Here are picture of our whelping boxes. One of them has posts so I can put a sheet over it (I secure the sheet with heavy rubberbands) because I have one girl that is terrified of storms and it makes her feel more secure with a sheet over her (I leave the front open). The other one is just a open box with a little cut out for the mom to jump in and out. I always put plenty of bedding underneath also with the heating pad on one side. Sometime I will also put a small fleece blanket in it. Some of my moms actually will cover their babies with the little blanket. I like the box because in the past before we used bottomless boxes the puppies would get wrapped up in the bedding. I remember waking up many times in the middle of the night to unwrap a crying puppy that could not find its momma, I feel that this box is much safer.
Pauldo.....I recommend you setup the momma somewhere private. I always set my whelping box up inside a x-pen. I put the box at the far end of the x-pen, then food and water and then the pee pads. You do not want your other dogs to be able to get to the momma, that would be very stressful for her and she might attack them. Also, you can hang a sheet over the side of the x-pen to give the mom more privacy. I don't usually introduce my babie to the other adults in the house until they are at least 8 weeks or older. I know your must be excited about your upcoming litter. I hope everything goes well for you. Be sure to keep us posted. |