Whelping box

goldenboy

goldenboy

Well-known member
Hey for those of you guys who breed dogs I have a question for you about your whelping boxes. What have you seen out there for good, sturdy, boxes? I have a homemade one that is very sturdy but because I have taken it apart and put it back together many times over the past 10 years it has begun to get more difficult to put it together. Those that raise dogs know that it needs to be tall enough to hold 7 week old puppies, able to be disinfected, sturdy enough to handle a litter of 10 or more puppies, etc. Anything on-line or at any shows you have seen that might be an improvement for me?
 
Golden boy, I don't know if this helps, but what I do is whelp my pups in a corner of the kitchen. I have 2 pieces of plywood that are painted the same color as the walls of the kitchen and they screw to the walls to form a square. The front panel has a 1/2 cut hinged, step-over door so I can get in and out and the pups can't. Inside the box I put one of the 55 inch diameter blue kidde swimming pools. Most of the time with English Setters, they can't get out of the pool until they are about 4 weeks old. Once they start to abandon ship, I move them outside to an elevated "weaning" pen where they can get out on the 1X2 inch mesh and to their business. It keeps them clean and fresh and I can take the female in and out to her own pen to facilitate the weaning process. I see the benefits of the wooden 4X4 weaning box with a heating dish in the middle, but I haven't broken down and done that yet. This has worked well for me and the pools are easy to clean and disinfect and last for years! I store it in the rafters of the garage when not in use and the panels lean against the interior garage wall. I use newspapers inside the pool to absorb the urine and you can change them out daily or even more often as the pups grow. There is linoleum in the kitchen and I have carpet I put under the pool to insulate it more. I heat lamp overhead would work if you have a temperature problem.
 
Do the same thing in my mud room. Pool works very well. I know a lot of breeders who use the plastic kiddy pool. You can put a ring of flexible drain tube on the inside which help keeps the dam from sitting on a pup. Use the big pool.
 
Here is mine. I suppose I have about $100 in materials in it. I just used 1/2" plywood walls on a 1x3 framed floor. I used 1x4s in the corners for support and screwed it all together with 1 1/4" sheet rock screws, making sure not to go through the inside of the plywood. The rails are composite decking boards, which are easy to clean. I just have shelf brackets holding them up. I just grab whatever semi gloss screw up jars of paint menards has on clearance. I added the lid on top to hold the heat lamps and made site it was tall enough that the pups can't mess with them. On the floor, I cut down a G-flooring kennel mat to fit and put the smooth side up, also easy to clean.

 
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JeremyS said:
Here is mine. I suppose I have about $100 in materials in it. I just used 1/2" plywood walls on a 1x3 framed floor. I used 1x4s in the corners for support and screwed it all together with 1 1/4" sheet rock screws, making sure not to go through the inside of the plywood. The rails are composite decking boards, which are easy to clean. I just have shelf brackets holding them up. I just grab whatever semi gloss screw up jars of paint menards has on clearance. I added the lid on top to hold the heat lamps and made site it was tall enough that the pups can't mess with them. On the floor, I cut down a G-flooring kennel mat to fit and put the smooth side up, also easy to clean.

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This looks very similar to what my friends that breed use. Dura Whelp brand boxes look nice but I have no experience with them.
 
Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions, pictures and help. Here is what I found on-line that might help others. http://thewhelpingbox.allencreativellc.com/whelping-boxes The reason I like this one, even though it is a bit expensive is that it is very sturdy and would last for multiple years. Anybody seen one of these boxes or had any experience with one? It is designed and built almost exactly like the home made box I have!
 
goldenboy said:
Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions, pictures and help. Here is what I found on-line that might help others. http://thewhelpingbox.allencreativellc.com/whelping-boxes The reason I like this one, even though it is a bit expensive is that it is very sturdy and would last for multiple years. Anybody seen one of these boxes or had any experience with one? It is designed and built almost exactly like the home made box I have!
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I didn't see a "ledge" around the inside to keep mom from accidentally suffocating/squishing pups by accident. I didn't dig around website for more pictures.
 
Gatzby, it does have that ledge and I believe it is removable for when they get older. I think I am going to purchase this one and at least take a closer look at it. I also like that the floor is insulated. I think that will help to keep the puppies temperature regulated better.
 
Jeremy, this one looks very similar to the one I am looking at on-line. Do you have any contact with this manufacturer? It looks like he is from your area? I think I may have met these people at the Game Fair last summer. They are also a few bucks cheaper. I might give them a call and ask a few questions.
 
They are about 15 miles from me. I bought a dog box from them a few years ago and am very happy with it. I dealt with Phil Tinklenberg when I bought that. I'm not sure if he is still there or not. I know they set up at game fair every year, so you likely did see them there. I plan on getting a whelping box from them when I decide it is worth upgrading my box. I know these heated whelping nests aren't cheap either, but I know a few people that have them and really like them. I am pretty sure Northstar can build these right in to the box. http://www.revivalanimal.com/Heated-Whelping-Nest.html
 
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