My female whelped her litter of 6 in my house in a large plastic kiddie pool with several layers of newspapers changed periodically during the actual whelping part and then once all puppies are delivered a heating pad was inserted and a sheet draped over and then a blanket and then are changed multiple times a day. Sheets & blankets are draped over the sides and secured underneath the plastic pool.
I have seen some very good designs for wooden ones but they seem to be heavy and bulky and not easy to store when not in use and tend to stain. Although I guess you could line it with some heavy plastic or something.
We have a litter on the ground right now, the pups are 3 weeks old, are in the house. We do have a wooden whelping box, BUT for the first 2.5 weeks we kept a nice blanket for the mtoher/puppies (the blanket was spreaded out flat and the whelping box was then set on top of it so it wouldnt scrunch up) we changed the blanket EVERY day... Now the box is half newspaper and half carpet.
The pups are handled everyday by atleast 3 different people, are socialized with everything we can think of, etc. We dont have a litter very often (this is our 5th in almost 10 years) so we are very excite to have "babies" when we do have them!
We always provide a warm room and comfortable box with paper to start during whelping then either blankets and vet bed. However one of our working bitches decided she did not like anything I put in there and would make a big pile in the middle of the box. I tried everything including carpet jammed in the box which took her slightly longer to dig it up. I was so worried I would end up with squashed puppies I took eveything out and used shredded paper which worked a treat so she promply went outside and started digging holes - actually caverns!! The puppies were nearly three weeeks old by this time. If anyone has any ideas to stop bitches digging up their beds I would love to hear from you.
care bear if she wants to dig take her in the garden for a while its instinct. be careful though they can get carried away its a bit like the great escape
we provide digging time every day if our girl wants it
I have seen that too some of them don't have anything but concrete under them and it is sad, I have a big wooden whelpingbox, I get my box ready one week before mom is due the whelping box is set up in the house for the whelping it self I put papers in and change after every pup born.
Once she is done whelping I put a thick layer of newspapers on the bottom then a thick blanket and sheet which is changed for the first week twice a day and there after once a day untill they 4 weeks old then they go to the porch into a big exercise pen with cedar shavings wich are changed ever day.
I have to agree that I am saddened and sometimes sickened by pictures I have seen of what some folks consider a "whelping area". Exhausted bitches laying on soaked bloodied papers, hard or bare floors, wet rags, hard plastic, soggy inky smeared old newspapers. I find it disgusting. Perhaps these people don't respect and revere their dogs at all, how could they when the female is giving birth and going through such a hard and critical time in her life, and having no comfort or even a proper or caring area? Perhaps they need to read up, or see in real life how they can actually lose their female due to the process of giving birth and what a serious and trying time it is for the female.
Those of you who bitch about the whelping box being "hard to store" or "too bulky" to take up room in your basement, you should try spending 3-5 weeks laying on a cold hard bare floor with the comfort of a sheet of newspaper. It's not just the one day that the female spends in her whelping box. Not with mine anyway. She gets 2 weeks prior to whelping in a special area that is ALL hers with every comfort possible for her. You seem too concerned with how difficult it is for you to wash a whelping box or move it, than the comfort of your female for her weeks of discomfort.
Here, first off, she gets a private 10' indoor kennel. It is draped with sheets so she has a more natural den like private area in her own room. I had a special 5x4' whelping box made with 1' walls so I can move in and camp with her for the first 3 weeks (1 before and 2 after) and then I can watch her in her box with the 1' walls. (these walls can be added to when the time comes to 2' or even 3' walls) This box is laid out on 1) a 5x5' square of carpet padding 2) a 5x5' section of shag carpeting to cushion and keep the box from cold flooring. 3) This is covered by super heavy commercial 6ml plastic sheeting. (all of the above are larger than the box so the box is set up over them, so they cannot be "dug up". 4) In the box then is a 5x4' rubber backed whelping liner 5) over the liner are 3 heavy thick rubber backed bath rugs, the kind that can be removed and washed and changed 1-2 times daily. Prior to the actually whelping 2 old washed comforters are placed inside so she can rummage them around and bunch them up which seems a comfort. 6) heat lamp is installed on the kennel sides to be raised or lowered as needed 7) 2 thermometers are set up on the inside pigrails and on the kennel wall as well. 8) baby monitors set up 9) whelping supplies checked, rechecked and all towels & blankets are washed and ready to use when needed.
I know you may say hogwash, dogs have given birth in the wild for generations and don't need all that shit, okey then, release your dogs back to the wild...they may do better if that is all you care about her well being.
This is after the draped sheets are removed and the hard job mom went through is over, and we can now all lay down to rest a bit.
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