Your Last Litter

[BJean]

My babies are born in my bedroom next to my bed and stay there for the first 3-4 weeks then move into the family room.

Once they are around the 5 week old mark they spend the day outside if the weather is nice.

Yes this is my routine also. Except pups are outisde during the day at 5 weeks, and by 6 weeks are usually outside day and night

[BJean]

Query for those that have pups contained in an area that utilises lino, tiles, floorboards:

do you add anything to the floor to give the pups traction when they move /play / run etc ?

The lino is that rough textured stuff, I've not found that slippery. The tiles are , so they are covered up. I limit the newspaper to one corner as I;ve found that slippery too.

My guys head outside to play, at about 4 weeks. They are on the cement, grass and into the dirt at that age.

Ah okay. That textured lino stuff sound svery useful , may save my bedroom carpet next litter

hmmmm

[currently use plastic drop sheets]

[WreckitWhippet]

it's the cheap nasty lino from Bunnings LOL

[SpikesPuppy]

Border Terrier litter was whelped on January 20th, first pup arrived 2:56 am and it was unusually COLD so turned the heater on LOL.

Litter was whelped in the spare bedroom/study, in a whelping box but soon moved to a clamshell pool (lined with vetbed). The carpeted floor was covered with thick builder's plastic & a tarpaulin (which was swapped each time it was cleaned/disinfected). They were provided with a heat lamp & heated mat when required, as well as damp towels and a gentle fan during the heat of the day.

This room was blocked off using a baby gate. I spent the first 3 weeks sleeping on a camp stretcher beside the whelping box.

Once the pups were a few weeks old and outgrew the clamshell, they were placed into a puppy pen and given a bed/box at one end and the other, play area was covered in newspapers.

I was home at the time so spent much of my day in the study with them, going about my uni assignments and such with the radio going 24/7.

The pups were also brought out in pairs (there were 6 of them) into the living room each evening for cuddles and exercises (tickling the toes, holding them head-up or head-down for a few seconds etc). By the time they were 4 weeks old they were taken outside for some exploring

[Missymoo]

Mine are usually whelped in the living room (most litters to date have been in the wee hours!) in a portable canvas pen (the ones that fold) that is large enough for me to be in there too, lots of towels and my small plastic tub with everything I may need pluss more towels. Also a hot water bottle and another tub to put pups when bitch is pushing again.

Dirty/wet towels are tossed outside and replaced, and bitch is left unless I am needed. When Bitch is resting/or feeding i sit just outside watching tv or on DOL! lol

When whelping is finished pups are transfered to whe;lping box inside our bedroom with a heat lamp/ and or heat pad (weather pending) I have a playpen around the se3t up so mum can get out and rest by herself outside the box, food and water are there too.

Hubby moves to sleep on the couch for these weeks as he says the pups 'stop him from sleeping!!" Awwww...

[BRUVIC]

When you had your last litter where was it whelped and where did the pups live for the first 3 weeks ?

I need you to describe the environment your pups lived in during whelping and for the first 21 days.

If you're worried about making this public Id appreciate you telling me privately [email protected]

Born in a whelping box located in one of the spare rooms inside our 4 bedroom home. The floor was tiled for this purpose. When the pups begin to 'escape', they remain in the same room on bedding until approx 4 weeks of age but will continue to be bought back in to the whelping room at night until approx 5 - 6 weeks of age, usually dependent upon the size of the litter. Its a gradual progression which has worked very well for temperament and safety and health for the babies and mother bitch.

[Bisart Dobes]

Whelped in back spare room, heated whelping box, no other dogs around our girls - they are a bit protective . They have their own radio and TV for those much needed noises (radio on from whelp for the bitch as it drowns out the extra external noises that upset them sometimes - TV on when they start responding to visual and verbal). They have an oil heater in there as central heating is too dry for babies I find so it is closed off when pups are in there (or aircon in summer). I lay a cheap lino over the carpet as well - not slippery and tossed when litter has used it. They have a puppy pen set up around the box which they have access to when they need that extra room. I put a puppy training pad into the puppy pen when they are around 3 1/2 wks (yes they actually work :rolleyes:). They stay there until around 4 weeks - when they start their time outside (weather dependant (not in this freezing weather !) puppy proof grass run and the heated box can go into the puppy 'kennel' if its too cold) and they sleep in the living room with one of the big dogs in a c-crate next to theirs and their puppy pen.

I have no luck uploading pics !!! They are all to big . . .

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Our litter born on 12/06/2010 were whelped at the veterinary clinic as our bitch need assistance, they were brought home in a wickerwork basket with a towel to lie on, under which was a hot water bottle. They are in our self contained granny flat, where I slept for the first few nights. Generally stay in there 2-3 weeks, but these are porekrs with no feeding issues.

They are in a corner of the GF in a whelping box (it is cardboard as I can't currently move our kenol), free from drafts, with a vet bed under the box so they are not on the floor. The box is lined with newspaper and then a vet bed which I change daily. They have a heat lamp on 24/7 and at night I put on the a/c and set it to 22C.

They are checked regularly throughout the day.

When they get to the stage of being able to get out of the box, I will move it onto a piece of cheap lino (Bunnings again), line that with newspaper, and set the puppy pen up. At this stage we are keeping the litter so they can stay there. With previous litters I have brought them into the house at 3 weeks but we have a very small living room which will be impossible with a puppy pen with four pups and six adults, we would need to move out Our last litter we only had the two pups so it was not so much of a problem.

We will introduce them to noises such as a TV going, radio, vacuum cleaners etc.

At four weeks, if it is warm I will start taking them into the garden for a few minutes each day and increase the time out as they grow.

At 8-10 weeks old those that we are keeping will have a sofcrate to sleep in.

[Rysup]

I use a spare room, which is directly off the lounge room, with a baby gate across the door, and another door that goes out to the garage (which is the kennels). Tiled floor. Whelping box home made, marine ply and aluminium. Heat lamp and heating pads.

I generally just put a bit of newspaper on the tiles once they start escaping the box, and I find that they become very sure footed on the tiles. That litter is now 2 1/2 and are extremely sure footed on tiles. The dogs who were raised on carpet or other rough surfaces, slip and slide when they come in on the tiles.

A few photos

[ozwildflower]

I have standard poodles and my last litter will be 12 months old next month. Both litters from this girl have been whelped in a corner of my bedroom and moved to a whelping box in another corner of my bedroom where they stay until eyes and ears open and they are getting active - then I move them to a bigger area in the living room where all the noise is. (Open plan gives kitchen/living/office and noise in one area). Depending on weather I start taking them to an outside pen for a few hours from 3 - 3 1/2 weeks.

I have polished cork floors which pups can't get traction on so, when I move them to the living area, I put down a good size piece of rubber backed dry bed, lots of teddies for climbing on and cuddling up to and newspaper for toileting.

[Aziah]

My last litter was a c-section so, whelped at the vet, once home they were placed into the whelping box (SBT123's design) around the box is a large penned area with lino on the floor (carpet underneath that), window allows natural light in, is right next to our bedroom and the family room, this is where they remain full time for the first 3 weeks.

ETA: heat pad on for the first 7 days, bedding in the box consisted of carpet on the bottom and VetBed on top of that, all bedding changed daily. The room is warm and free from any draught...

Edited June 29, 2010 by Aziah

[Cockerlover]

I am fortunate enough to have 2 spare rooms opposite each other, one is the dogs bedroom the other my whelping room ,Wooden floors with carpet tiles & lino in the whelping box area ,I also have a mattress on the floor in the whelping room ,that most of my bitches choose to whelp on, if not in the huge whelping box, that has a heat lamp above it & heat pads under the vet bedding ,

My last litter were born 1 week premmie so all heating was used, including oil colume heaters .

I always sleep in the whelping room until such time as I can no longer stand to be *attacked *by the bubs as they grow .

the first few days I leave the bitch to settle with her brood, but keep a watchful eye from another corner of the whelping room .I have a detachable side panel on my whelping box ,so the bitch can come & go as she pleases ,also my whelping box Has a hinged lid to unsure warmth @ all times .My pups r handled from day one & introduced to every conseivable thing I can think of as they progress ,By the time they leave my care ,they r fully socalised & toilet trained to the best of my ability .

I put my pups out ,during the day for a few hrs,in the warmer weather, in a separate puppy pen that leads from my whelping room to the outside world.

[WreckitWhippet]

I've improved my box over time and remade it several times now. The main thing with our location is maintaining the warmth. I've now got a perspex lid so the heat stays in and I can see in. It's awesome

Edited June 29, 2010 by SBT123

[Aziah]

I've improved my box over time and remade it several times now. The main thing with our location is maintaining the warmth. I've now got a perspex lid so the heat stays in and I can see in. It's awesome

That's a great idea

(on a non serious note - have you worked out how to install a perspex window on either side of the bitch so we can sneak little looks before they arrive)?! dreams are free!

[Joan of Arc]

I've improved my box over time and remade it several times now. The main thing with our location is maintaining the warmth. I've now got a perspex lid so the heat stays in and I can see in. It's awesome

That's a great idea

(on a non serious note - have you worked out how to install a perspex window on either side of the bitch so we can sneak little looks before they arrive)?! dreams are free!

What a great idea

Happy to share and also happy to learn from others.

We have a litter born 15 JUne, so just two weeks old. A maiden bitch so wasnt really sure how things would pan out. But she was great - first contraction at 6 - all over done and dusted with 7 pups at 10:26. We lost one the next day but 6 very helathy babies

So they were whelped in our whelping box (built by OH 3 years ago), surrounded by puppy pen designed so that as pups grow it can be moved to outside of the box, and attached on the edges which gives them a toilet area.

They are still there - it was only a max of 8 degrees here yesterday so they are still on heating pad but we are slowing turning it down - they are big slugs and not very active. Too well fed and too comfy

I had to return to work today so a second pen is established in the OH's office which has external access to the yard. Pen is covered, top and sides, has heating pad and room heater left on to create positive atmosphere and prevent cool air rushing in to room. External door left open just enough for mum to come and go for water and toilet etc.

I rushed home at lunchtime, checked babies, fed mum and then cancelled after school meeting to come straight home at 4.

this will happen for the remainder of this week - then we are school holidays. Pups will live inside at night and once they are five weeks and we have nice day weather they will go outside for a while and back in at night.

Because we get heavy frosts here in July and August, they will probably not go outside at night - will probably keep the pen in the OH's office and a couple of crates so they can come and go. That's a wait and see about the weather option.

[WreckitWhippet]

The window in the side = cut the hole in the side about an inch smaller than the perspex, then drill into the perspex , drill matching holes in the box and use small nut and bolts to hold it in place

[Bilbo Baggins]

Cavaliers. Last litter 02/02/2010. 1 girl 3 boys.

Whelped in heated whelping box in the lougeroom beside the TV. Loungeroom off kitchen. Whelping box has high sides so the pups can stay in there until about 4 weeks, when they twig to stand on crush bar to aid in escape route.

Then they move into a puppy pen which is on a sheet of clear plastic over the carpet. Inside newspaper layers. They live there until they go to new homes.

Other dogs not kept away by me, that is decided by the new mother who growls when not impressed and the "visitor" backs off. By day 3 mum is usually glad to have the matriach Wil take over for a few minutes.

Extended time outside from 4 weeks depending on the weather.

This litter was a problem as it was extremely hot. I only had it heated for about 24 hours then I put a heat pad at one end and frozen gel packs at the other. Covered with vet bed which this was the second litter I have used it for, previously used towels and newspaper and eggcarton foam. I aslo left the evaporative cooling running all day and night, and also had a fan moving the air around but not directly on the pups.

I weigh them twice a day around the same time. (Reasearch project plus I am a maternal and child health nurse )

Morning weigh and back to Mum. In the evening after weighing I have a cuddle of all of them, have them on their back, stroke between the toes and pads and general stimulation. Lougeroom has natural night all day.

Winter litters ducted heating on around 16 degrees day and night and heating in whelping box until they come out into puppy pen. Pupping pen is fairly close to ducted heating outlet and they often curl up in the corner closest to that but sometimes do not.

Edited to add the bits I forgot.

Edited June 29, 2010 by Bilbo Baggins

[flatchat]

For our flatcoat litter last October, we moved the whelping box into the kitchen. Dizzy had 11 puppies but we lost a liver male the second night. We had background heating on all the time for the first three weeks set at 22 for the first few days and an infrared lamp at night to keep them warm. We had a heat pad at the front of the box. Radio on low all the time. The walls of the whelping box are quite high so we had a blanket over the top to create a cave like effect. We had vet bed over polyfleece over newspapers.

For the first three weeks one of us slept nearby. At three weeks we extended their area so the puppies could leave the whelping box to toilet. Otherwise they scream to do so. From four weeks they were outside in our puppy run on warmer days. From 5 weeks at night they slept in our indoor puppy room off the garage. By day they were either in a portable run on the lawn or in the outdoor puppy run. I spent a lot of my time in their playing with them, picking them up, grooming them and cuddling them. Or sometimes just sitting and watching them.

They had toys, all washable. We are both retired so usually both of us were around and with the puppies and always one of us was. They got lots of visitors from 3 weeks and lots of socialization.

Most of our puppies fly interstate so they had some short trips in the car as they got older to get used to being in a crate. Puppies left for their new homes between 8 and 9 weeks.

Edited to add we nearly lost our only black bitch at 1 week. She was tube fed for a couple of days and after a couple of days where we watched her like a hawk, she didn't look back.

Edited June 29, 2010 by flatchat

[ellz]

Although the plan for my last litter (November 2009) was to be born in the whelping pen at home, they ended up arriving via c-section at the vets.

However they were soon home in their pen, outside my bedroom door and about 1 metre from my bed. The pen is located in a hallway that can be closed off from the rest of the house if need be, but is easily heard and accessible as well.

I set up a lamp to illuminate the area if needed, and a power board that the heating lamp and heat pad are plugged into and this is run across the doorway and down next to the pen. The pen has a "bumper" type arrangement around it to keep out drafts at floor level and has a door for easy access to bitch and puppies. The pen is on lino which is placed on a large tarpaulin for easy cleaning. Newspaper is layered on that and the actual bed is placed in the back corner. I use wool beds with raised sides and cover these with polar fleece in the early days and drybed when the puppies are up on their feet.

When the babies are still very small, mum doesn't usually want to leave them so she is fed and has fresh water in the pen and there is sufficient space at the side of the bed for her to escape if she gets too warm or just wants some time out.

For the first week, I literally sleep with my head and upper body in the pen with the puppies and then for the next few weeks I am no more than a metre away. I never sleep much when I have babies...am alert with every squeak or snuffle and check them hourly anyway. The heat lamp light is great for this.

For the first 10 days, they have the heat from the heatpad under their bedding and the heat lamp over the top 24/7. Then after that, depending upon the weather, I will use either the pad or the lamp. The lamp is suspended by way of a pole which enables me to raise or lower the lamp according to the temperature. If the weather is especially cold, I put a cover over the entire pen to create a nice, dark and warm "cave". I also do this if mum is becoming stressed with too much noise in the environment or if there are lots of visitors. My girls seem to prefer privacy.

My days are spent handling the puppies and changing bedding and newspaper in the pen and of course feeding when the puppies are 3 weeks old.

My puppies have their nails trimmed every week, are weighed every day for the first 3 weeks and have photographs taken every week as well. At 2 weeks, they are wormed for the first time.

[cowanbree]

My last litter was in December, it was a c-section so born at the vets but they spent the first week in my bedroom.

After they were out of immediate danger I moved them to the spare room where they stayed until 4 weeks. It is only at that stage that I start to mix them with the rest of the household, prior to that they only had brief strictly supervised visits from a couple at a time. They have a wooden whelping box with a pen surrounding it, the room is heated, they have heating pads in the bed and are raised on drybed. The bitch has another bed in the pen and after the first couple of days usually sleeps in that.