EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Im preparing for an upcoming liter, hopefully due about 60 days from today.  Been looking at some whelping box designs and I wanted to see if anybody could post pictures of your boxes.  One of my main concerns is how to mount a heating lamp to the box so that pups have indirect heat.  The plan is to build a 30' x 20' pen so that after the dog has puppies, I can put her back in a kennel and leave the puppies on the 30' x 20' pen.   I plan on building the box on the outside of the pen, with the entrance into the box on the inside of the pen.  I am a pic guy so if you a pic, I sure would like to see what you did.  I know some people have pups off the ground, I am having these on the ground.

Where you located? Gotta be careful on the Heat lamp. In a standard size box...it's probably to much. In open air it would be fine.

I got overly cautious as a teenager with a bulldog gyp. Put a lamp right on top of the box (hole cut in top)... She kept moving the pups out of the box.... I kept putting them back. Finally removed the lamp and all was good.

My experience....the gyp keeps them plenty warm unless the temps get low 40's or into the 30's.

Checked myself on that....apparently they need to be kept around 90 degrees the first week, 80 the second and by the end of the 4th week...75 will suffice (as per UKC).

They also recommend an area big enough that the pups can crawl from warm to cool as necessary. They rev commend a heating pad....I can see a hog dog tearing that up quick, lol.

Here is my whelping/dog houses iv built out of 275gal totes. I figured the size would be hard to keep warm, but we have been in the high 80s to 90s and its to hot inside. I put a 6" stove pipe rain cap and an 18" 3spd fan and i cant keep them cool enough. Iv been bringin them into the house around 12ish till it cools off outside

(http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab41/charlesmann/null_zpsc21af67a.jpg)

(http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab41/charlesmann/null_zps69aa1d3e.jpg)

(http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab41/charlesmann/null_zps1fe03a08.jpg)

(http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab41/charlesmann/null_zps41b72dc9.jpg)

(http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab41/charlesmann/null_zpsf4a1ed48.jpg)

(http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab41/charlesmann/null_zpsc0735998.jpg)

The best source of heat is a "whelping nest" you can google em, they stay a constant 98• and are the ticket. We've whelped numerous litters of real apbt on em and haven't had one get torn up. I made a 48" square with about 18" sides all around, added bumpers around all 4 sides, set it up on 4x4 runners, cut a hole in the middle and dropped in the whelping nest. I'll look for a pic.

Plastic swimming pool works great

(http://i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a566/DECKERlll/null_zps389eedb8.jpg)


This is what I have now, we used it on the last litter and it worked good, I need to put some bumpers on it, but just haven't yet,  but the gyps never suffocated one either....but like peachcreak said a plastic kids pool works good too, with a blanket, just change blanket when needed.

These pups were born today.

I rigged my box with a hot water heater themostat. Stayed 85degrees constantly through out winter. I took the incubator approach when building mine.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/05/yve9atu5.jpg)

It's kinda hard to tell but we basically threw plywood together with I think foot high walls all around with a little cut out for momma to jump in and out. Just laid down a towel.

Decker, saltyhogger, i built my first that was a 4'x4'x1' tall. It worked good for an inside set up like what yaw got. Them some good lookin dogs yaw got too. Any of yaw got any idea on how to keep my set up cool? I was thinkn bout puttin tin roofin on top to help reflect the sun, but i dont wanna take a chance on cookin another litter

Mines in a cattle scale inside a barn that's open toward the south, I put a fan on the gyp before she had them. But since she had them I moved the fan to where she can get to the breeze when she wants, or stay out of it. But can still lay inside the box.

Shade cloth?.. Maybe

I got a see through tarp made out of material similar to the tight woven mesh around tennis courts n from what iv seen, paitball courses. It keeps it cool from direct sunlight, but it still gets hot in that tote. Them puppies are panting, whining and wet with sweat. Im thinkn of riveting sheets of tin to the tope n side n see how that works.

Outside

(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w144/chads7376/20120721_160752.jpg) (http://s175.photobucket.com/user/chads7376/media/20120721_160752.jpg.html)

Inside. Heat lamps on a thermostat for winter and A/C for the summer

(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w144/chads7376/20120731_113746.jpg) (http://s175.photobucket.com/user/chads7376/media/20120731_113746.jpg.html)

Looks good Chad. 

Since these pups will be born the first week of DEC in Central Louisiana, it will be pretty cold.  I'm glad to see you mounted the thermostat or thermometer inside so you can tell the temp.  I should be able to build my box in plenty to time to test it out and see if the heat lamp will keep it warm enough.  I am building my setup with a top on it so that it can serve as a puppy house after the pups are separated from the gyp. 

A friend of mine at work said I should consider putting a hinge on the roof of the box so that I can get pups out without having to crawl inside the box.