When I first learned that a pregnant dog requires a Whelping box I of course turned to ‘Google’ to find out just what a Whelping box is. A simple search later I discovered that it’s just a box that a dog gives birth in. That said there are some unique aspects of a Whelping box that actually makes it a safe place for the puppies to live during the first few weeks of life.
On my second ‘Google’ search I went looking how/where to purchase a Whelping box and discovered two things #1 they are costly and #2 they are not sold in local stores and I would have to order one on-line. Needing one it two days time I when back to ‘Google’ to find out how one might build a Whelping box. I did find a few sites that helped out and gave some advice (especially about the railing). So I wanted to post my experience with building a Whelping box. It was surprisingly easy to build and only required two trips to ‘LOWES’ J
One of the fist things we need to decide was how big of a Whelping box we needed, for that question ‘Google” had no clear answer. Whelping boxes can range from 2 feet by 2 feet square with 12” walls all the way up to 6’x4’ with 20” walls. Not knowing how many puppies we were expecting and only that our mother would be a medium dog (50 lbs), I decided to build a 4’x4’ box with 24” walls.
The directions below detail the steps I took to build a 4’x4’ Whelping box with 24” walls, swinging gate, 100% tiled (inside only) and with a protective railing.
Cost: ~ $200 supplies + $80 for the front porch gate (optional) + $35 puppy pad (optional)
Time: 6 hours (including glue drying time)
Supplies:
· 1 – 4’x4’ 1” Plywood
· 4 – 2’x4’ 1” plywood
· 48 – 12”x12” vinyl tiles – with adhesive glue already on back
· 1 – Vinyl tile glue for plywood application
· 10 – 2” elbow brackets
· Gate latch kit
· Screws #10 1 1/2"
· Sandpaper
· 4 - 4’ - 1 ½ inch plastic plumbing pipes
· 4 – 1 ½ inch plastic three way connectors (see image below)
· Plumbing glue
· Staples (staple gun)
· Old blanket to wrap around the box and provide insulation (8’x8’ in size)
· Puppy pad (optional)
· Front porch gate (optional)
Step 1
First thing I did was apply the vinyl tile to the insides of plywood. This is to protect the wood and give it protection from water etc. This also makes the box easier to clean.
Use the tile adhesive glue on the plywood and glue the tiles to all areas, even if the tiles come with adhesive using the glue will create a better result.
Step 2
Once the tiles have dried cut off any tile edges that might be hanging over and give all the edges a good once over with some sandpaper. Working with 4x4 and 2x4 plywood you would think that the 1’x1’ tiles would fit perfect. Not so much… so cut off the extra and give the edges a good sanding
Step 3
Select one of the 2’x4’ sides as the door and cut it out. This door is 12’ wide and I also cut it down from 24” to 18”. I also made some cut out on each side of the door to give the mother a way out but still keeping the puppies in the box.
Step 4
Cut down two of the side edges by 1” along the height, this will allow the 4 sides to sit on top of the 4x4 bottom. Use of a tape measure was useful.
Give all new edges a good sanding on last time.
Step 5 - Putting it together
For this step I decided to build the box in the place where it was going to be, did not feel like carrying the built box from the garage into the kitchen after it was built. I started by using the elbows to build the sides of the box; two brackets in each corner. Remember to place the two sides that you cut down in step #4 as opposite each other.
Once the sides are complete attach the 4x4 base to the walls; upside down you are putting the base on top and screwing it together from the bottom of the 4x4 into the wall bottom/edges.
Step 6
Now you should have something that looks like a box that is upside down and one side should have a hole for the door. To help insulate and prevent any scratches to the floor we turned the box upright and placed it on an old blanket, we then stapled the edges of the blanked to the outside of the box. This also made it much easier to slide around and place the box where we wanted it.
Step 7
Use two elbow brackets to secure the walls to the bottom of the box on the door wall side (one each side of the door to help reinforce the door way). Using the gate latch kit secure the door piece in it place. As you noticed I also cut down the upper corners of the entry way. The goal of the door is to allow the mother to get out but not the puppies. We’ll let you know how long this box keeps standard poodles containedJ.
Step 8 - Important*
Use the plumbing pipes and connectors to build a railing along the outer edge of the inside of the Whelping box. This will help prevent the mother from squashing a puppy against a wall. Thought this was bit weird when I heard the box needed a railing but after seeing them all in the box it made sense so please do not skip this step, it is important. Also the I did not secure the railing because once the puppies are old enough I wanted to be able to take it out of the box.
Step 9
Place some blankets in the box and welcome the mother to-be into her hew home. We actually fed her in the box so she would feel secure and be happy going into it.
Step 10 – After the birth
I used vinyl to make things easier to clean and the mommy will do a great job cleaning up after the puppies (you hope), but a few days after the birth we put in a puppy mat on the bottom of the entire box. This has worked out great, the puppies like it because they do not slide all over the place like they did on the tile, and it actually works to keep things clean. I would recommend purchasing one, it was well worth it.
Step 11 – Adding the front porch (weaning pen)
In order to give the puppies a little more freedom as they grow older (larger) it might be of some use to plan on putting a gate around the front of the Whelping box. This is going to allow the puppies to venture out and have a place to play other than in the box. With a litter we had (10) the extra room is going to come in handy. So we purchased a gate that we could adjust to use as their play pen later in life. Attach the gate to the outside of the box making a semi circle around the front of the Whelping box, open the door and allow the puppies to discovery a new area.
Ste 12 – Taking it down
The Whelping box will only be used for a few weeks 6-8, and then it will just be a 4’x4’ box in the middle of my kitchen…. So I made the box using screws and the elbow brackets and a railing that was very easy to remove, making sure I did nothing to make this a perminate fixture or one that would be ruined when taken apart. This way when the time comes I can break it down and store for the next adventure.
