Whelping box supplies

[fbkeays]

I thought I would start a new thread since my breeding announcement seemed to be heading in this direction. I mentioned about stocking up on newspapers and have gotten some difference of opinion on the use of newspapers.
This will be my husband and I first litter. In reading, it was suggested to use newspapers during the actual whelp. Nothing was said to not continue using newspapers. So is it advisable to use newspapers the first day and then go for towels/sherpa pads for the duration? How many sets? How often should the bedding be changed/washed during the nursing period? I understand that the bitch keeps the puppies pretty clean until they start to wean and then things get messy. Is that true? I know after the puppies are weaned that it is almost a constant battle to keep their area clean. Would newspaper be used after weaning?
What is the best size or dimensions of the whelping box? I know size is dependant on size of bitch. Any rule of thumb? Cipher is a good sized girl, 24" and 95 pounds.
Pig rails, are dowels (with space between side of wall and inner edge of dowel) or a solid shelf? How much space, ie from floor to lower edge of the pig rail and from wall to outer edge of pig rail?
Any must have details for the box? Or just a plain box with pig rails? How high should the walls be? If the box is made out of wood- any preference for type of wood? How about finishing it- sealers/paint/ what?
I have a couple of "Snuggle Safe" disks to use instead of a heating pad.
Any other details I am forgetting/missing as far as what should be in the whelping box?

[targonrotts]

i use a 4x 5 feet whelping box with no floor. the box is 12" high with a rail around it 6" all around. i use no floor in it, since i use a large thick comforter for the base, and news paper and blankets for the floor of the box.

during the actual whelp, i try to use mostly newspaper and some older blankets i don't mind throwing out after the initial mess. the first 2 days, you will have alot of cleaning in the sense of all the discharge and afterbirth. for the next 3 weeks, the dam usually does a good job, but changing the bedding depends on how much of a good job she does, and how many. but even if it looks absolutely clean, at least 2-3 times a day bedding should be changed. mother still will have a discharge that can last 4-8 weeks, and puppies do pee.

i use blankets and newspaper mix. some friends of mine get ink free newspaper. i have one friend that bought a large plastic sandbox and turned it into a whelping box. very easy to take outside and disinfect and dry and bring back in.

equipment to have- heating pad, heat lamp, puppy basket,lots of hand towels, thermometer,lube,booger baby bulb thingy,puppy milk,nursing bottle,syringes,tube for in case of emergency tube feeding, scissors,thread,scale,karo syrup.

i do not paint the whelping box. i use regular wood, 1 1/2 inch thick.

opps, gotta go to work, write more later,
good luck!

[frontierrots]

we use newspaper for the whelping (but lay a blanket too so that the pups can have traction when nursing

Once that is done I have a blanket covered with these WHELPING PADS: Kennels, Vets, Breeders REG-b - eBay (item 300186855988 end time Jan-07-08 18:57:54 PST) (which I change as needed. Wash in a washer and dry on low in a dryer. I only buy the new ones and only from this Ebay seller) and laid over with thick towels. This is in the whole box the first week, then 1/2 to 3/4 of the box and newspapers on the rest because the pups will edge onto the papers to pee eventually

[blisscodisco]

I am sure you will get lots of great advise but here is what I did: I used the newspaper (non inked rolls) with blankets on top for traction. My dogs "Auntie" actually was a life saver and bought me several yards of the "fleece" type marterial at the fabric store. They were great as they wash well and dry fast so I could rotate through them quickly. Also as puppies got older bought the extra large potty pads and wedged them under the pen in one corner. Sometimes they got shredded by naughty rascals but for the most part they worked well and they soon learned to go in the potty pad corner. Well almost all of them did, there was always the one that liked to run over to the fresh clean blanket and pee on it arrrg. I always kept that layer of newspaper under everything as it helped absorb and keep it all clean. Also as puppies got to the crawling stage I put in different textures for them to crawl on including some clean tiles which some of the larger warmer boys would love to strech out on. Have fun with your babies! -bliss