Gundog Training Forum

I am looking for a whelping box suitable for a cocker spaniel and wondered whether anyone had one they wanted to sell. I am in North Yorkshire and would collect. If not can anyone offer any advice on other suitable ideas for whelping, i.e. is a straw bed suitable?

Personally I would never use a secondhand whelping box. However much you think you've cleaned it thoroughly, there is a risk of infection. Similarly I would not use straw .. It is messy, impossible to clean and easy to " lose" pups in it. I recommend vet bed .. Good grip for pups, easy to put in the washing machine and dries quickly. "Disposable" whelping boxes are available (just google), although not cheap, or you can make one yourself (not hard ... I managed it )

Fiona

A 3x3 box should suit fine for a cocker, I'd go for plastic - Steel City or something similar. Ours is wooden with a plastic base and given the amount of fluid passed during whelping I wouldn't have anything except a plastic base. Newspapers (whole) and cardboard would be my preference for bedding as they soak up the mess, are easily sourced and easily disposed. Vet bed probably a good idea once they are going to toilet outside the box although I know someffolk use it for the duration.

I was at a KC Breeders' Symposium at the end of last year and the canine reproduction specialist Ms Angelika von Heimendahl recommend a good quality small children's paddling pool as a whelping box. I haven't tried it yet but she said this was what they are now using in her neonatal practice - easy to clean and disinfect, no risk of pups being squashed by the bitch, gives ease of access to the bitch but deep enough to keep the pups in. Another advantage, packs flat for storage. I thought I would give it a try in future but I've no first hand experience to pass on.

Don't use straw, ask your local newsagents if you can collect the 'returns' once they have clipped off the coupons to go back to the distributors - saves the newsagent paying to have them taken away and you get loads of clean papers.

A friend of mine who has had several litters recommended an XL Dog crate with Vet bedding for my forthcoming litter. Therefore the door can be shut if necessary and something can be draped over the top of the cage to make it into a cave.

I had sourced a huge cardboard box that could obviously be thrown away after use but she said that it would not last until the pups were ready to go.

With the crate it has a removable bottom tray which makes it super easy to clean.

That being said I am whelping indoors - might not be quite as suitable for kennel use.

I've used the XL crate as a cave with very good results. It was a very cold January, minus 10 C outside and not much warmer inside as we didn't have central heating. I put bubble wrap all over the crate to exclude draughts, including a flap over the door, and then once she had whelped, I put a couple of duvets on top to help keep the warmth in. I put the pups on a heating mat and added a second, slightly smaller crate to the unit, but this one just with bubble wrap. Mum could then move out of the heat when she wanted to and I put a non-spill bowl of water in the second crate, well away from the pups. Most of the time it was so cold that the bitch was on the heating mat with the pups but she had the option of moving and of course she was able to come and go as she choose for food and toileting. Vet bed is brilliant but only buy the branded one - the cheaper options on eBay really are not worth the money. You will need at least two, preferably three full sheets, and lots of newspaper underneath to absorb the liquid that soaks through.

Get your hands on this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Bitch-J-M- ... 1860540236 if you haven't already...

Rascal

This is one I made last year

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17086

tea bag bedding for the actual whelp- very absorbant and dust free and can be used to give the pups a good rub down if required then post whelp straight on to vet bedding- get the proper vet bed not the cheap stuff and it will wash and wash and wash and wash........ keeps pups lovely and warm and gives them a good grip when they start crawling and walking.

i built my own out of wood, phenolic board for the base, sealed around the edges with basic sealant. agree with bellypig, tea bag bedding for the whelp then once the bitch has finished vet bed exclusively. i have 4 bits cut out to fit the base and just wash and replace as and when! cost me less than £20 - a sheet of 8x4 ply, the phenolic board i had spare, few batons of wood to raise the base off the floor and a pack of screws. easy peasy