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my2boyz · 12-07-2008, 05:37 AM

I'm in the same spot as you...our house is on the market and I wanted a nice and neat whelping area for Molly. We made her area in our bedroom, which is on carpet, so we bought a piece of the thin, flexible white plastic that is used for shower walls...we cut this to fit under her playpen so the carpet is protected. This is not the shiney stuff that comes in a kit...it's a single piece kept in the panelling area that was about $15.00.

We use the 6 panel plastic play yard for her and the puppies and it's plenty big enough for her tote, bed, potty pads, food and water.

We bought a large tote with a lid, my husband cut a door in the side for her to come and go but up from the bottom enough that the puppies can't get out until they are older. We covered the bottom edge of the opening with a fleece blanket so Molly could rest her head there, which she does when she nurses...and so it wouldn't feel sharp on the bellies of the puppies when they start crawling out.

My husband drilled a small hole in the corner on each side of the tote just a couple inches above the floor and then put dowel rods through them from one side of the box to the other. This creates 'puppy rails' around the inside edge of the tote so the new Mommy can't lay on and smother a puppy.

I put a heating pad on one end of the box, under washable potty pad, and I keep it on warm or low when Molly isn't in the box with her boys. I also keep Molly's food and water, disposable potty pads and a bed for her inside the playpen but outside of the box so she can get away when she needs to.

When Molly started having her puppies we covered the bottom of the tote with disposable potty pads...we replaced the top pad after each pup so she had a clean area for whelping.

This all worked quite well for us, it's easy to clean, looks neat and tidy and it protects the carpet. When she is done with the whelping box we can just disinfect it and store it out of the way. When the boys get a little older we will bring them into the living room and use the same set up, minus the tote, for them there.

12-07-2008, 05:37 AM	#4
my2boyz Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In my house :) Posts: 5,219	I'm in the same spot as you...our house is on the market and I wanted a nice and neat whelping area for Molly. We made her area in our bedroom, which is on carpet, so we bought a piece of the thin, flexible white plastic that is used for shower walls...we cut this to fit under her playpen so the carpet is protected. This is not the shiney stuff that comes in a kit...it's a single piece kept in the panelling area that was about $15.00. We use the 6 panel plastic play yard for her and the puppies and it's plenty big enough for her tote, bed, potty pads, food and water. We bought a large tote with a lid, my husband cut a door in the side for her to come and go but up from the bottom enough that the puppies can't get out until they are older. We covered the bottom edge of the opening with a fleece blanket so Molly could rest her head there, which she does when she nurses...and so it wouldn't feel sharp on the bellies of the puppies when they start crawling out. My husband drilled a small hole in the corner on each side of the tote just a couple inches above the floor and then put dowel rods through them from one side of the box to the other. This creates 'puppy rails' around the inside edge of the tote so the new Mommy can't lay on and smother a puppy. I put a heating pad on one end of the box, under washable potty pad, and I keep it on warm or low when Molly isn't in the box with her boys. I also keep Molly's food and water, disposable potty pads and a bed for her inside the playpen but outside of the box so she can get away when she needs to. When Molly started having her puppies we covered the bottom of the tote with disposable potty pads...we replaced the top pad after each pup so she had a clean area for whelping. This all worked quite well for us, it's easy to clean, looks neat and tidy and it protects the carpet. When she is done with the whelping box we can just disinfect it and store it out of the way. When the boys get a little older we will bring them into the living room and use the same set up, minus the tote, for them there. Last edited by my2boyz; 12-07-2008 at 05:39 AM.