i am planning way ahead here but just wondering if there is any reason one would buy a specific whelping box rather than use an oval plastic bed? I know some whelping boxes have pig rails but im not sure from what ive read and been told that they aren't a risk in themelves? I have a large oval plastic bed with drainage slots in the bottom. When I say large, it was for my very large labrador years ago and he was able to stretch right out in it, and it would be for a small border collie bitch to whelp in. i just wondered if there is a reason against using one that i havent come across. many thanks.

First of all the height of the side in the plastic bed would be too low, possibly letting in drafts also you couldn't shut the pups away if needed i.e. if bitch needed to get away from feeding them when they were a little older as they would just follow her.  Also with the higher sides there was enough room to attach a small fan (as it was the summer) to keep mum and pups cool, there was also space for a hole where a heat pads lead could be fed through away from the pups to the socket.

I just think that Whelping boxes are safer than a normal dog bed and the pups would have grown out of a normal bed within a few weeks i.e. 4 weeks. The Whelping box had smooth sides unlike the mottled texture you get on beds so it was really easy to wipe clean.

I don't know what experiences people have had with pig rails but for us they were a life saver allowing a space for a pup to go incase the bitch sat on them, I have heard that some pups have gotten stuck under them I suggest moving them according to breed size, as we have a large breed it want a problem.

I found the pig rails were very good as a couple of times Saph laid down with a puppy trapped behind her. The rails meant that the puppy was fine and didn't get squashed.
The puupies will stay in the whelping box a lot longer as the doorway can be closed up. At 3.5 weeks old, I can still shut mine in the whelping box to keep them out of the way. I couldn't do this with an ordinary bed

I suppose there are alot of people out there that use a plastic bed and dont have any problems. In my opinion they are VERY lucky. I personally would never use one for a bitch to whelp in and and sleep with her litter until pup are a lot older and are able to get in and out of it themselves without problems, by this point the bitch probably wouldn't be with her pups during the night anyway.
The main reason is the whelping rails, IMO it is really not worth the risk not having them. When my girl had her last litter we used the link a bord box. This was a fantastic box, however as I got the 4ft x 4ft box as I wanted it bigger, It was for a bigger breed and the rails were also higher off the ground to accomodate for a bigger breed. My husband and I took turns to sleep on the couch right next to litter for the first 3 weeks or so. At 5 days old I last checked on the babies at 12.30am and as all was well and they were all suckling nicely I got my head down. I woke at just over an hour later and could only see 7 babies so got up and went searching only to find one behind mum and dead :-( As the rails were too high she had manage to get her whole body under them when she was laid flat out and I didnt hear him cry :-(
This time we will use a newborn birthing box and then when the babies reach 4 weeks or so they can go into the link a bord box. This way the rails will be the correct height and hopefully no accidents.
Also, unless you have the bed under a table and cover the table so that it drapes down over the bed your girl wont feel very safe, especially since the sides on a plastic bed arent very high at all. The babies could easily make their way to the entrance and roll or fall out as it is very low or mum could even knock them out by accident when cleaning them up. If your girl got out and then got back in, would there be enough room for her to lie down without lying on the pups? Of course you should ALWAYS be with her anyway to check that this doesn't happen.

The whelping rails alone would stop me from ever using a bed. A whelping box with rails is well worth forking out for rather than going through the heartache of losing a baby. When the babies are older they get a plastic bed in with them but like I say, as long as they can get in and out OK
Amy

thanks everyone....    its not a cost consideration at all, if it's what's best then we will get one.  She should feel nice and secure though as she will be in her kennel - my guys don't live in the house. what is it about the rails though that stops a pup being lain on? Surely they only work if a pup is right at the edge of the box?

You do realise that breeders sleep with their bitches both before and after whelping?  Can you do that in your kennel?

And the thing that stops bitches killing their pups by lying on them when they're tired or just clumsy, is the breeder being there 24 hours a day until the pups are old enough to be out of danger.

I have never known a bitch to lie in the middle of the box. They lay with their back against a wall and that is what can trap a baby behind her

You would be very lucky if you could raise a litter in a kennel even friends with big kennels themselves bring their bitch's and litter into the house so that they can keep a constant eye on them day and night. Most people have a lot of vested money and time in a litter usually planning at least a year in advance, wanting to keep a pup themselves also with a waiting list so do sleep next to the whelping box like you would with a new born child.

thank you everyone - i will look some more at whelping boxes :)    Triona the litter has been in the planning for 5 years, these are working dogs ;)  Thanks again everyone.

I wasn't insinuating that you haven't planned, I meant that because of the planning that's why people raise a litter indoors