Whelping Box?

BluwaterNewfs

BluwaterNewfs

New member
THere is no one size that is proper. I ahve seen anything from 4x5, 4x6, 3x6, 5x5 and 6x6. I have also seen them anywhere from 1 foot to 2 1/2 feet high. I know of some people who a baby pool as a whelping box.

Length by width dimensions can helpto bdetermined by the space youare going to put it. I have found that 18 inches high works well.
 
Peter Maniate

Peter Maniate

New member
It is a matter of preference. Ideally you participate in other breeders' whelpings prior to having your first and get an idea of what size you want.

Personally I like big and my whelping box is six feet by eight feet and I couldn't imagine anything much smaller both for the actual whelping and then for the subsequent nursing, especially for a large litter with three shifts.

Height should be at least 18 inches. My box's sides are so strong that people can sit on them which helps for those of us whose backs can't take being on the floor for very long.

Mine is also the old fashioned type (custom made back in 1978 to my specs for my second litter) which features a permanent ledge. Nowadays it is more customary to have removable rods to prevent the pups in the early days from being smothered by Mom. However the ledge works well when the pups are older to prevent them from climbing out of the whelping box; there is something about an indented wall that makes climbing difficult. Sometimes the old ways are still the best, but the box does need to be larger.

Also have a removable panel at one end so that Mom, engorged with gallons of milk. can get out of the box comfortably. The panel just goes down to the ledge and when the whelps have teeth and are hanging on to the dam as she exits the box, the ledge knocks the pups off so Mom can leave sans puppies.

Your mentor breeder is usually your best source of such info and can give you the detailed info such as putting a tarp under the box, bedding, etc.
 
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BluwaterNewfs

BluwaterNewfs

New member
Peter

CAn you post a picture of the insid of your box with the ledge. I am having trouble picturing this making it harder to climb out.
 
Sun Valley

Sun Valley

New member
I also prefer a larger whelping box. My Whelping box is the same size as Peter's, but I only have a ledge on the back side of the box and 'seats' on 2 corners. My girls are on the large size and I like the fact that they have lots of room. Many of my girls will lay in one end and the puppies come to them, so I have less problems with Mothers laying on puppies.

Personally, I hate to see puppies whelped in a swimming pool and can't imagine my girls laying in a circle all of the time.

Lou Ann
 
cedarvalleynewfoundlands

cedarvalleynewfoundlands

New member
Mine is also 6 x 8 with a permanent ledge all around. Wish I had thought to put seats into it. We also were just given a very large fiberglass whelping box. If I had to guess, I would think it is 7X9. I've never used it yet, but really like all the little extras it has, such as multiple small holes for plugs to go through, a multiple height adjustable puppy ledge, and a non slip floor. Also has little "clips" (hard to describe) that hold carpet or rugs securely against the bottom. The clips recess into the bottom of the box under the carpet. When it was described to me, I assumed it was homemade, but after receiving it, it definitely isnt homemade, although i cant find one like it online. wish i could, because I really think I'll like it.

Mary
 
Peter Maniate

Peter Maniate

New member
BluwaterNewfs said:
Peter

CAn you post a picture of the insid of your box with the ledge. I am having trouble picturing this making it harder to climb out.
Click to expand...
I don't have photos but Shel does and she is going through her many photos to pick some out to post. She was concentrating, of course, on the pups but some photos will have picked up the ledge in the background.

With a ledge, when the pups put their front paws on the top of the whelping box wall and try to pull up, their rear paws slide under the ledge, making it impossible to climb out until much larger in size.
 
Shel

Shel

Active member
The puppies in the photos below have all been placed with loving families.

Peter Maniate said:
Personally I like big and my whelping box is six feet by eight feet and I couldn't imagine anything much smaller both for the actual whelping and then for the subsequent nursing, especially for a large litter with three shifts. <snip> Mine is also the old fashioned type (custom made back in 1978 to my specs for my second litter) which features a permanent ledge.
Click to expand...
Outside ledge can be seen on left side, back of box shows exit without panel



Peter Maniate said:
Nowadays it is more customary to have removable rods to prevent the pups in the early days from being smothered by Mom. However the ledge works well when the pups are older to prevent them from climbing out of the whelping box; there is something about an indented wall that makes climbing difficult. Sometimes the old ways are still the best, but the box does need to be larger.
Click to expand...
Puppy sleeping under the ledge


Peter Maniate said:
Also have a removable panel at one end so that Mom, engorged with gallons of milk. can get out of the box comfortably. The panel just goes down to the ledge and when the whelps have teeth and are hanging on to the dam as she exits the box, the ledge knocks the pups off so Mom can leave sans puppies.
Click to expand...
Panel inserted, see first image for box without panel



A video clip showing a puppy (my Stella) under the ledge (isn't she precious?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qdnUuGXIOI&eurl=http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit2?ns=1&video_id=-qdnUuGXIOI&next=%2Fmy_videos2%3Fpi%3D0%26ps%3D20iurl=http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/-qdnUuGXIOI/hqdefault.jpg&feature=player_embedded
 
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BluwaterNewfs

BluwaterNewfs

New member
My Box is 4x6. That's what fits in the space I needed to put it and so far it has worked well for us. I have a a removable ledge that runs around the inside and is about 6 inches from the bottom and the top board is a 1 x 4. As soon as the pups start trying to climb, we take it out. We had a pup almost escape once by climbing on the ledge and out the opening - my panel is in 2 pieces so Mom can get out and pups can't once they come mobile. once they get get a little bigger we use both panels in the opening.
 
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Sun Valley

Sun Valley

New member
Thank you Shell for posting the pictures for me!

Joan, the ledge I have in the box is on the back of the box against the wall...we made it that way so puppies can't get out as easily. The opening to the box has a another board that is installed when the little buggers do start getting out.

But you can see how the bitch can get in and lay down and then the puppies can move to Mom.

The puppies are laying on a 'lectro kennel heat pad' with a piece of fleece over it , which I just love and so do puppies!

PS..I always feel compelled to say that my floor isn't really dirty,....it's the light brown coloring in the tile that makes it look that way in pictures...:)) The hair I do takeresponsibility for...:)

Lou Ann
 
Shel

Shel

Active member
Thanks for sharing photos of your whelping box Lynn. Can you tell me how big the box and adjacent pen are? Are the pig rails removable?
 
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