# Whelping Box and materials



## GSD Fan (Sep 20, 2010)

Do you buy already made whelping materials such as a whelping box? Or do you build it yourself? Which one did you find to be cheaper? Which one did you find to be more durable and effective?


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

We made my box. Only thing I wish we had done was either paint or cover the base since it is wood. The sides are boards designed for cabinets so are painted and sealed. They are easy to clean. The front is hinged so I can make the wall higher as the pups get bigger and I have a pig rail around the inside. The box also sits about 4" off the floor and not directly on the floor. I lay down plastic, put some news paper over that and then use special fleece pads over that. The box itself was not all that expensive to make, but we build it in 2003 so I don't remember how much. The fleece pads are not cheap, but they last a very long time and are machine washable. 

Ultimate Vet Fleece


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Wrong time of year to find one, but I just use a kiddie pool. I like the curve to them, no corners to get stuck in. I just use old sheets and towels in side. When they are about 3 wks, they get moved to a pen with a litter box to start their potty training.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I spent the money and bought a Jonart. I love it. It is easy to clean, has a nice pig rail, has different size door panels. It is durable. It went through two litters with Arwen, two with Jenna, two with Babsy, Only Odie tried eating it. She exercised her teeth on the door panels, but turning them upside down works fine to keep them from scratching Babs as she goes in and out. Will get new door panels when I can. 

If I had tons of money, and nothing to do with it, and planned on having two litters at the same time, regularly, I would buy another one. It is not worth it for a one-time deal, unless you can find one on e-bay. Then I would say jump on it.


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## Anita (Aug 14, 2000)

We have a homemade whelping box, very similar to Lisa's.
Both sides and bottoms are "sealed", so is easy to clean.
Vet Fleece is also well worth getting.

We also use a paddling pool.









Very easy to clean & comfortable for Mum & pups.


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## GSD Fan (Sep 20, 2010)

I am kind of shocked most of you guys MAKE the whelping box! I bet some of you could build a dog house if you wanted to! Any way, I am just going to assume that it is more expensive to buy an already made whelping box.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Dura Whelp makes a very nice whelping box....it is a little expensive, but it held up pretty well for us. We have also used large kiddie pools, _but the hard plastic ones_.
We can bleach the heck out of them...and throw them away when no longer functional, without investing an arm & a leg.


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## Achielles UD (May 26, 2001)

We made ours! Coroplast & metal similar to guinea pig cages. Worked great!



Then threw some covering over to keep warmth in. Cheap (coroplast was under $20 for a sheet and metal was about $2 each) The coroplast is super easy to clean.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

GSD Fan,

Like Lisa. Gabor made the Whelping boxes. Tried the grey pre-fab one - not good for active pups/dogs.

We have the Whelping "condo" - 5x3 or so. Big, with a rail over head for heat lamp.

And yes, do build dog houses, etc


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

The coroplast easy to clean and durable. I really like it. So light weight for storage. Pig rails very easy to make with PVC pipe. One just needs two three-way joins for each corner. Our Lowes didn't have those pieces, somI didn't get pig rails done. Fortunately mum is very careful. I will make the rails for next time.

We would need a larger piece of coroplast for GSD size box. But, we saved a lot money doing it ourselves with a box knife and tape.


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## JCKinne (Sep 16, 2010)

We just finished building ours! Total cost was probably $75 including the stain, fasteners, wood, etc. We found the plans online and adjusted a couple of things. We love how it turned out and can't wait until we have puppies using it in a couple of weeks!


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

I did the hard kiddie pool until I got the Dura Whelp - I take it down at about 3-4 weeks and have a nice roverpet kennel set up - now partially destroyed - but have been using the panels for about 8 years...I saw a WT Metal box last week and really liked it....the problem with those gorgeous wooden homemade ones is - what do you DO with them when you dont' need them??? I just don't have the room or the physical strength to move something that heavy/bulky around when I don't need it.

the dura whelp folds up, goes back in the box and at the top of the storage bins until needed. Quick easy and practical.

Lee


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Ours was made out of PVC privacy fencing. Very durable, very easy to clean and sanitize since it's completely non-porous. Not light, but not extremely heavy either. Comes apart into sections for easy storage.










Our old one was wood. Much more heavy, not as durable, and not as easy to clean. The biggest problem I have with wood is that wood will soak up urine, birthing fluids, etc... making it impossible to really clean and sanitize unless the wood is well sealed on all sides, like several coats of hard enamel paint... regular paint and stain won't do because they don't seal the wood. And then puppy teeth and nails can still cause some damage, making for non sealed areas.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

wolfstraum said:


> I did the hard kiddie pool until I got the Dura Whelp - I take it down at about 3-4 weeks and have a nice roverpet kennel set up - now partially destroyed - but have been using the panels for about 8 years...I saw a WT Metal box last week and really liked it....the problem with those gorgeous wooden homemade ones is - what do you DO with them when you dont' need them??? I just don't have the room or the physical strength to move something that heavy/bulky around when I don't need it.
> 
> the dura whelp folds up, goes back in the box and at the top of the storage bins until needed. Quick easy and practical.
> 
> Lee



Lee,

What Gabor did was put it together with hinges, etc on the outside. The box itself is 3 feet high as well.

When done, one last powercleaning, sanitizing and then breakdown for storage.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Yes, mine comes apart too. The sides all come off. The only heavy part is the base and I can still move it myself.


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