nursing mom and her 5 puppies

Question
Hi Melissa-
I have a Shi Tzu and 5 puppies that I'm having trouble keeping contained.I put them in a small corral in a spare bedroom.If I keep the gate open so the mom can go in and out while I work they crawl out and are all over the room.I'm afraid they will get hurt.If I close the gate the mom can't get in to feed them or out to get food and water.As I'm gone for eight hours this worries me.Do you recomend keeping the mom in the pen with the puppies or leave her out??? Not sure what to do.Thanks,Maria

Answer
Hell Maria;
Sorry to be tardy, my computer has been down!
I would leave the mom with the pups, as she needs to nurse them...you can get a Exercise pen, and try that and then put the babies in a box, so, they cannot crawl out, and then she has an area to get away when she wants her time out...put her water, food, and a potty area...newspapers, potty pads, etc.
And she should do really well.
Let me know!
Best of luck, and keep those questions coming.
Regards,
Melissa