# dogs laying on her pups



## mink (Feb 10, 2005)

what do you people do to prevent dogs from laying on their pups and killing them?


----------



## deetu (Dec 19, 2004)

Is the whelping box big enough for her and her pups that she can lay near them without being on them? Sometimes if the box or space isn't big enough, she has no choice.
What kind of dog?


----------



## DC_Hound (Jan 15, 2008)

That is a very common problem with bassets. Like Deetu said, it's important that the whelping pen be large enough for mom and pups to have enough room. With bassets though it's common for the mother to accidentally smother them so they need to be watched closely.


----------



## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

I do not have a whelping "box", I have a whelping frame. The frame is 3 ft by 4 ft and about 12" high on back and sides and about 4 inches high in front. On the inside of the frame I have a "pig rail" which is a rail about 4 inches from the floor. This is made cheaply with 1 by 4's and 2 by 2's for corners for the 1 by 4's to attach to and rail. Gives enough room for a newborn puppy to scoot under. You can either coat it with polyurathane or paint it. I have done both. Both finishes allow it to be cleaned and bleached. The frame sits on the bedding...I use a sheet of fleece for traction for pups and because it wicks moisture. I have not lost a puppy to being laid or stepped on since going to the frame. No way a puppy can get underneath bedding (which is how I lost pups to being laid on or stepped on) as the bedding is secured on all sides by the frame.
I forgot to add...I place a brooder lamp with wither a 60 watt bulb or a brooder bulb in the corner of the box (depending on if it is summer or winter)...that creates temperature zones for the puppies....they go towards the heat if they are chilly or away from it if they are hot. If I see them spending more time on the cool side of the box, I raise the lamp...if spending lots of time under the light, I lower it or up the wattage.


----------



## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Here is a photo of my set up. You will notice newspapers on one side as I ran out of enough clean bedding to do the whole area...so while I was washing the soiled bedding, only half had fleece.


----------

