Building a Whelping Box
...It's also easy to disassemble! We'll show you how we did it.
We started off with a 4'x8' sheet of plywood that we had cut down into four 2'x3''s to make the walls of the Whelping Box. This gave us a 3 square foot perimeter for the box. If you don't have the equipment to cut this, they'll cut it for you at a hardware store. (Looking back, we would have cut these to make 4 square feet for the perimeter for the size of our dogs.)
We cut out a section for the door 1 ft. wide, and then routed all the edges. This helps to keep the edges from splintering, and cuts out dangerous sharp edges. |
Next, we added door hinges to the corner of the front, and left wall to make them easy to fold in on themselves when disassembled. We also did this with the right, and rear wall.
We then attached the door with hinges, added the outward latch, and a block to keep the door from swinging to far inward. We left a small gap all the way around the door in order for it to open and close easily. We used a grinder to cut off excess length on the screws.
To attach the front and left hinged walls to the right and rear walls, we used eye hooks and hinge pins to hold them together. We hinged the top and the bottom of each side. This allows the box to hold together with surprising strength and stability, but still easy enough to take the pin out and fold up the walls for storage.
The materials cost us around $50.00, and it took a little less than two hours to build the box.
We also made a guard rail out of 1-1/2 inch Sch-40 PVC Pipe, and solid door stops. The rail cost about $35 in materials.
The purpose of a guard rail is to prevent the puppies from accidental suffocation from the mother sitting or laying next to the edge. The guard rail gives the puppies a pocket to crawl under and around where the mother can't sit or lay. It's sort of like a secret tunnel to safety!
The purpose of a guard rail is to prevent the puppies from accidental suffocation from the mother sitting or laying next to the edge. The guard rail gives the puppies a pocket to crawl under and around where the mother can't sit or lay. It's sort of like a secret tunnel to safety!
We found some used outdoor foam mats for $5 at a Re-Store Shop that we cut to size. This creates the flooring for the whelping box and aids in waterproofing, insulating, and adds a little more padded comfort for mom and pups.
We also bought a heating pad from Petco for $35, a cotton cover blanket from the D.I. for $2, and some fleece blankets that we can rotate out for $2 a piece at Walmart. This will go on top of the foam mat to keep mom and pups warm, clean, and cozy!
We also bought a heating pad from Petco for $35, a cotton cover blanket from the D.I. for $2, and some fleece blankets that we can rotate out for $2 a piece at Walmart. This will go on top of the foam mat to keep mom and pups warm, clean, and cozy!
Overall we spent around $100 for all the materials needed.