Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
The pen I use is on vinyl flooring - then I use either a baby pool or a wood frame to keep the pellets inside - they learn to pee and poop in that, most of the time. I will keep towels and the like on the floor to try and absorb most of the oopsies. Might give the sod box a try whenever my next litter happens.
Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
I use vinyl floor remnants under ex-pens - you can get them cheap at places like Lowes. Then I use Yesterday's News in litter pans along with newsprint or newspaper. In a previous home I had a 10x10 chainlink dog kennel in the garage that I did the same thing with. The advantage was that they couldn't push it out of shape or off the vinyl.
Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
Hi-
I connected 2 xpens to a large dog crate which was on a tile floor liberally papered. They would automatically pile into the crate to sleep and move to the outermost area of the xpen to do their business. So by the time they left they were already used to being in a crate and thought of it as cuddly and home. I like the idea of the chain link however, as I had to block the xpen to keep it in a shape that I liked.
HTH,
A
Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
I use xpen to set up a 8 x 16 area in my kitchen.
potty boxes with pine pellets in the corner work 99% of the time.
blanket in the other side.
mop floor twice a day
works great!
Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
Ex pen- triple on a sealed concrete floor. I buy end rolls of newspaper (unprinted) from the local paper and put down in one end of pen. This paper gets smaller over time until they are ready to crate train and only potty outside. From the time they go into pen, they go out after meals and learn "outside" and "potty" starting around 5 weeks.
Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
I also use lino under a 4x8 pen - wish I had room for a larger area though. That size works great though and is more than enough space until puppies are about 6 weeks old. Then I need to give them a few hours of playtime to run around out on the big sundeck each day. I use shelving boards around my pen because they hold their shape well and are easy to clean but by 5-6 weeks I have to put up xpens around the outside so the puppies don't climb out.
Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
What does everyone else use to hold the litter? I have heard baby pools and rabbit trays. I can't imagine trying to clean up litter or shavings right off the floor or in a wooden box though so the pool sounds better. Do you cut out a door in the pool?
Re: What to do with puppies when they are moving from the whelping box
I built a wooden frame using 1 x 4's where my x-pens fit around it exactly. That keeps the shavings in and x-pens from moving unless they can move the entire frame. Then I put a crate without a door inside the area and gradually made the shavings area smaller. They got pretty good about using the shavings! A rubber stall mat under the whole thing kept them warmer instead just on concrete and was easier on their joints. I was able to clean it off really well when they were gone. The size I used was 4 x 6.
I think I will make a new frame now using 1 - 6 wood.
