/frigid outside. Ditto for linoleum, vinyl, and tile floors over concrete. You could check using a cheapie plastic refrigerator/freezer thermometer that lays flat (lay it on the floor in different places at different times and give it a little while to come to the correct temperature)). If you do have to insulate below the box, make sure nothing protrudes out, even if the box moves, so it can't be chewed on or eaten by a puppy or Mom.  Here's a cheapie thermometer candidate https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Fridge-Refrigerator-Freezer-Thermometer/dp/B089Y8LYXR?ref_=Oct_s9_apbd_oup_hd_bw_bjv039&pf_rd_r=GJZXH65FVJW0T5B1JH6D&pf_rd_p=a95b86b8-119c-4359-8789-0226247d3b07&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=678520011

The garage needs to be puppy proofed. Nothing toxic anywhere. No old oil, gas, or antifreeze stains or current drips, no tires, no motorcycles, no cars, no lawn mowers, no snow blowers, no snow shovels, no rakes, no hand or power tools, no yard waste or garbage bags, no garbage, trash, or recyclables, no exposed conduit or wores, no paint, no pant brushes, no dry sweep, no batteries, no battery chargers, etc., etc., etc., no chemicals, lubricants, gas, etc. on shelves, even if they're 6 feet off the floor. Make sure there's nothing a puppy can chew on, knock over, or knock to the floor by running into a wall (garage walls are notorious for being somewhat springy, so a hard enough bump by a couple of 4 or 6 week old puppies wrestling and chasing could knock stuff off the shelves, even way up high). Puppies and dogs will lick old antifreeze, oil, etc. stains, and the material is still toxic, even if it is old.

Also keep an eye on the integrity of the garage walls. When the puppies chart chewing, they could chew their way out of the garage, even if there's sheet rock, felt insulation, board insulation, etc. inside the exterior chipboard or plywood wall sheaths. If the garage exterior is brick, less chance of chewing their way out, except for the doors, and still potential for chewing and eating insulation or interior walls, and be careful of breaking out through windows. Or someone breaking in and stealing [angry emoticon] A self or paid monitoring service for alarm system that includes garage coverage would be a good thing.

Good luck!




 

Thanks GSCat...so here is my set up, I have a 5x10 Retriever kennel set up inside my heated garage on top of the linoleum, also at the end inside the kennel is my 4x4 wooden whelping box, the floor of it is 2" foam board insulation then 3/4 plywood, and then low profile carpet, the sides are 24" high with a 2" rail around the sides 4" off the floor, my plan is that the pups wont even get out of the whelping box for several weeks after there born, but I do I have a bunch more of the low profile carpet if I need to put on the linoleum, but Im thinking by then the pups will be old enough to move around and be ok with how I have it now, at night time Ive been keeping my female inside the "garage kennel" for the last week and she is sleeping in the whelping box, I let her out in a 20 x 30 private outside kennel during the day, I just have wanted her to get comfortable with the inside one. I am having her X rayed next Tuesday to see how many pups she actually has so I know when she's delivered her last pup, Dec 1st will be 60 days, so Im thinking 58-63 days, I am taking her temp once a day and its been consistently 100.4 which I thought was low but thats what it says, staring monday I will take her temp twice a day, also she has definitely calmed down "some" when she is inside, so Im really glad about that. Thanks again for your advice.

Hello. I would recommend you to put down disposable puppy pads. My dog just had the second litter and the pads are life savers!!!! The pads have adhesive stripe on the back, so it stays in place and do not move unless you take them off. I ❤️ love ❤️ those pads. We change them 2 times a day at least, or when visibly soiled. Good luck!👍🏻🍀 link to amazon is below.

Premium Disposable Underpads 30”x36” (Packed 4x25 Case) Ultra Absorbent Chux Incontinence Bed Pads, Pet Training Pads X-Large 100/Case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076NC6BGP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabt1_yJxUFbXQP4DZT

Thanks Roxy1477... my wife had already bought a bunch of those disposable puppy pads, once she even gets to where I think she is within 12 hours of whelping Im putting those down.