Weaning Pen
Around 4 weeks of age, Pomsky puppies are being weaned by their mother, and they are ready to begin exploring their world. Most likely they have climbed out of the whelping box (if your walls are 12” high). So now what? How do you give them more places to explore while maintaining control over the poo loads that are now occurring since the dam is no longer eating their poo?
Potty area - Around three weeks of age, Pomsky breeders create a potty area for the puppies. This information is covered <HERE>.
Weaning Pen – A weaning pen is an enclosure that can be constructed like the whelping box or by using an exercise pen you can confine the pups in a larger space. It gives them an area to play, run and explore. And for their potty box. This allows the whelping box as a clean area for sleeping and eating. Attach your weaning pen as an extension of the whelping box which then designates the whelping pen as the sleeping area.
Bedding for the Weaning Pen – Finding the right bedding for the weaning pen is important.
Pine Shavings. Many breeders will use pine shavings (not cedar!) as it helps keep puppies clean. The weaning pen with tall sides of 4-6” is helpful in keeping the shavings in the wean pen and not in the house. You can buy these are farm feed stores. Large flakes, not the small chips you find with hamster and small animal bedding. They are bagged in plastic and approximately the size of a bale of hay. The pine smells fresh. The drawback to pine flakes is that they stick in hair, in clothing and on shoes. Clean out the poo piles frequently and when the pine flakes appear dirty, remove them, disinfect the floor with bleach or a kennel disinfectant like WysiWash and replace.
Washable pads – Is an option for the weaning pen. Amazon is a great source for washable puppy pads. You can either buy large ones, they make as large as 72”x72” or smaller ones. They can be pulled out and washed daily. They also absorb any liquids and give a non-slick surface for puppy play.
Indoor/Outdoor Puppy Pen – If the weather is suitable an indoor/outdoor run is a perfect solution for puppies to have play time as they get older. You can purchase larger size exercise pens that can be staked to the ground for a temporary solution. Be sure to disinfect the surface if it’s on grass to prevent any possibility of Parvo. Setting up obstacles/boxes, toys, hanging toys, tubes - the sky is the limit really with the things that puppies love to play with and on. They will play King of the Hill on a simple crate. You can also use textures in this space as ways to socialize. Have you just raked leaves? Throw them into the pen so puppies can dive into them and get accustomed to a different feel under their feet. This area is only limited by your creativity and budget!
The ability of puppies to play is not only for the socialization aspect but for their muscle development as well. Keeping puppies in a small area until 8 weeks of age results in poor muscle development, possible coordination issues, and could even delay their social development. There will be articles specific to Puppy Socialization coming soon and will be linked below.
