About whelping boxes
You may have heard about whelping boxes but wondered exactly what they were. A whelping box is where a mother dog gives birth and takes care of her puppies. If your dog is expecting for the first time, you may have quite a few questions about these boxes. Read on for some more information.

Types of Boxes
There are different kinds of whelping boxes including disposable boxes and more permanent boxes. A whelping box can be made of many materials including wood, pvc or plastic, and even wood.

Important Facts To Consider
A whelping box should be easy to clean or easy to dispose of once it is soiled. You can clean out a box with some disinfectant and water. If you have a larger dog, you may want to make sure that the whelping box has a rim built around it. This is to help protect the puppies if the mother dog slips and falls in the box. It is easy for a larger dog to slip and crush a puppy if she falls; the rim will help to catch her so that the puppies have time to get out of the way. You also might want to have a heating pad available to help keep the puppies warm

Disposable Boxes
Disposable boxes are usually made out of cardboard. Of course, the cardboard used is very sturdy and can withstand quite a bit of wear and tear. Should you use cardboard? It seems that each breeder has their own opinions. What you need to know is that cardboard can not be cleaned and so when it gets very soiled, it needs to be disposed. This means that you will be using a succession of boxes. You will need to think ahead and have several boxes on hand in order to keep the puppy’s environment as clean as possible. Some breeders like the ease of using a cardboard box simply because you do not need to worry about cleaning the boxes. Some breeders dislike the disposable boxes because they do not like moving the mother and puppies to a different whelping box each time it is necessary to clean out the box.

PVC or Plastic Boxes
A PVC or plastic box is a bit more sturdy than the disposable boxes. In addition, this type of box can be cleaned out and re-used when it gets dirty. Some breeders prefer to use this kind of box simply because it is economical. In addition, the PVC tends to be a bit more sturdy than the cardboard and lasts longer. Of course, it is a bit more work to have a box like this because it requires the breeder to clean out the box at regular intervals. It can be difficult to keep track of the puppies during this time. Again, different breeders have different thoughts about using this type of box.

Which Box Is Best?
Inevitably, it all comes down to this question. Which type of box is best? The answer is neither. There are both good and bad points to using either type of box. Use the box that fits your lifestyle and your needs best. If you do not like the idea of moving the mother and the puppies, or if you dog tends to be a bit nervous, you will probably want to use a more permanent box. If you do not like cleaning out whelping boxes, then you will most likely want to use a disposable box. Whatever type of box you choose, remember that it is most important to simply keep the whelping box as clean as possible in order to help the mother to raise happy, healthy puppies.