Whelping Boxes
Once you have made the decision to breed from your bitch, you need to consider where you are going to keep the puppies once they have been born. Most dog breeders build themselves a whelping box to keep them safe and warm.
If your bitch is used to sleeping and resting in a dog kennel then it will be very easy for her to become accustomed to the whelping box. If she hasn’t been used to a kennel then it may be an idea to acquire one for her to use to make the transition easier. Use a dog kennel guide to help you decide on the type of kennel that would best suite your situation.
The whelping box needs to have sides that are low enough for the mother to stop over to get out but high enough to stop the puppies from escaping once they start to move around. If you have enough space then you may want to have 2 sections so that you can encourage the puppies to only go to the toilet in one of them, keeping the living area clean. By far the best thing to line the box with is newspaper. It is warm, quite absorbent and helps to make cleaning easy as you can simply lift the soiled sheets out.
It is a good idea to build a pig rail around the edge of the box. This prevents the mother from accidentally squashing a puppy against the wall and also allows the puppies to be able to get all the way round their mother. Many bitches also like to lie their heads on the rail!
The most important thing to remember about whelping puppies is that they must be kept warm at all times. Ensure that there are no drafts in the room and consider buying a heated dog bed to keep the temperature in the box at a nice level.