We use a octagon playpen and welping box (with heating pad under a blanket or something similar) when they are born. The pen is lined with wee pads outside of the welping box. This set up allows mom to get in and out of the box when she is warm and also allows her to be with her babies. When the babies are large enough to move around, they quickly learn to use the wee pads to relieve themselves and get back into their welping box (one side is open) to sleep.
Once they get too big for this set up, we use an x-pen that we place on a piece of linoleum (Ollies has 6 X 9 sections for like $18). The pen is set up with a crate at the “door” opening and wee pads at the other end. The puppies understand to use the pads to relieve themselves and then they go back to the crate to sleep. This set up offers many huge advantages:
1) The puppies are more or less wee pad trained at this point. It makes it much easier for new owners to continue the training.
2) The puppies are crate trained since they are used to being in the crate and know it is not a punishment.
3) The linoleum allows very easy clean up. Make sure to get a piece without a lot of grooves. Liquid doesn’t seep through and its easy to wipe up any messes. Plus at $18 or so, you replace it for each litter so there is no chance of germs or other contamination.
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Terrance & Eileen Ferragame |