Heat Lamps?
 

Do you use heat lamps to keep your puppies warm? If so, how long do you use them?

What determines wether you need to put a heat lamp on them?

Mother's feel more secure with a dark environment. I place a heating pad on low underneath a towel that the babies can move to, but the Mom can get away from. If they are cold they automatically sense where the heat is and go to it, but don't make it so warm because you want them to come back to Mom when she returns.

The mother will spend most of her time with the puppies during the next few days. The puppies need to be kept warm and to nurse frequently; they should be checked every few hours to make certain that they are warm and well fed. The mother should be checked to make certain that she is producing adequate milk.

If the mother does not stay in the box, the puppies' temperatures must be monitored. If the puppies are cold, supplemental heating should be provided. During the first four days of life, the newborns' box should be maintained at 85 - 90 ºF (29.4 º - 32.2 ºC). The temperature may gradually be decreased to 80 ºF (26.7 ºC) by the seventh to tenth day and to 72 ºF (22.2 ºC) by the end of the fourth week. If the litter is large, the temperature need not be as high. As puppies huddle together, their body heat provides additional warmth.

If the mother feels the puppies are in danger or if there is too much light, she may become anxious. Placing a sheet or cloth over most of the top of the box to obscure much of the light may resolve the problem. An enclosed box is also a solution. Some dogs, especially first-time mothers, are more anxious than others. Such dogs may attempt to hide their young, even from her owner. Moving from place to place may continue and will endanger the puppies if they are placed in a cold or drafty location. Dogs with this behavior should be caged in a secluded area. This type of mother has also been known to kill her puppies as a means of "protecting" them from danger.

What are the signs that the puppies are not doing well and what do I do?

Puppies should eat or sleep 90% of the time during the first 2 weeks. If they are crying during or after eating, they are usually becoming ill or are not getting adequate milk. A newborn puppy is very susceptible to infections and can die within 24 hours. If excessive crying occurs, the mother and entire litter should be examined by a veterinarian promptly.

lamps
 

I find lamps are too stressful and can be dangerous. I used a heating pad UNDER the box..also I place a sheet around the pen and secure with pins etc...it gives the mom privacy and a stress free place to be with her babies. I like a pen big enough for a "mom" bed and she can get out and rest away from pups..good luck

I just wanted to share what I do. I have a large or x-large crate (used for my Golden Retriever) and I sit it in an x-pen with the crate door open. I cover the crate and make it a private area. I find that since it is so large I can get in there if I need to. Also, I line the sides with cardboard or thin paneling so the puppies will not get stuck between the bars on the crate. I have a spare room, (computer room) and I shut off all the vents so there is no blowing air. I then bought a register type electric heater with a thermastat to warm the room. Emilee was able to go from the crate out into the x-pen to potty on pads and to eat. I also didn't have to worry about Emilee or the puppies getting too hot and not being able to get away from the heat as with a heating pad. The whole situation worked perfectly for us. :)

Ok, I got rid of the heat lamp because I also felt like it was stressing her. Plus, she was panting a lot and I just didn't feel comfortable with it. She was in a big wire kennel/crate that was big enough that I could crawl in it with her. That's where I put her a couple days before she had her babies and where she delivered. I didn't like the thought of one of the babies possible getting caught in the wires so I moved her to her big pen. Her big pen is divided into 2 areas a big play area and a smaller sleep area. It's dark in the sleeping side. It works perfectly other than the heat issue. Because it's enclosed, the puppies seem to be warm enough. I'd still like to get some kind of heat pad though.

Do you use a regular heating pad or a special kind for animals?

Yours sounds very similar to my set up. I personally don't use a heating pad at all, they scare me. I figure keeping the room very warm, plus mama's body heat it was fine. My babies have done just great.

I have a question. I am not a breeder yet but I am planning on getting started next year. I am scared of heating pads, heard of too many bad things. I have a heater that regulates temperature, you can set it for a certain temperature and it will keep that room at that temperature. The thing is that when it gets too hot above the temperature just like a couple degrees it will turn on a fan to cool the temperature down. It does blow out cool air but not much, you would have to be right in front of it to feel the cool air and then like I said it is not much and only stays on for a very small amount of time like a minute and then shuts off. Now if I put it in the room for the puppies and make sure that it is not on the puppies, just keeping the room regulated, would this work?? Or am I better of just getting a reguar heater? The thing I like about this heater is that most heaters can make a room too hot and that is not good either but with this it keeps it at the right temperature constantly so that the room stays at one temperature. If the room needs to stay at 75 degrees, it stays at 75 degrees rather than going from 80 to 75, it just stays at that temperature. So would this work, or should I get something else?

It probably would so long as the puppies are not getting a fan blowing on them. My register style (looks like what they had in old houses) keeps the temp at the same all the time but it does not have a blower on in to cool it down. It works just like your furnace would.

No, it would not be directly on them, I would probably put it facing the opposite direction to where no air is blowing on them but it is still able to regulate the room temperature.

I use a regular heating pad. I had one stop working once, but that's the only problem I have had. I just check it and make sure the cord and plastic covering is in perfect condition. A lot of the ones they sell now have automatic turn offs after an hour or so which won't work for puppies. Look for one that doesn't have this feature and just keep it on low.

The thermostat controlled heater sounds fine just make sure the air isn't blowing on the puppies (causes dehydration). The only potential problem I see with this is that Mom may be too hot.

pads
 

I can understand the fear of a heating pads..never had a problem, but it can happen...the best thing I have found is a very hard plastic heating disk that you put the in the microwave, they are filled with wax...it stays warm for about 8 hrs..totally safe. Foster/Smith and J&B carry them..they are about the size of a dinner plate..fits nicely under the bedding.

Mine love hot water bottles..used to have one inside a teddy bear cover..I used it in the witner months once they were weaned.