About a week to go and box ready for any nesting activity....
She avoids it like the plague unless I climb in. I know she will end up in there, but any hints on making her "like" it more/feel more comfortable prior to start of labor?
The other bitches want to live in there. Maybe that is the problem?
Thanks for any suggestions beyond keeping the others out.
it may be to open for her to consider it a future den.
My whelping box is surrounded by xpens so I throw a light sheet over the top to create a den effect.
I feed her in the xpen area, and pen her up for short times. I heavily pad the box for comfort, but of course have to change this out once whelping starts.
Dont let the other girls in there, make it her own.
I agree that it's best she feel it's her own. Having said that, I never force my mommas to stay in there before whelping. Once the first pup comes, I hustle mom and baby into there, place baby on comfy blankets under a heat lamp, (no, I don't fry my puppies, use it's low switch, and hang it 42" from the floor, it's comfy for everyone) and from that moment onward, I never have any problems with moms wanting to stay in their box.
Good luck with your whelping, I wish you (and momma) an easy time of it and healthy babies.
My bitch's first litter she did not go into the whelping box prior to delivery. When she started showing signs I camped out on the floor next to the whelping box for the night. She started going into the whelping box to shred paper throughout the night. Delivering the first puppy scared her and she jumped out but after that she went back in and had the whole litter in the whelping box no problem.
I would leave treats in the box that she would sporadically find. She got used to something good being in the box and she would walk in and sniff around for it each time she went by. Next whelping when I set it up she sat smack dab in the middle and looked at me with that 'where's my treat' expression!
