my bitch is 56 days today. She has been sleeping in her whelping box for the last two weeks with no problems.In the last few days though she keeps sneaking away and getting in my walk in wardrobe.This morning I had to really bribe her to get out of my wardrobe.As this is my first litter I am unsure if this kind of behaviour is normal.I really don`t want her having pups in my wardrobe.The whelping box is a nice big box and is in a quiet place.plz help thanks louise

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You are going to have to make sure she can't get anywhere near your wardrobe - it seems very much as though that is her 'ideal' spot! And you might not win - if she has firmly decided on that site she might start moving pups there at any opportunity after they're born and can work herself up into a state of hysteria when her plans are thwarted! :(

Is her whelping box covered and nice and dark? I always have ours under a table with curtains all around to make a nice dark, cosy den, and the bitches always feel secure in there. So I should get that done if you haven't already.

Is the whelping box downstairs and your wardrobe upstairs? If so, fit a stairgate and don't let her upstairs at all - the stairs may become too much of an effort for her soon, anyway.

Good luck.
:)

Please keep her out of your wardrobe - it will get very messy otherwise! My foundation bitch wanted to have her 2nd litter ON my daughters bed - Not a good idea. She wouldn't settle anywhere else, no matter how hard we tried. She eventually gave birth at the top of the stairs, right outside my daughters bedroom! We eventually got her to accept the spare room, but it took a lot of persuading. It's not easy when a bitch has made her mind up to get her to somewhere else. Good luck!

You are right it is normal behaviour, instinct tells the bitch to find a warm safe spot and she does so. We set up our whelping box in the utility room and she was happy to use it but if she went upstairs she went under our bed, and if she went outside she went into one of the bushes to find somewhere cool! We didn't need to use the stair gate because towards the end she didn't want to go up stairs often. We gently discouraged the unsatisfactory venues making it difficult to get to .... a rolled up carpet under the bed did wonders, and made the whelping box as favourable as possible. ... but the bush was more of a worry!

Al

thanks for advise.I now keep all the bedroom doors shut so she cannot get into the wardrobe so she has now took to the top of the stairs.She will still not go in the whelping box.She was fine with the box at first but these last few days she will not get into it.Do you normally find that most bitches go the full 63 days because the last few days she hasn`t eaten much and seems to be very restless.thanks

One of my girls had her litter on day 60, another day 65.........they say the average is day 63, but anything from day 58 onwards seems ok.

They usually slow down eating, especially as their tummies feel so full all the time, once she's delivered she will eat and eat!

Good luck, let us know how you get on

M-i-L's labrador had her litter in the spot from where she had removed the raspberry canes....:D