If the whelping area has a tiled or cement floor a base may not be necessary (and the box will be lighter without one) as the floor is easy to clean. However, if your whelping box does not have a floor it is important to provide extra bedding to insulate the puppies from the cold floor.
An absorbent material for the whelping box, such as newspapers (but these may become sodden quickly and often stay wet and cold), puppy pads, incontinence pads or vetbeds. Clean towels or paper towels to help clean up during labour.
The whelping box should be one and a half to two times the length of the dam, so she can stretch out in full length with room to spare. The dam should be able to get away from her puppies into a separate area, without the puppies escaping.
Ideally all whelping boxes should have a puppy protective ledge around the inside to prevent crushing of the puppies by the mother.
The bottom line? Stay away from wooden whelping boxes! These boxes can create a hazardous environment for a mama and her pups. Instead, create a healthy, comfortable space with a plastic dog box, one that can be cleaned effectively and won't crack overtime.
Put the whelping box in a room that is isolated from other dogs. Many breeders set it up in their own bedrooms for the first three weeks. A door and/or gate should be used to keep other dogs away. An ex-pen around the whelping box provides an extra layer of safety.
Heat lamps can work for this purpose or choose a heating pad with an adjustable thermostat that's safe for pets. Be sure to talk with your vet for the recommended temperature setting that's right for your pups. When the puppies are born, begin by heating the whelping box to about 85°F to 90°F.
They should be trying to climb out of their nest or whelping box by three weeks. By four weeks, the puppies should be able to walk, run, and play.
Whelping boxes need to have sides that are high enough to keep small puppies up to four weeks old in but low enough to allow the dam to get out. This will usually mean the walls need to be 50 - 60cms high.
You can use towels, sheets, and blankets for bedding your puppies when they start moving here and there. Make sure that the bedding material should possess body-heat retention level. The bedding should be such that it can absorb body fluids and urine properly. It is essential to keep the bedding dry.
Whelping Area:
Place the box in a dark, quiet area of the house. This can be a basement, a closet, or a spare bedroom with the shades drawn. Allow the mother to freely come and go from her whelping area. Keep other dogs away from her whelping area so that she knows it is her place to deliver.
Most boxes will include a low railing (termed rails, pig rails, or roll-bars) fixed to the inside perimeter of the box. This is to protect puppies from being crushed or smothered by the mother should she roll over during birthing or while asleep. This is considered especially important with larger dog breeds.
By the time the puppies are 2-3 weeks old, the mother should have an area near the whelping box, but separate from the puppies to allow her time to rest. At about this time, the puppies will start trying to leave the box to explore. They should be well supervised and have safe toys available.
From day 29 to 49 puppies will venture away from the whelp box sleeping area. They will not go far, but they will begin to explore. At this time we expand their area to add a play and eating area in the daytime. This is the time to move them out to the kitchen and family room area, where life is happening in the home.
You should move your bed into the same room as the whelping box and sleep beside it during this time. Do newborn puppies need supervision? Newborn puppies need constant supervision. Not only can they not hear, see, or walk, but they also can't defend themselves if anything happens to them.
The whelping box must also be warm to prevent illness. Depending on the breed, the temperature of the whelping box will need to remain at a consistent temperature around 80 degrees, making it important to have a pad that is adjustable.
Line the bottom with vinyl flooring.
If you have built your own whelping box, you may have used wood or cardboard for the bottom. These materials are not easy to keep clean. As such, it is a good idea to line the bottom of your box with vinyl flooring.
If your pet insists on being near you with her puppies, allow her. A whelping or nesting box in a quiet corner of the living room is preferable to an anxious mother constantly leaving her puppies. Some dogs like the owner to be with them the whole time they are in labor.
To help your dog feel comfortable, place the whelping box in a private area. This room should be quiet, warm, dry, not too bright, and away from the usual traffic and excitement of your house. This will help your dog feel safe and secure after she gives birth.
Puppies should not leave their mom and littermates before eight weeks of age. The mother dog has so much to teach the new puppy; lessons that will affect him all his life, and his littermates teach important lessons as well. If the mother dog has passed away, the littermates need to remain together.
At 2.5 weeks, open the whelping box and add an area two times the size and cover with newspaper…. Change the bedding in the box several times per day, but do not change the paper often (keep it smelling like a toilet and keep the bed smelling like a fresh bed…)
Puppies less than two weeks of age should be fed every 3-4 hours. Puppies two to four weeks of age do well with feedings every 6-8 hours.
At birth, puppies cannot generate their own body heat and must be kept warm and dry. A healthy newborn body temperature ranges between 95° and 99°F. By staying close to mama dog, a healthy puppy can maintain a temperature of about 12°F warmer than the air temperature.
Newborn puppies can't generate their own body heat until they develop the shiver reflex at around two and half weeks. At birth his body (rectal) temperature should fall between 95° and 99°F. If it drops below 94°F, your puppy could be facing life-threatening hypothermia.
Because a puppy younger than 7 to 10 days old can't regulate is own body temperature, the whelping box should be kept at a constant 26o to 30o degrees centigrade (8oo to 85of).