I have a litter of nine 3 1/2 week old pups who definitely will not fit in the puppy pen I've been using for the past decade. As a result I'm looking for a good, sturdy ex pen to keep them confined and am hoping for some good suggestions. I found a white plastic pen by IRIS that looks nice but I don't know if it will work with a large litter. I'm also considering dividing the litter into two pens: the one I have an a newer one. Any ideas?

TIA!
Barb

I bought a 40" heavy duty x-pen on amazon that is the best x-pen I have ever owned. By far. In fact, I bought two of them and put them together to make a larger pen. I don't know if the maker is Precision Pet Products or if this is the distributor, but that that's the label on the x-pen. I LOVE this x-pen! Though I will warn you that it is heavy and not really suitable for travel to shows.

Hooking up two pens together is a good idea. If you only expect to use the extra pen for puppies, I'd advise keeping the pen short. Also, there is not a lot of advantage to getting a heavy duty pen if all you want to use it for is litters. These things get Heavy!!!! Not to mention price.

I have 2 of these and use them in the dog room as a puppy pen when I have a litter. Depending on the size of your room, you can configure it to what you need and the size and shape you want, using panels from 2 sets.

http://www.precisionpet.com/detail.aspx?ID=110

They are also handy to have for visiting dogs that might need a spot to be contained in while outside, and for really sturdy pens at outdoor shows. They aren't so heavy (I carry 2 panels at a time) to transport, and take about as much width when packing a vehicle as a couple of x-rens.

I love'em!

PetsMart sells a 3'x 6' white plastic "toddler yard." It runs about $60 and can easily be hooked up to a second one. It is good and sturdy. It is only 24" high so it's easy to hop in and out of or reach in to grab someone. Only problem is that it wouldn't double as a pen for older dogs, unless the dogs are good about not jumping out of things!!! Ha ha

Miller Manufacturing sells a Pet Lodge that most feed stores are carrying. It is a metal ex-pen in 24, 36 and 48" high pens. The pens are well made, come with clips to attach to other pens and come with "tent stakes" to secure it to the ground should you use it outside.

Good luck, have fun and here's to continued health for your gang!!

I've got a couple of these, too, that I hook together and use. Only problem I have with them is that they can be pushed around by the pups when they cluster on one side; the plastic moves easily over my laminate flooring.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/North-States-Superyard-Xt-Gate/8457890
PetSmart's - same thing, more money! Read the reviews - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10939499

I've also had heavier pups actually flip this pen when they get heavy enough to stand up against one side; that's when I've used it with an over 8 week old.

I use PVC pipe, and make any size or configuration, lightweight, cleaner friendly.

My regular pen is made of PVC pipe and I love it; it just isn't big enough and DH isn't thrilled about making another one.

Thanks for all the suggestions!!

Barb

So which one is it Kate? I Googled Precision and only see normal size and # smaller x-pens.

Can you look at them again and see what is around under Precision. Maybe you can find a picture too. Try Googling the Images setting.

As you keep your pups much later then most of us do, you should have a larger, heavier x-pen to contain pups at 14 or more weeks. Wag the Dog (1) has good ideas, she might have better ideas then either if us,

I have a large litter expected mid-week according to the digital x-ray. She's huge. My vet counted 11. So I too need a heavier and larger x-pen to contain the potty box later, for toys and more. Is yours over 30"? I want to be able to reach pups easily.

How long do you have this x-pen? Can you describe it's appearance maybe, color, height and type of panels please?

Thanks.

I got the Iris as an extra pen and I love it! I also purchased the two extra panels. Right now I have 11 pups and they fit just fine. It comes apart easily, isn't as heavy and I can take it out and hose it to clean it.

Did you get the eight panel taller version or the four panel shorter one?

I have that already. I got the 4 panel and added 2 more. It was fine for a litter of 5 to 6 but not for 9 or more if you have a potty box. I would suggest you go with 8 panels either way, short or tall. Add as they grow or start off large.

I paid much more for it then the price is now. That's a steal in comparison to what I paid 2.5 years ago.

In my regular metal ex-pens I get the lower one so I can reach over. I'm not tall so my arms aren't long.

The one I bought is called the Courtyard Kennel by Precision Pet Products. I bought two, rather than buy extra panels, because I wanted two gates. It is easy to put together with rods connecting the panels. You also get an extra set of rods that is supposed to be used if you want to put the Courtyard Kennel outside and stick the rods into the ground. I used the extra rods to
stabilize the panels when I want to have straight sections consisting of two or more panels. As x-pens go, I think they are rather attractive. Very versatile. About the only bad thing I can say about mine is that one of the wires needed to be reattached, which I did with a tap screw.

Shop around on the Internet for the best price because there is quite a lot of variation. I paid about $350 total for two of them. I've only had mine about three months, and I am already considering buying another one.

As we talk about pens for larger litters, I wondered what the rule of thumb is for space per puppy?

I assume most whelping boxes are 4x4ish? But when puppies are up and moving and especially when mom is no longer cleaning up, how much space do you provide? And is that at night also?(assuming there are no safety issues!!)

Just wondering what others are doing and wondering if I am providing enough space. Thanks.

We have a short xpen that I wanted something smooth and sturdy on the top as I had a bitch that jumped over one and tore her side. My DH took 4ft lengths of PVC and ripped it down the middle with a saw, it fits over the top and is secured with tiewraps though the first ones we did slid on and aren't going to come off , it also gives the pen alot of stability. We use 2 x-pens together in our den for the litters once they move out of the bedroom at 2 1/2 -3 weeks. Their pen outside is 30'x30'.