Homemade Whelping Box

If your dog is pregnant and you will be helping her whelp---give birth---at home, you need a whelping box. It's a good idea to supply your dog with her whelping box well in advance of her delivery so that she can become accustomed to it and get comfortable in it. Once the puppies arrive, she will be using it as her home for several weeks as she takes care of her newborns.

  1. Size

    • Your whelping box should be big enough that your dog can stretch out fully on her side. For most small and medium breeds, a box that is 4 feet square is appropriate. For large breeds, such as Labradors and shepherds, the box can be as large as 6 by 6. Giant breeds like Newfoundlands may require boxes as large as 8 by 8 to be comfortable.

    Materials

    • Your whelping box must be made out of sturdy material that can be easily cleaned. Formica and melamine are widely used and are available at most home-improvement stores. You can also use heavy-duty plastic or laminated wood to avoid splinters. Use plywood only if you cover the surfaces with contact paper or another easy-to-clean covering that prevents the wood from splintering.

    Design

    • There are many free plans for whelping boxes available, but they all agree on the basic design. One side should be about 1 foot high, and the other three walls should 4 feet high. This is so that the puppies are protected from drafts and can't escape easily but the mother can easily jump out of the box when she needs to. Designs also all agree on raising the box 2 to 3 inches off the floor onto a pallet or with risers under the bottom of the box to keep drafts away from the puppies. Finally, designs generally call for a rail around the inside of the box that sticks out into the box 1 to 2 inches. This is so that puppies who snuggle into corners or against the wall of the box have space if the mother lies against the rail; they will not be squashed if she rolls back onto the rail.

    Linings

    • Line your whelping boxes with warm, soft materials. If your dog already has a set of towels you use with her, put those in the box to get her used to sleeping in it. Synthetic lambskin with rubber backing is a preferred lining for the birth and first few weeks after the pups have arrived. These can be washed in a washing machine and are generally waterproof. Layer newspaper underneath the lambskin to absorb the urine, feces, blood and other liquids that are inevitable during the delivery and for several weeks afterward.