What Is A Whelping Box | Where To Find Whelping Boxes (2023)

FAQs

What is a whelping box? ›

A whelping box, also known as a nesting box, is where puppies will spend the first 20 days of their life. Designing to protect puppies during birth (whelping), it keeps them safely contained, protects them from the cold, and ensures they aren't crushed by their mother.

Plywood or particle board can be used, however, to help keep cleaning easy, it should be painted with a latex, glossy paint so urine or fecal material isn't absorbed by the wood. Ideally all whelping boxes should have a puppy protective ledge around the inside to prevent crushing of the puppies by the mother.

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.

A whelping box is your dog's maternity ward to give birth to her puppies, and, thereafter, a nursery to nurse her newborn pups. It needs to be a comfortable, safe space in a great location in your home. When a pregnant dog is about to give birth, it is instinctive for her to seek out a safe “nest” for herself.

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.

Many owners ask if they can use a dog crate as a whelping box - the answer is yes, if your dog is already crate trained. This way, they may find security in using this as their whelping box too. Make sure your box or crate is in a quiet space, that's warm and large enough for movement and lots of little puppies!

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.

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.

Nurturing a pregnant dog's nesting instinct entails introducing her to the whelping box at least five days before her delivery date. This allows time for her to become adjusted and comfortable before the puppies are born.

Start handling the puppies.

By about three weeks of age, you can—and should! —begin gently handling the puppies¹ for short periods for reasons other than basic health care. Once the puppies have their eyes open, you can try carefully picking them up, holding them for a bit, and placing them back in the box.

What happens if my dog has dead puppies inside her? ›

Puppies may be passed stillborn, either before their due date or on their due date. In some cases, a deceased fetus may become mummified within the uterus. Mummification occurs when the body creates a protective membrane around the fetus, allowing it to remain encased and walled off within the uterus.

The bottom of the box may or may not have a floor and may be lined with specially designed "whelping pads," or layers of newspaper (or fabric) to provide insulation from cold floors and to absorb fluids. Fabric covers or partial covers are often used on top to provide a "den-like" environment for the mother.

The whelping box should have a consistent temperature around 85 degrees, as puppies are not able to generate their own body heat until they are 2 ½ weeks of age. “Excessively high temperatures and high humidity can cause respiratory difficulties and dehydration in puppies.

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.

Gather your supplies

Choose a plastic kiddie pool that is round rather than scalloped like a sea shell. A pool that is 3′ in diameter will work well for a mini sized dog. The 3′ pool will also suffice for a dog who is on the smaller end of the medium size range as well.

According to a fairly recent hypothesis, a word like Wölbung “curvature; arch” might refer to “womb,” with whelp being its fruit. Gothic hwilf-tr-jos “coffin,” Sanskrit garbhah “womb,” and Greek kٖólpos “breast” have been cited in this connection.

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…)

Mother canines can reject their puppies for a variety of reasons and then try and bury them away from the other puppies in their litter. Even something as subtle as the puppy being too hot or cold can cause the mother to reject the pup. It could be an indication something is wrong with the puppy or the mother herself.

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.

How do I stop my mother dog from crushing puppies? ›

Not all have the instinct to nose the puppies to the center of the whelping box for safety. Smothering, crushing, and laying down on the puppies can be prevented by installing railings that help prevent the dog from accidentally lying on a puppy that may have slipped behind her.

It's a quiet, dark, and comfortable spot—preferably one that the dog is comfortable with because they don't want to have puppies in the middle of your living room floor.

The exact time that is best for a puppy to go to its new home can vary by situation, but most breeders and veterinarians agree that 8 weeks of age is a good minimum. Some states have laws in place preventing puppies from being sold any earlier.

Use a dry rag or paper towels to soak up urine and use either a poo bag or paper towels to pick up poop. You can also use toilet paper to soak up urine or pick up poop, the advantage being that you can then flush those down the toilet*.

A few days after your dog has given birth

She has a fever, is unwell with a loss of appetite, is listless or lacks interest in the puppies. Any of these could indicate an infection within her uterus. Her mammary glands are red, firm and painful, or discharge from her nipples is smelly, brown or bloody.

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.

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.

The first born tends to be a more focused or a one person type of pet. First-borns are usually the choices of professional dog trainers. Runts, on the other hand, may need more nurturing, but they are fun, frisky pets.

The ideal minimum time that the puppy should be able to separate from its mother is 8 weeks. Still, many ethologists also claim that the puppy should be with its mother until 12 weeks of age. We must point out that the longer a puppy is with its mother, the better its development.

Do I have to sleep with newborn puppies? ›

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.

You can't spoil a baby. Contrary to popular myth, it's impossible for parents to hold or respond to a baby too much, child development experts say. Infants need constant attention to give them the foundation to grow emotionally, physically and intellectually.

If the mother is still trying to care for any dead pups after a few days, be sure to remove them even if it causes the mother distress. Parasites from the decaying carcasses can be passed on to the mother and the remaining pups. If the mother or surviving pups seem ill in any way, remove the dead puppies immediately.

Contractions in the first stage can last up to 12 hours. Puppies are usually born 30-60 minutes apart, but the mother dog may take a break of 2 hours between puppies.

The most common cause of viral abortion and neonatal death in dogs is herpesviral infection. 8, 9, 10, 11 Puppies can be infected in utero or at the time of parturition and death can occur in utero or up to 3 weeks following birth.

Big dogs, like Danes, tend to have larger litters proportionate to their larger size. A Neapolitan mastiff named Tia currently holds the Guinness World Record for largest litter, with 24 pups born in 2004. A raccoon was euthanized and tested for rabies after it was brought to a Maine pet store ...

– A dog pregnancy can vary between 56 – 70 days. Typically, puppies should arrive about 63 days (just over 2 months) after conception. Are there any tell-tale dog pregnancy symptoms? – Like humans, some dogs can suffer from 'morning sickness' and will vomit in the early stages of pregnancy.

According to a fairly recent hypothesis, a word like Wölbung “curvature; arch” might refer to “womb,” with whelp being its fruit. Gothic hwilf-tr-jos “coffin,” Sanskrit garbhah “womb,” and Greek kٖólpos “breast” have been cited in this connection.

If the area where the whelping box is located is noisy or busy, the dam might become stressed. This may cause her to stop nursing or to ignore the puppies. To help encourage a calm environment, make sure that the whelping box is in a quiet part of your home. There should not be much traffic through this room.

A whelping box/den, also known as a nesting box, whelping den or whelping pen, is designed to protect puppies during birth (whelping) and early life by keeping them safely contained, protected from cold, and safe from the danger of crushing or smothering by the mother.

How do I prepare my dog for whelping? ›

Make sure you have plenty of clean newspapers and sheets or towels. Select where you would like her to have her puppies and put a suitable whelping box in that location. The whelping box should be large enough for her to move around freely, with low sides so that she can see out and easily move in and out.

Appropriate heat sources include heat lamps, electric or water-filled heating pads, and microwavable heating pads. The best bedding materials for a whelping box are soft, warm, have good traction, and are easily cleaned and disinfected. They should be insect-free, moisture resistant, and not easily ingested by puppies.

After birth, puppies should go right to mom and start nursing. During the first three hours following birth, puppies should nurse several times. If a puppy is having trouble latching, rub its muzzle sideways over the nipple, not up and down.

The pups should be kept warm, free from drafts, away from other dogs, and the neighbors and their children. Healthy well-nourished pups should be quiet, eat and sleep (with some jerking during REM) 90% of the time, gain weight daily after the first 2 days, and show increasing strength and body tone.

Yes! They poop several times a day, so prepare yourself to clean up once, twice, and many times a day. The digestive system of newborn pups is in development. Therefore, they need a little help to pee and defecate.

Newborn pups need to be with their mother and the maternal instinct usually means a mother dog will want to stay with her litter most of the time. If your dog is lying or sitting away from the litter for long periods, it's likely she may have rejected them.

Puppies should remain with their mother and littermates until about age eight to 12 weeks. However, it is most crucial to have a mother during the first few weeks of life. A puppy that has been separated from its mother will need human intervention. Raising a newborn puppy takes a lot of time and intensive care.

Since Mom has other puppies to care for, she will reject the runt who has little chance of survival so she can concentrate on taking care of the rest. When this happens, only human intervention—including bottle-feeding and a visit to the vet—can save the puppy.