Whelping and Puppy Pens – What Worked for Us
Korina’s 1st Litter – the “H”’s
Brad and Robyn Myers, American Canyon, CA
March 8, 2002
Whelping Pool and Room
We set up the whelping room and pool two weeks in advance
-started “hanging out” in there, with Korina in pool
-let her know that this was “another” bed – and place for her
We started collecting and organizing all the whelping supplies two weeks in advance
-had everything ready and in place by day 58
Set-up whelping pool for birth with:
-plastic painter’s drop-cloth (to keep the pool cleaner during whelping) —removed it after whelping
-cut an egg-crate mattress pad and duct-taped it into a circle, then covered with plastic garbage bags (taped together), as padding for a very uncomfortable, very pregnant Korina! It worked great, and she seemed to really appreciate it.
-lined all this with about 2 inches of newspapers, so could easily remove the top layer, and still have more clean ones below
-had several old sheets – they provide better traction than the newspapers for momma and for the newborns, and were easy to wash.
-removed soiled, wet newspapers and sheets as needed.
Used whelping pool for Momma and pups for first 3 weeks:
-for the first 3-4 days we “divided” the pool by putting Korina’s bed in it (covered with a sheet to protect it) – to keep the puppies from wandering too far away and not being able to get back (one of those “foam” beds with vertical sides
-put plastic covered mattress pad in bottom
-then layers of newspapers
-then a square (not a round) of Sherpa cloth (edges could be tucked in around mattress pad and newspapers)
-“Sherpa” is the brand name for synthetic sheep-skin (like the lining of a jacket) available at Fabric stores ($6.99/yd) or even WalMart ($5.99/yd). Often only available in winter.
-Sherpa stays dry, letting wetness pass right through to papers or wood-shavings below. Keeps puppies cleaner, drier and warmer.
-when pups started climbing sides, and producing more pee and poop – we removed foam mattress pad, and filled bottom of pool with wood shavings (cedar or pine), then put the newspapers and sherpa cloth.
-wood shavings work great with the smell, but are messy and stick to the Sherpa cloth. (Then get caught in washer and dryer).
Portable Baby Play-pen
-to put pups in while cleaning the puppy pool
-to bring pups into other rooms (with Momma – she could nurse them in playpen)
-to take pups outside on warm, sunny mornings
-lined playpen with newspapers and a sheet or blanket
Puppy Pens for Older Pups
When pups started to make the “great escape” – we set up an indoor, an outdoor and a portable pen. We had a winter litter, so it was too cold to leave them outside or in the garage. But we had some warm, sunny spring days – so we moved them to wherever the “best spot” was.
Indoor pen:
-2 X-pens to fill the floor space (and allow walking room on the outside)
-large blue tarp (folded 4 times) on the bottom to protect carpeting
-layers of newspapers (changed 1-2 times daily)
-sherpa cloths on top
-kennel-crate (with door off) for sleeping (with soft cloth)
-puppy litter box in corner next to crate (with puppy litter, wood shavings)
-water dish at front of pen (paint/spackel tray glued to plastic base)
-old bath mats as “place-mat” for puppy food dish (keeps sherpa cleaner) also at front of pen, opposite toilet area
-lots of toys (stuffies, squeakies, chewies, and balls), a few suspended across pen (changed every few days)
Outdoor run:
-we created an outdoor “run” in a cement side-yard – by fencing off one end, and covering any holes under gate
-cement has drains for easy hosing
-wooden dog house was already in one corner
-we put an extra-crate bottom (or moved the litter box) to serve as toilet area
-we put an old piece of “astroturf”down in food
Garage Pen:
-during cold/rainy weather when the puppies could not use their outside run, we set up two extra x-pens in the garage – near the door leading to their outside run
-on plastic tarps, with newspapers, one half was covered in sherpa (for their bed area), and the other half with with a king-size sheet or blanket (for their eating and toileting area). The area was “divided” by an open crate.
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Portable pen:
-we used 2-3 portable x-pens (that we borrowed from another BC and a neighbor) to set up on sunny spots on the backyard lawn when the weather was nice
-we would add their crate and the litter box so they had familiar items they were used to using.
Puppy Food Additives:
Korina stayed with the puppies the first 48 hours, except to go outside and “hurry.” That allowed the puppies to get uninterrupted colustrum.
The first three weeks she nursed them – but did not stay with them when they were sleeping. When the puppies would wake up – either she or I would hear them – and wake the other up to go into them. (Korina seemed compelled to be with us, wherever we were, when the puppies were sleeping. We allowed this since she always was eager to return to her puppies when they were awake and ready to feed.)
We would feed Korina in the pool or pen while she was nursing. She seemed to like the special treatment.
At 3 ½ weeks we introduced puppy gruel because they were showing interest in Korina’s food. At that point, we would let Korina in the puppy pen to nurse while we mixed the puppy food (about 5-10 minutes) – then let Korina out to eat, while putting the puppy pan in with the pups.
For both Korina and her pups, we found that they all liked these additives:
-Iams canned puppy food (WalMart $0.94, Safeway $1.25, PetCo $1.47 per can)
-Cottage cheese (4%)
-Goats milk
We added goats milk to the puppy weaning formula and water – at first. Sometimes we added cottage cheese or canned puppy food to the softened puppy kibble – to give them something to lick up while the kibble softened enough for them to eat. After a few days, they would eat the weaning formula with just water, or with a little Iams canned puppy food stirred in to make gravy.
For Korina, we alternated the additives in her food while she was nursing – to give her extra calcium and calories. Sometimes only a tablespoon was enough to make it seem like a special meal for her.
Dry Kibble:
-Korina was given Iams puppy food (higher fat and calorie content)
-Puppies were given Eukanuba puppy kibble – large breed (lower fat and calorie – better for joints)
During the weaning process, we would let Korina into the pen to nurse the puppies, while we prepared their kibble and her dish. When it was ready, we’d let her out, and give the puppies their pan of food. This allowed them about 5-10 minutes of nursing, and then they had to eat for themselves.