# Whelping box help.........



## Krusin K9 (Mar 20, 2009)

After searching on the web, I'm really confused about whelping boxes now. Seems like everyone has a different design or concept that is the "best". What brands or designs have you found to work best? What is the average size box you use? Any pros/cons please.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

I made my own. Mine is about 4x5 in size. Chris (admin on the board here) has a nice one her hubby made out of pvc.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

I love the way Tim made the one for him and Chris's girls. Very nice.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Thanks, guys. I really, really do LOVE the one Tim made.

Here's a pic for the OP: 









It's made out of 4' high PVC privacy fence. Super nice, easy to clean, heavy enough to stay in place but light enough to move around easily. But I will say it was a major pain to make it.

It's 5x5 which I think is a great size. Our previous one was 4x4 and I found that rather cramped. 5x5 is much better.

The we set an E-pen up around it to provide an indoor area outside the whelping box for the dam (and a bigger puppy area once the pups get bigger) and there's a dog door through the wall to an outdoor kennel as well.










I know many people have had good luck with the Durawhelp whelping boxes too.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Chris - why was it a pain to make it?


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## gsdlove212 (Feb 3, 2006)

sorry i know this is OT but CINNABUNZZZZZ...ok i won't interfere anymore!


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The GangChris - why was it a pain to make it?




We needed it to be able to be disassembled for storage, then reassembled when we have a litter. In order to provide something sturdy and solid for the screws to attach to when it's put together, plus to provide additional strength, pieces of wood had to be cut and inserted into the slots where each corner comes together. Just screwing the PVC pieces together wouldn't have been very sturdy and they wouldn't have stood up to repeated assembly/disassembly. Cutting those wood pieces and inserting them into the panels was a huge pain. Some of the pannels had little plastic supports inside that had to be removed before the wood could be inserted. 

Of course, if someone didn't need it to be able to come apart for storage, it could just be glued together and that would be a whole lot easier.


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## TRITON (May 10, 2005)

I LOVE my durawhelp..has help up beautifully for quite a few years now. Easy to clean, lightweight, folds up and away to store


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## Krusin K9 (Mar 20, 2009)

Thanks everyone! Never used one with smaller dogs, just used the bottom half of a Vari-Kennel. 
I really like the concept behind the PVC one(Chris). Maybe I can have hubby figure out something based on the photos.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I use a Jonart Whelping Box -- capitalized because at the price it deserves to be a proper noun. 

The pros: has a good pig rail, it is easy to set up, easy to break down, easy to store, 4'x4' is big enough to start with, it is sturdy. By the time the puppies need more room, the x-pen is all around the area. Also, I have it up until well after the puppies (that are going) go home, not one of my puppies has done any damage to it with their teeth. 

It came with the vynal 4' square mat, and the pig rail. One side has an opening so the bitch can walk in and out to start then you can use the short door panel, then the largre, then both together to reach 24 inches. 

The cons: the price, it cost about $500. I think it is worth it only if you are planning on more than one litter.


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## Krusin K9 (Mar 20, 2009)

One more question.... Do you all prefer the box to have a floor in it or not? Why?? Thank you.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

I would think all whelping boxes have floors....actually, when I have a litter, the Durawhelp box is set up with a pvc kennel (roverpet.com) around it, and 2 large (a 42 and a 48 inch) crates attached with doors open so mom has somewhere to go...Mine is in my basement...I don't want the pups on concrete flooring - so I have rubber mats down on the floor, with the box on the mats, and the whole pen area is matted. A drain is at one corner of the area so clean up is very easy! 

Inside the whelping box I put down two rubber backed berber door mat, and depending on the age of the litter, blanket/towels and newspaper...easy to clean, change out mats and bedding


Lee


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The box I have has about 2 inches of insulation covered over by cleanable plastic to keep the pups off the floor. Then the vinyl mat for water proofing. Then I put down a paper liner -- sold at JB wholesaler, and then for the first week or so when the bitch is still spewing fluids, lots of newspapers, after that I use a litter box pad that is like imitation lambswool. Puppies are kept dry and clean, they are not lying on cold, hard concrete, even if it is covered with linoleum.


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## Krusin K9 (Mar 20, 2009)

While I agree a floor sounds more practical, I did see some designs w/o floors. Thus the question. I wouldn't ever just put mom & pups on a hard cold floor. I always woul have padding or flooring of some kind.
I do like the imitation lambs wool as a liner. I've also used pieces(cut to fit) of indoor/outdoor like carpeting that have a rubber backing. I like the traction they give the pups, but the rubber backing keeps everything from leaking through. I get the carpeting form a local dealer. It's cheap enough I can toss it when too dirty, otherwise I just hose off w/ a pressure washer & hang to dry. 
Thanks for the answers!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Maybe the floorless design makes sense if you are using wood chips for bedding. I don't know, but that way you could put in 4 - 6 inches of wood chips. Urine filled wood chips on concrete outside kind of discolors the concrete for a while, but then it does come back. I think for my set up, I would still want something to gather the wood chips if that was what I was using.


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## djpohn (Jun 27, 2003)

The Durawhelp is the way to go. Easy to set up, clean and store. I had to drop one off for a rescue dog whelping yesterday. Took just a couple minutes to put together. I use the pads that the company sells. They are fax-fleece and velcro to the floor so the pups can't get under. I have had females who dig and can't pull the pad up. They are easy to wash and the top stays pretty dry. My foster pups now have a separate potty area and I am using the "paper" shavings. They are much more absorbent that regular shavings and you can flush them.


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## GranvilleGSD (Mar 28, 2007)

That Jonart box is beautiful! Too bad it's $640! I am thinking maybe I'll invest in a Durawhelp. I was going to either use a kiddy pool, or build something, but I need something that will be easy to store since it will only be used once a year at the most.

I don't think my girl will chew on the box, but what about the puppies? Anybody have any problems with that?


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## GSDextrodinaire (Dec 15, 2002)

My whelping box is 6x6 made from wood. It is painted with a very heavy durable paint that washes great! There isn't a floor, as I have it sitting on two 4x6 horse stall mats. It has a divider if I want to make it smaller. I use the divider when the pups are a bit bigger so they will use one area of the box for elimination and the other to live and play. I like having a box that doesn't have a floor, but rests on the mats. It makes it easier to put newspaper and bedding down and the sides of the box hold all of that in place. Clean up is very easy when you use a good quality paint.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The jonart box is real easy to store, very durable and three litters so far, even left with the box up until the ones I was keeping were 4-5 months old, and there has been no chewed areas. 

I am looking for a second box, and no way could I pay $640 for another of these, though I would in a heartbeat. I saw some on ebay for $100 and they look pretty good. Check it out -- they regularly sell on e-bay and are offering free shipping. anyone use these? 

Quote:
This listing is for a LARGE SIZE 4'x4'x16" WHELPING BOX. Its the perfect size for Retrievers, Labs,Shepherds and so on. This whelping box is all wood with Safety Rails, Removable Door Hole and an open floor. Made for indoor use. Its extremely durable and comes with a 100% Clear Waterproof bottom liner to make cleanup and sterilization a snap. This box is easily put together or taken apart for storage with NO TOOLS. Its likely the most durable box out there, yet packs down for storage anytime and is the lowest priced."

It looks like a good deal.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ok, I bought one of them, it should come in 4-7 days. I will report what I think of it. They are a regular on there so there are more than one. 

The height is only eighteen inches, I like 24 inches. But some people use a kiddie pool. And they start climbing out of the 24 inch ones before eight weeks are up, so I generally leave the door open before then.


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## GranvilleGSD (Mar 28, 2007)

Silly me, I should have thought to look on e-bay. Let me know how you like it.

I was originally planning to use a kiddy pool, but then I realized what a hassle it would be to store it.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I got it. Is it worth 100$ including shipping? I would say yes. It is sturdy. It has the pig rail I am a little leary about the door panel but I can probably leave that completely off. 

The wood is not finished. It is not really rough or anything. I think it is some type of pine. 

Which means I (who have never painted ANYTHING before) will either have to paint it so that cleaning is easier or use some type of washable contact paper. 

Suggestions????


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

PAINT IT!!!!

Besides, painting is FUN!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ok, what kind of paint can hold up to hot and humid weather, and won't be a problem if it is gnawed on, and can be washed easy. An oil based paint? Acrylic? house paint? Does this need to be primed first? Are there any products I need to stay away from?


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Since it is raw wood, I would prime first and then use a good hard enamel paint. The paint made for exterior use will hold up better for this sort of use than indoor paint. This will seal the wood so it doesn't soak up nasties and make for easy cleaning.

Contact paper... bad idea. It isn't going to adhere well to raw wood and will peel off, get chewed and ripped off, etc...


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

sounds like a plan. Thanks.


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## Hharper01 (Dec 22, 2014)

Chris Wild said:


> Since it is raw wood, I would prime first and then use a good hard enamel paint. The paint made for exterior use will hold up better for this sort of use than indoor paint. This will seal the wood so it doesn't soak up nasties and make for easy cleaning.
> 
> Contact paper... bad idea. It isn't going to adhere well to raw wood and will peel off, get chewed and ripped off, etc...


Hey! Could you possibly tell me How many days before my GSD whelps is it safe/okay to paint her whelping box please? Also is staining or painting it more safe for her?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Hharper01 said:


> Hey! Could you possibly tell me How many days before my GSD whelps is it safe/okay to paint her whelping box please? Also is staining or painting it more safe for her?



Not sure about the paint. 

But the whelping should take place 63 days after ovulation. Ovulation is your variable. Go by the first date that you got a tie or actually bred the bitch and count 61 days and then start taking the temperature twice a day, same time each day, and keep a running tab.


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## JoannePerry (Jun 18, 2020)

Whelping box is also called nested box. It is depends on your dog requirements and how you can spent on this. You can also built it at home or you can purchase according to your budget. Whelping box is really good product for newborn puppies and female pregnant dog. I thing this box is not cheap or more expensive. I am using Lakeside Plaza Whelping Box for a large dog.


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