Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Dr. Julie
Some Rottie owners ask about a Rottweiler runt growth chart after noticing that their Rottweiler is growing much more slowly in comparison to their normal growth rate. Even though this isn’t a reason to worry most times, it’s possible that your Rottweiler’s a runt. In today’s article, we’ll be taking a look at the growth of a Rottie to figure out whether your pup is a runt.
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Regular Rottweiler Growth
It’s usually not best to worry about your Rottweiler possibly being a runt just because they’re a bit slow at growing. Many puppies from many different breeds are late bloomers.
It is true, however, that Rottweilers experience the most intense growth during the earliest stages of their life – that is, during the first six months. During this, very young age, their metabolisms are incredibly quick as they’re putting on much weight in a short period of time. After the initial six months, the growth and weight gain of your Rottie will finally slow down.
It can, however, take about two years for your Rottie to reach both sexual and physical maturity – they’re still growing and developing up until that age. There are, of course, specimens that reach physical maturity at a very early age – contrasting that, there are also specimens that take much more than two years to reach physical maturity.
This is nothing to worry about. In order for your dog to really be a runt, they would have to be particularly skinny for a very long time without showing any signs of putting on weight to be characterized as a runt.
Learn more about: How To Get A Dog To Gain Weight Fast
Remember that adult male Rottweilers can weigh up to 130 pounds (there are also incredible specimens weighing more than that), but most Rotties don’t reach that weight. It’s perfectly normal for a Rottie to weigh only 110 pounds. A male Rottweiler weighing 100 pounds is also completely normal and they’re definitely not a runt.
Females weighing anything above 80 pounds are also not runts.
What Is A Runt?
Now that we’ve cleared the common misconception of prematurely labeling your own dog as a runt, we can finally answer the opposite question – when is it safe to say that your dog is a runt?
Firstly, a runt is often seen as the frailest and weakest dog as soon as they’re born. It often happens that a single puppy in the litter doesn’t get enough milk and they’re usually smaller and weigh less. However, if this puppy does survive the initial few weeks, they’ll probably be just fine and just as large as the other dogs when they grow up.
Choosing a puppy that’s apparently a runt is completely safe as most of these dogs don’t grow up to be runts.
Read more about: How Many Puppies Can a Rottweiler Have IN First Litter?
You can only determine that your dog is a runt with absolute certainty when they’re an adult. There’s no clear definition of what a Rottweiler runt is, but for male dogs, they’d have to be shorter than 24 inches and weigh less than 100 pounds – being shorter and lighter usually constitutes a runt.
For females, the dog would have to be shorter than 22 inches and lighter than 80 pounds.
It’s best not to label your dog as a runt until they’ve reached physical maturity – if your Rottie is three or four years old and they’re showing a lack of physical development, then they’re probably a runt.
How Does A Dog Become A Runt?
There are three major factors at play here. Ordered by importance – genetics, nutrition, and exercise.
If a dog has genetic predispositions to be an underdeveloped runt, then there’s no food and exercise in the world that can help that dog grow. This, however, isn’t common with Rottweilers – these dogs don’t have many genetic defects and it’s rare for a Rottie to be genetically predisposed to become a runt.
Additionally, this is usually visible as soon as the puppy is born.
Then, we have nutrition – healthy nutrition is as important for dogs as it is for people. Dogs that don’t get enough food as puppies will have a very difficult time growing and putting on weight. In fact, this is the exact time when they need most of their nutrition – it’s crucial that they get enough food in when they’re young.
Lastly, we have exercise. Rottweilers are very active dogs and they need exercise too, quite literally, to stay sane. However, it’s also important for their physical development and keeping their muscles in check. It is true, however, that lack of exercise won’t turn a healthy Rottie into a runt – the consequences aren’t that severe.
FAQ
Is my Rottweiler a runt?
This is impossible to know until your dog is at least three years of age. Some Rottweilers are late bloomers and it takes them more than two years to reach complete physical maturity.
Why is my Rottweiler puppy so small?
It's not odd at all for a puppy to be smaller than the rest of the litter - this is usually a consequence of the other pups keeping that one from reaching their mother's milk. These pups usually grow up to be perfectly healthy dogs and they're not runts.
How do I know if my Rottweiler puppy is going to be big?
There's a 99% chance that your adult Rottie will be large, unless there's some sort of genetic defect in play. If your puppy is small, you don't have to worry about the adult being large because those two things usually aren't connected.
How fast do baby Rottweilers grow?
The first six months of their growth are the most intense periods, during which they're putting on massive amounts of weight in a very short period.
To End
Rottweilers usually grow to become very large dogs, but some owners worry about their puppies being smaller than the rest of the litter. You’ll be happy to learn that this usually has very little to do with your adult dog – it’s most likely a case of other puppies not letting your puppy get some milk. You shouldn’t judge your Rottie until it’s at least three years old.