Hi, am thinking about a whelping box, and allowing myself plenty of time to do the thinking! A friend has a super whelping box made out of MDF, I was initially thinking of using the same design and building my own, but then came across this company - via a google search that brought up a Champdogs post from a few years ago.  Anyone using their whelping box and if so, what's the verdict?  And is the base made out of the 15cm slats, as per the sides, or is it a solid base?  I figure the cost of these boxes is probably not a vast deal more than making my own ... and would be easier to clean and lighter/smaller to store.
Thanks for replies

I much prefer an covered whelping box with high sides and a roof.  In 25 years I've never had a bitch not be happy to be in a covered unit. :)

I too use a covered high sided box, covering is a fleece which hangs down in the front and can be raised as pups get older, bitch and pups stay warm without extra heating and Bitch feels safe and secure.  I used to use large disposable (more hygienic) cardboard boxes, got them from TV suppliers (Dixons Currys etc) but TVs are so much smaller now :(  Can still be done though with a bit of ingenuity ;)

Hi, yes box will be going into covered area, but it's the actual Link-a-bord box I'm trying to find out about. Thanks for your comment.

> I used to use large disposable (more hygienic) cardboard boxes, got them from TV suppliers (Dixons Currys etc) but TVs are so much smaller now :-(  Can still be done though with a bit of ingenuity ;-)

Snap!  Only I order from a cardboard box manufacturer.  Packed in 10's they suit me, as that is usually more than enough to go through one litter.  I order the heavyweight (think it's double thickness, but don't know the technical term.)

It works out £3 - £4  per box for me, and I can just burn them after, which is great.  I went to one breeder that just picked boxes up at the supermarket, but I was worried about what germs could lurk.  I preferred to use new.  These come in a flat pack, so easy to store, and I just take one out as needed.  Some bitches get through more than others.

A friend with a Boxer litter told me she ordered a disposable box, sold specifically as a whelping box, for one litter, over £50 online.  She reckoned it was rank by the time it had been finished with.  So I prefer to replace as needed.  Works for me!  :-)

We have a link a bord box, it's very easy to clean so it's much more hygienic than a wooden box. I've never tried the disposable ones but we have a giant breed and the link a bord has stood up to the little monsters really well.  We have the 6ft one with rails, I can at a pinch put it together myself but much quicker when OH helps, the fact it is made from the small boards means it's quite easy to store when dismantled.  For the price, I would definitely recommend.  We didn't get the base as we just sit it our tiled floor and line with newspaper and vetbed, but I'm pretty sure the base is a solid piece.

I have a box OH made for me as I have a large breed and overly zealous pups!! It is made of marine ply and varnished. I give it a really good scrub out and then OH  re-varnishes it between litters and it has put up with an amazing amount of puppy antics.. It also has a solid rail around the inside as I found pig rails were a problem and pups will get heads stuck in them if not carefull. At some stage between new born and running around heads got to just the right size they just fitted through and got stuck!!!
Aileen

PS Cardboard box's and BMD pups are a recipe for disaster...who needs a shredder???  :) :) :)

Thank you Fate. I've ruled out cardboard boxes, wooden boxes (for now), and I am quite certain of what I'm after. I actually wasn't going to buy one of their ready made whelping boxes 'cause it's not quite the design I'm after, but am interested in getting the pieces to make to my own construction - really like the look of the components.  So if you've been using one for a giant breed and think it's stood up to the test, it should be fine for my medium breed!  I was thinking the base wasn't really necessary, specially as it's going to be in a corner (covered and darkened).
If anyone else has used Link-a-bord boxes ... as opposed to cardboard, wooden, or any other variation :-) ... I'd be pleased to hear your comments too!
Merlot ... I think the BC pups I've raised could also become shredders of cardboard whelping boxes too!!

> but it's the actual Link-a-bord box I'm trying to find out about

We've got a Link-a-Bord and they are brilliant, easy to put up, easy to clean, easy to store, and the company's service has been second to none.

The only note of caution really is if you buy the base as well, it can be slippery, so I would definitely think about putting something over it to reduce the risk, particularly so if you have bigger breeds.

Thanks for reply. Love your website by the way (yes, had a sneaky look to see who you were!), tons of really good information there ... if you've got a lab that is, and useful for non lab owners too!
I want to make one using Link-a-bord bits to my own design. As I'm thinking about this over the bank holiday weekend and can't get in touch with them, can you tell me how the base is attached to the sides?  I've worked out all the fittings I need, and what I can improvise on, but they don't sell the solid base panels on their website, though obviously they produce them as they supply them with their ready made whelping boxes. So just curious how they attach. Not sure that I would go with a base, but might just make it neater.
Am going to send them an e-mail but I'll have to wait ages for their reply!!  Thank you.

I have used both a marine ply box which was good at the time , but last time I bought a pvc box from Warwick welping boxes it cost a lot but is guaranteed for ten years , it is so much easier to clean than the marine ply box, at least I know I have cleaned it thoroughly. They come with a solid base made from the plastic which conservatory roofs are made of. It does both my giant breed and my smaller utility breed. It is also great as a puppy pen as you can raise the height of the slats on the doorway as the puppies grow.

I have used the 1.4m Linkabord one for the last  3 litters now includng the last litter of 13 pups.Love it, easy to clean, flash bounces off it for photos so they are really clear and bright and so easy to take apart and store. I have adapted mine to take the front down to a lower height for when the pups need to get out.
Diane

Hi, thanks for that. I'm wanting to build my own Link-a-bord box as I didn't like the front of their box, so interesting to hear you've adapted yours. Am wanting to be able to build the front up slat by slat, either entire front or just a section, have seen some bits in my DIY store that'll work if Link-a-box can't supply something.
Do you have a base in yours? If you do, would you again, or if you don't would you again, if you catch my drift?! Basically I'm still undecided whether I actually need a base.

Hi, thank you Cani1. I've looked at the Warwick ones. I was looking at the polycarbonate sheeting (conservatory roof material) with a view to using that in one that I make, if I decide I need a base, so interesting to know that's what the Warwick boxes use, so that's a possibility ... specially as I know someone who is currently building a conservatory and might have a piece going spare!

my OH who is a joiner.. made my whelp box out of conti boards as they come in different lengths and widths . For the top he builds a frame out of 2x1 with a piece of thin hardboard in the middle I then throw a large blanket over it which can be dropped or lifted at the front to keep it snug and warm.

  size is 7ft L x4ft Wx 2ft H, it has a partition (which can be removed) making whelp area 4ft x 4ft with slats for the entrance in the early days..  the other side 3ft x4ft front has spindles close together so puppies can see out when bigger , think it works out around £60- £70.. I then remove the slats and partition , add a pen turning it into a big play area  when they are on thier feet, I think I  have a pic if anyone want to see it PM me.

Roni

A friend has just had a whelping box delivered from this company & they also manufacture whelping cubes too.

Hubby made our whelping box and lid out of Coroplast...very easy to use and keep clean...it actually feels warm underfoot aswell. Just line with newspaper and vetbed on top of that.
Mum and pups warm and content.

> Thanks for reply. Love your website by the way (yes, had a sneaky look to see who you were!), tons of really good information there ... if you've got a lab that is, and useful for non lab owners too!

Thanks - yes, I run the site with the owner of Charlie, the Bionic Pup.  We put the site together after her boy had bi-lateral hip replacements to ry and get the message across to prospective labrador owners of what they need to be aware before buying a pup.

coroplast is called Correx over here in the UK

Linky here http://www.theplasticshop.co.uk/corrugated-polypropylene-sheet-correx-2936-0.html

make one to suit your requirements :)   

Will be keeping the info, I can use this stuff myself :-D

Hi Sue, you haven't said how the base is attached to the sides! I have sent an e-mail to Link-a-bord, but I'm an impatient soul and know I wont get a reply from them 'til next week!!
Toffeecrisp - thank you. Think I'm wanting something a bit stronger that Coroplast, but at least I know the name of the corrugated plastic I've used for many years to mail out with photographs! Will do a bit more research though before I discount this product.
Thanks for all the replies btw :-)

Dill,
Im in the uk aswell..I just couldnt remember the UK name for it!!!!

Hi toffeecrisp, have been trawling the internet looking at Coroplast/Correx. What thickness have you used for your whelping box? I'm still thinking I like the Link-a-bords for the sides (I do like to dangle over the side of the box!!), but am thinking this would make a good base, and the 4mm sheets are around £5.50, so a good price.  Thanks

> Hi Sue, you haven't said how the base is attached to the sides! I have sent an e-mail to Link-a-bord, but I'm an impatient soul and know I wont get a reply from them 'til next week!!
>

They slide in somehow, my OH put it together - will ask him tomorrow and let you know :D

Trialist
yep its 4mm..(im sure it is)..we got ours from the local sign maker in Middlesbrough..just rang them and asked for 2 sheets..really easy to bend and cut..very easy to keep clean aswell.
We bought some cubes, like mesh squares that you make shelves out of..they came in a pack of 12 from BnQ..used them around the outside to make it a bit more secure..

I don't like the link-a-bord one, the base isn't waterproof, it's big and clumpy, mine is out in the shed, I much prefer my snowsilk one.

The base is like tongue-and-groove boards that slide in together, then the whole base just sits inside the whelping box, not fixed, it just snugly fits inside.

SharonM - thanks very much for base info ... I don't like the sound of that either. Am thinking a large Correx sheet that I can attach to the base of the side panels will work well. If my lottery ticket does well tonight I may well invest in a Snowsilk box!!!

Toffeecrisp - thank you again. I was going to ask you how it was assembled, sounds a good idea using a frame.

Just got to work out how to attach a Correx base to the Link-a-bord sides ... shouldn't be too difficult though. On the other hand, I may just put lino beneath the box as it will be in a corner so shouldn't move around.

Thanks for all your help and I'll let you know how I get on with it :-)

Just got to work out how to attach a Correx base to the Link-a-bord sides ... shouldn't be too difficult though. On the other hand, I may just put lino beneath the box as it will be in a corner so shouldn't move around

You could buy some u shaped channel from a DIY store and fix this round the edges of the base and then slot the boards into it. It would probably be cheaper to buy the channel from a plastic's supplier - the sort that sells fascia boards for roofing. Or maybe from an electricial wholesaler - the square conduit for running cables in and just discard the capping.

That's a good idea. I'd been looking at fascia upvc stuff before getting to the link-a-bord site. Will go and have a good poke around in my local DIY store :-)

PVC bathroom cladding is what I used to build my first Whelping box the frame work was made using the peices that are used for the corners which gave us the channels to slot the cladding into The base was made from hardboard covered with plastic sheeting . I bought all the materials from B&Q we did hold the frame work together with nuts and bolts to strengthen it but the front had loose planks  that  could be slotted in to build it up. It lasted 8 pups until they left for new homes although we did have an escape attempt at about 6 weeks which reqired a little more strengthening. I now have a snowsilk whelping box.

We too have Snowsilk boxes, a 30" square one with a lid for the Frenchies and a much bigger one that we used for the Boxers in the past.  Don't think they can be beaten, we love ours.  Our very first one was a work of art built by my husband, but not a patch on Snowsilk!

Ah ha, have been looking at cladding pannels this afternoon! Think I'm sold on using the Link-a-bord bits 'cause they look easy to put together, and have now sourced some H sections that I can use on the front to slot the panels in/out as I feel the need.
Would love a Snowsilk box, but at over £300 a go it really isn't a goer!
Thanks for comments.

By the time you've done all the modifications to the Link-a-bord, you might as well make yourself one from scratch. :(
Snowsilk might be a lot of money but they are well designed, safe and secure.  I don't think that you can put a price on protecting a litter.  I've known people lose puppies due to badly designed/made whelping boxes. :(

I loved my Link-a-bord whelping box. Easy to clean :)

It was some years ago since I used it but I seem to recall the base didn't actually "fix" to the side panels. The side panels fitted around the base to keep the structure stable. I would definitely recommend the rails to use initially :)

I had box made by OH out of MDF varnished, after seeing Wirelincs Link-a bord  box with 13 puppies in it I bought a 1.4m box second hand from a friend,I too modified the front to make it lower when pups reached 3 weeks so I could add a playpen to it,the company were very helpful and extra bords did not cost much to adapt it.
It has a base which is made out of the same width slats as the box, 4 slats spaced out go one way across the inside of the bottom of the box, then the base which is made of slats sit on these the other way (if this makes sense).it dose need to be sat on a piece of lino,with a piece cut to fit inside,I then cover it in newspaper and vetbed,I loved it,cleans easily is lightweight but sturdy and packs away well.

I have used puppy pen panels with one on top to give rigidity to the square.   Stand either on a piece of lino (when usign 4 foot panels) or inside a 3 foot square puppy pen base I bought from Snooze and Snack years ago.

I line the inside of the sides with cardboard (punch holes through and attach with cable ties.  Then a bedspread goes over the top to make my cave, and hey presto.

My snowsilk whelping box fits inside a Freedom pen, so use it that way, can cover the whole pen in the early days, then as pups get more mobile remove the whelping box and just use the Freedom Pen, once the pups are up on their feet, I join two freedom pens together.

Hi all and many thanks for all your comments, they've been really helpful. I have decided that I am going to go with the link-a-bord, but using their components to make a box to my own design as I'm not keen on their own design. Not bothering with the type of base they use, as I've worked out what I think will be much better ... plonking box on lino with a piece of cow matting lining to fit the inside - warm, non-slip and comfortable!!
Can't wait for Tuesday when I can ring link-a-bord just to check thickness of boards and a couple of other things. Hate planning over a bank holiday!
I was going to go with a wooden box of the same design my breeder friend has successfully used for many litters. Whilst it's a really nice box (my link-a-bord will be exactly the same but just made from plastic) it's quite heavy and bulky. I want something I can flat-pack easily, and by the time I've got the wood, and stainless steel screws so I can flat pack it all it'll work out the same as what I'm now planning. Also I want something I can dismantle and sit in cleaning solution, probably in the bath. I'll be able to do that with what I'm planning.
So thanks for all your comments, I think I'm pretty much sorted now ... unless of course, one of you wonderful folk who's actually got a link-a-bord can tell me what the thickness of the planks are ;-) ;-)  I'm just checking I can get channelling. I've very unscientifically scaled up the picture from the website, and whilst it works for the width (15cm), I'm assuming the thickness will scale up to around 19-20mm, depends on angle photo taken though as to whether that's a true value.
Thanks again :-)

23 mm :)

Awww, thank you Fate!  Bit bigger than I thought then.  Will get back looking at the H-sections I was looking at yesterday - this is to make a channel for the slats to drop down into!  Will ring the company on Tuesday anyway, they will probably have something they can supply. Thanks again.

Mine is from canine kennels it is great, over £300 but it was money well spent, fit and fertile do one similar to mine.

I'm trying to understand the appeal...... 
Link-a-Bord is made from 98% recycled uPVC plastic
If you're prepared to do modifications yourself, do you have a UPVC company that sells stuff for cladding?  We do in Somerset and the stuff, which looks just like this (and is also what Snowsilk is made from) would be much cheaper to buy the off cuts direct and cut out the middle man.

I guess it's the simple, lego like joining together of bits! :-) :-)

Thanks annastasia, just had a look at the Fit and Fertile site. 

Guess what, it's a ... wait for it guys ... it's a ... yep, you've guessed, it's a ... LINK-A-BORD whelping box!!  :-D :-D :-D

Ah, but hang on ... how come Keith's got a sky blue box.  No sky blue on the LINK-A-BORD options I've been looking at ....

> Guess what, it's a ... wait for it guys ... it's a ... yep, you've guessed, it's a ... LINK-A-BORD whelping box!!  :-D :-D :-D
>
>

Oh is it?