A Good Whelping Box

BulliesofNC

A Good Whelping Box

One very important thing to have when preparing for a litter of puppies is a good Whelping Box. I've seen so many photos on internet sites and facebook with litters of puppies whelped in a children's plastic swimming pool or something similar. This is inappropriate for whelping a litter safely and providing a place that the bitch will feel secure and comfortable. The main concern for a good whelping box should be one where the bitch feels safe and secure so additional stress isn't caused. Most Bull Terrier owners will agree that their Bullie enjoys the safety and security of their own personal kennel that they may use at night or while the owner is away from the house and the dog is left by themselves secured safely. Many canines share this like for their kennel which only makes sense as once upon a time they enjoyed the security of a small den in the wild. Our Bull Terriers use their kennels all the time and if given a bone or toy they often resort to bringing in their kennel for privacy and security. This is the kind of feeling a bitch should get when she's in her whelping box before, during, and after she gives birth. A shallow open box (like a plastic swimming pool) will not provide the security and peace of mind the bitch needs.

Another very important aspect to a good whelping box is making sure it is equipped with"Pig Rails." Pig rails are barriers along the bottom sides of the kennel that are used as a precautionary measure to help minimize the chances of crushing or smothering a puppy accidentally by the mother. During the first two weeks after birth the puppies are vulnerable to be accidentally sat on, crushed, or smothered by the mother and they are too young, small, and weak to move out of harms way when they are in this situation. Most accidental puppy deaths are caused from the mother laying down to feed the litter and not realizing she trapped a puppy behind her while getting situated to nurse her litter. Obviously the small puppy can't maneuver out of corner or along the side where the mother is now resting on. This type of incident can easily fatally smoother the puppy. A Pig Rail prevents this from happening by creating a safe barrier for the puppy to end up it since the bitch will be resting on the pig rail vice the side or corner of the kennel. The use of PVC pipe as a Pig Rail is an excellent idea and very inexpensive to purchase and easy to make. Wooden pig rails are not recommended because Bull Terriers have a tendency to chew on wood. 6-8 week old puppies would be happy to teeth on a wooden pig rail that's at the perfect height for them to chew away.

A simple whelping box can be constructed out of wood and should be slightly larger than the size of their kennel. This creates the privacy and security they want especially when giving birth. The entire inside of the box should be lined with either linoleum or coated with a water proof protectant. Personally I prefer using linoleum and wrapping it carefully and tight around the sides and bottom. If wrapped around the sides, you should be able to go all the around to meet the starting point without having to cut it and create creases and gaps. The idea is to create a liner where no water, debris, etc can collect in the creases. This makes the whelping easy to keep clean and sanitary. The whelping box should have no areas inside where it can be chewed.

Ideally, a good whelping box will have a pass through area where the bitch can go to eat, drink, or take a break away from the puppies. In the event your dog isn't house broken this side can used in the event they had to relieve themselves.

Here are a few pictures of a simple whelping box that works fine and provides a great safe haven for any dog to give birth and raise a litter of puppies:

Zerlett

wooow those are nice! my friend has one that folds up for easy storage. Im going to build a really nice one when i get some extra money.

BulliesofNC

Here's a photo of another (simple) whelping box that we utilize.

 

Zerlett

that thing is awesome steve!!!! i want one!!! can i buy a box like that online???

BulliesofNC

I actually got that Whelping Box from Craig who picked it at DRMO many years ago when he was still on active duty in the Marine Corps. He's got a couple of these kennels himself. They're made of a thick really heavy duty and durable hard plactic that the dogs can't bite on. The two sides can fold down. The photo shows the front door in the down possition which makes a little ramp for the dog to walk in and out of. The bottom is smooth and all we really needed to do was add a pig rail to it and it makes the perfect whelping box with appropriate size and comfort. The yellow latches you see are used to fold down all 4 sides for easy storage. I'll ask Craig if he can locate some more that are available for sale from DRMO. These containers were actually built for storing items for airplane transportation. They're pretty much indestructable and build very well. It's too other companies didn't copy the idea for making a really cool whelping box. They wouldn't have to change a thing.

Zerlett

yes i am seriously interested in investing into one of these! i think its awesome!

BulliesofNC

Well, I'll ask him about trying to get another one. I'd ask him from this Forum BUT he never seems to have the time to view the forum. I think he's made one whooping post so far. I'll have to get on him about that too. :-)

maiazum

Our whelping box in the first 3-4 weeks... Pogi was a great mom and she never sit on a puppy. But of course, I was always there for the little family This whelping box was a child bed, and I loved it. It's big, comfortable and safety. 

After a few weeks the gang moved to a savic dog park

I love this too And they learnt really fast to make pee and poo no the nappy I put carpet and PVC floor under the dog park so it wasn't cold for the tinies And of course they get some blankets, and pillows too. I think it was good for them and the puppies loved it too. That's the most important. They loved it!

BulliesofNC

I'm glad to hear Pogi was a good momma. For most Bull Terriers her whelping box (a child's bed/crib) may have been susceptible to being chewed on due to stress caused by many factors to include insecurity from an open vice isolated whelping area. I'd also be a little worried about having a pup fall out through the openings of the wooden slots. In my opinion, had this bed/crib be fully paneled, like the it is on the ends, it would provide more security for the puppies as well as psychological security for the mother. I would then add pig rails around the sides to prevent accidental smothering especially with large sized litters when even a good momma could accidentally corner a puppy up against the side and smoother a puppy without knowing what happened.

I prefer setting up a whelping box that either has an area for the mother to break away from the litter in times needed for a break as illustrated on the first whelping box or a whelping box that the mother can get in and out of while still keeping the puppies from getting out like the black whelping box shown above.

 

My objective for ensuring a momma has a good whelping box is to minimize the amount of potential stress and anxiety a mother can get. Could you imagine the stress a mother might go through if she was trapped in the crib above and sat listening to puppy cry who managed to fall through the opening of this crib? She probably would have bit through the wooden slots to get her puppy back.

maiazum

I know what You mean And if You take a look at the child beds sides, there are covers from textile, so the pups couldn't get out of the whelping box, and they couldn't hurt themselves when they were moving in the box. There is a part on the right side where is an exit for the mommy but the pups could't go out. And when the babies were bigger, I covered the sides with sheets of wood, but the textile covering stayed because the sheets were hard and I didn't want that the pups hurt their head or something when they were moving in the bed ( You know when they start to go, they wave their heads ). 
This was our third litter and I think for us this bed was the best. By the previous litters I also used a normal whelping box, but I didn't fit in it and I like to be there in every moment. I slept a lot in the box with the little family. And Pogi could leave the box when she wanted. But she didn't want to go out She was a really really dream mother. I wish such a good mommy for everyone who has a litter.

BulliesofNC

I know exactly what you mean when you say you like to be in their with her too. My wife Julie sits in the whelping box with momma and puppies for the first 48 hours watching out for them and helping momma in any way possible and making sure each puppy is eating plenty, gaining weight, and strength. Throughout the whelping stage I don't know how many times I've come into the whelping room to find Julie, the momma, and puppies sleeping soundly and securely in the whelping box. :x

BONC_Jacksonville

I could probably find another one if you want one.  Might be a long haul though to pick it up.  Shipping would be terrible.  Steve's whelping box is great.  Just would not be practical in our 12X12 room for whelping.

:-O

Zerlett

hmm i really want one but there would be no way for me to go get it! i wonder how much it would be to ship...

BONC_Jacksonville

I can get the dimensions and the approx weight if you wish.  I will also see if I can find manufaturer.

Zerlett

yes please do!

BONC_Jacksonville

Did not forget.  Have a hurricane playing off coast so windy and rainy.

Zerlett

be safe!!! no rush!!

JM612

Here is a great picture that will help when building your box

BulliesofNC

So tired of seeing kiddy pools used boxes as whelping boxes on social media. What's wrong with people?